It literally took me about 100 attempts over a period of 72 hours, but I finally figured out how to go from a LW 11.5 Genoma rig to iPisoft and back to LW without any intermediate programs like Motionbuilder or the Autodesk FBX converter. My first attempt is too ugly to post, because I was just trying to hammer out the steps with a single Kinect before I employed two. Hopefully, I can post something a little easier on the eyes in the next few weeks. So, here's the steps I followed:

1. Load a basic humanoid model in a standard T-pose into LW Modeler 11.5. (I had to make some adjustments to my model so the arms were in a good T-pose)

2. In the Setup tab, select Genoma Presets and load the biped motion capture rig into another layer.

3. Configure the Genoma rig so that it fits your model. There are some tutorials on youtube that explain how to do this.

4. Cut and paste the genoma layer back into the layer with your humanoid so that you have only one layer total. Save the model and send it to Layout.

5. In Layout, activate the Genoma rig. Bones should already be turned on. Save the scene and then export the scene as an FBX file.

6. Open iPisoft and load your mocap project. Select Import Target Character and choose the FBX that you exported from Layout.

7. The model should follow your motion capture without trouble. I did not retarget anything at all--just left everything at the default settings.

8. Export your animation back to another FBX. HERE'S THE IMPORTANT PART: Choose General FBX export. Do NOT choose MotionBuilder (as I did for three solid days).

9. Go back to Layout, Clear the Scene, then Load the FBX you exported from iPiSoft. Everything should be there and moving.

I don't own MotionBuilder and couldn't justify the nearly $6000 it would cost to get it (because they only sell it packaged with Maya or 3DS Max now). Fortunately, I am learning that iPisoft has the general tools I need to make general adjustments to the motion file before I export it. Once my Alienware PC gets here, I should be able to hook up the second Kinect and do something worth seeing.

Peter Stallo