# Blender headless: render a rigged character + Mixamo anim clips to sprite frames. # # Usage: # /Applications/Blender.app/Contents/MacOS/Blender -b --python pipeline/render_moves.py -- \ # --char ~/Documents/foitin_assets/woman_athleisure_01.fbx \ # --clips "clipdir_or_file1.fbx,file2.fbx" \ # --out renders/hero [--size 512] [--rotz 90] [--samples 16] [--step 1] # # One output folder per clip: renders///####.png # (that layout feeds straight into pipeline/pack_character.py). # # Frames render with transparent background, fixed orthographic side camera, # ground plane at z=0 mapped to a consistent pixel row -> stable ground pivot # across every move (the BKB .geo lesson: bake a consistent pivot). import argparse import math import sys from pathlib import Path import bpy GROUND_ROW_FRAC = 0.96 # ground line at 96% of image height (bottom margin) def parse_args(): argv = sys.argv[sys.argv.index("--") + 1:] if "--" in sys.argv else [] ap = argparse.ArgumentParser() ap.add_argument("--char", required=True) ap.add_argument("--clips", required=True, help="dir or comma-separated fbx list") ap.add_argument("--out", required=True) ap.add_argument("--size", type=int, default=512) ap.add_argument("--rotz", type=float, default=90.0, help="extra Z rotation (deg) so the character faces screen-right") ap.add_argument("--height", type=float, default=1.75, help="normalised character height in metres") ap.add_argument("--cam-height", type=float, default=2.6, help="world metres covered by the image height") ap.add_argument("--samples", type=int, default=16) ap.add_argument("--step", type=int, default=1, help="render every Nth frame") ap.add_argument("--max-frames", type=int, default=0, help="cap source frames per clip (0 = all)") return ap.parse_args(argv) def import_character(path: str): before = set(bpy.data.objects) if path.lower().endswith((".glb", ".gltf")): bpy.ops.import_scene.gltf(filepath=path) else: bpy.ops.import_scene.fbx(filepath=path) new = [o for o in bpy.data.objects if o not in before] arms = [o for o in new if o.type == "ARMATURE"] if not arms: raise RuntimeError("no armature in " + path) # drop helper meshes that aren't skinned to the rig (stray spheres etc.) kept = [] for o in list(new): if o.type == "MESH" and not any(m.type == "ARMATURE" for m in o.modifiers): bpy.data.objects.remove(o, do_unlink=True) new.remove(o) else: kept.append(o) return arms[0], kept def world_bbox(objs): import mathutils pts = [] for o in objs: if o.type == "MESH": for c in o.bound_box: pts.append(o.matrix_world @ mathutils.Vector(c)) lo = [min(p[i] for p in pts) for i in range(3)] hi = [max(p[i] for p in pts) for i in range(3)] return lo, hi ## Mixamo FBX often lands at centimetre scale (100x). Normalise the rig to ## target height with feet on the ground at the origin. def normalize_character(arm, objs, target_h: float): bpy.context.view_layer.update() lo, hi = world_bbox(objs) h = hi[2] - lo[2] if h <= 0: return s = target_h / h arm.scale = (arm.scale[0] * s, arm.scale[1] * s, arm.scale[2] * s) bpy.context.view_layer.update() lo, hi = world_bbox(objs) arm.location.x -= (lo[0] + hi[0]) / 2 arm.location.y -= (lo[1] + hi[1]) / 2 arm.location.z -= lo[2] bpy.context.view_layer.update() ## Blender 4.4+ uses layered/slotted actions; older versions expose .fcurves. def action_fcurves(act): if hasattr(act, "fcurves"): return list(act.fcurves) out = [] for layer in act.layers: for strip in layer.strips: for cb in strip.channelbags: out.extend(cb.fcurves) return out def assign_action(arm, act): if arm.animation_data is None: arm.animation_data_create() arm.animation_data.action = act if hasattr(act, "slots") and len(act.slots): arm.animation_data.action_slot = act.slots[0] def import_clip_action(path: str, target_arm): """Import an anim-only FBX, steal its action, delete its skeleton. Mixamo namespaces bones per download (mixamorig:, mixamorig6:, ...); remap the action's fcurve paths onto the target rig's namespace.""" before_obj = set(bpy.data.objects) before_act = set(bpy.data.actions) bpy.ops.import_scene.fbx(filepath=path, use_anim=True) new_obj = [o for o in bpy.data.objects if o not in before_obj] new_act = [a for a in bpy.data.actions if a not in before_act] for o in new_obj: bpy.data.objects.remove(o, do_unlink=True) if not new_act: raise RuntimeError("no action in " + path) act = new_act[0] target_ns = "" for b in target_arm.data.bones: if ":" in b.name: target_ns = b.name.split(":")[0] + ":" break for fc in action_fcurves(act): if '"' not in fc.data_path: continue bone = fc.data_path.split('"')[1] base = bone.split(":")[-1] new_bone = target_ns + base if new_bone != bone and target_arm.data.bones.get(new_bone): fc.data_path = fc.data_path.replace('"%s"' % bone, '"%s"' % new_bone) return act def setup_scene(size: int, samples: int): sc = bpy.context.scene try: sc.render.engine = "BLENDER_EEVEE_NEXT" # Blender 4.2+ except TypeError: sc.render.engine = "BLENDER_EEVEE" try: sc.eevee.taa_render_samples = samples except AttributeError: pass sc.render.film_transparent = True sc.render.resolution_x = size sc.render.resolution_y = size sc.render.image_settings.file_format = "PNG" sc.render.image_settings.color_mode = "RGBA" # key + fill + rim, angled like a simple studio setup for name, rot, energy in ( ("key", (math.radians(60), 0, math.radians(35)), 3.0), ("fill", (math.radians(70), 0, math.radians(-50)), 1.2), ("rim", (math.radians(-60), 0, math.radians(180)), 1.5), ): light_data = bpy.data.lights.new(name, type="SUN") light_data.energy = energy light = bpy.data.objects.new(name, light_data) light.rotation_euler = rot sc.collection.objects.link(light) def setup_camera(cam_height: float, size: int): cam_data = bpy.data.cameras.new("cam") cam_data.type = "ORTHO" cam_data.ortho_scale = cam_height # vertical extent (square image) cam = bpy.data.objects.new("cam", cam_data) bpy.context.scene.collection.objects.link(cam) bpy.context.scene.camera = cam # side view: camera on +X axis looking toward -X, up = +Z cam.location = (8.0, 0.0, 0.0) cam.rotation_euler = (math.radians(90), 0, math.radians(90)) # place ground (z=0) at a fixed pixel row: centre the camera so that # z spans [c - h/2, c + h/2]; ground at row frac r -> c = h*(r - 0.5) cam.location.z = cam_height * (GROUND_ROW_FRAC - 0.5) return cam def main(): args = parse_args() bpy.ops.wm.read_factory_settings(use_empty=True) setup_scene(args.size, args.samples) setup_camera(args.cam_height, args.size) arm, objs = import_character(str(Path(args.char).expanduser())) # rotate about WORLD Z (local axes are already tilted by the FBX importer) import mathutils arm.matrix_world = mathutils.Matrix.Rotation(math.radians(args.rotz), 4, "Z") @ arm.matrix_world normalize_character(arm, objs, args.height) clips_arg = str(Path(args.clips).expanduser()) p = Path(clips_arg) if p.is_dir(): clip_paths = sorted(p.glob("*.fbx")) else: clip_paths = [Path(c).expanduser() for c in args.clips.split(",")] out_root = Path(args.out).expanduser() sc = bpy.context.scene for clip in clip_paths: action = import_clip_action(str(clip), arm) assign_action(arm, action) f0, f1 = (int(action.frame_range[0]), int(action.frame_range[1])) if args.max_frames > 0: f1 = min(f1, f0 + args.max_frames - 1) # Centre EVERY frame's hips over the origin (clips travel and turn); # the per-frame drift is exported as root-motion data instead — the # engine decides per move whether to consume it (BKB .geo, modernised). hips = next((pb for pb in arm.pose.bones if pb.name.endswith("Hips")), None) base_loc = (arm.location.x, arm.location.y) px_per_m = args.size / args.cam_height move = clip.stem.lower() move_dir = out_root / move move_dir.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True) n = 0 root_px = [] # forward travel (screen px) per rendered frame prev_y = None # -cam-space y = character forward when rotz=155ish for f in range(f0, f1 + 1, args.step): sc.frame_set(f) bpy.context.view_layer.update() if hips is not None: arm.location.x = base_loc[0] arm.location.y = base_loc[1] bpy.context.view_layer.update() hw = arm.matrix_world @ hips.head arm.location.x -= hw.x arm.location.y -= hw.y bpy.context.view_layer.update() fwd = -hw.y # camera looks -X; screen-right = world -Y root_px.append(0.0 if prev_y is None else (fwd - prev_y) * px_per_m) prev_y = fwd sc.render.filepath = str(move_dir / f"{n:04d}.png") bpy.ops.render.render(write_still=True) n += 1 if root_px: import json (move_dir / "root_motion.json").write_text(json.dumps( [round(v, 2) for v in root_px])) print(f"RENDERED {move}: {n} frames ({f0}-{f1})") print("DONE") main()