This repository provides Python3 scripts for manipulating and converting BVH motion capture files.

Installation

• To install from PyPi:
  pip install bvhtoolbox
• To install from github using development mode:
  pip install -e git+https://github.com/OlafHaag/bvh-toolbox.git@master#egg=bvhtoolbox
• To install latest development version using regular mode (building the package):
  pip install https://github.com/RobotRoss/bvh-toolbox/archive/master.zip
• The installation creates some console scripts you can use.

Console scripts

Manipulate BVH files

Rename joints in bvh files

• Command: bvhrenamejoints

Remove frames from BVH files

• Command: bvhremoveframes

Offset joint angles in BVH files

• Command: bvhoffsetjointangles
• Can be used to additively offset joint angles in the BVH by supplying a csv table containing the mapping of joint names to euler angles.
  • The angles must be in the same order as the joint's channels in the BVH hierarchy.

Convert from or to BVH files

BVH to Cal3D XSF & XAF

• Command: bvh2xsf
• Command: bvh2xaf
• Converts BVH files to the Cal3D XML skeleton (XSF) and animation (XAF) file formats.
• The XAF files rely on the respective skeleton file.
• XAF files have been tested to work with skeletons that were exported from 3DS Max and Blender.
• I use the resulting xaf files in Worldviz' Vizard, so it's only been tested in this context.

BVH to Panda3D Egg animation file

• Command: bvh2egg
• Converts BVH files to the Panda3D animation file egg format.

BVH to CSV tables

• Command: bvh2csv
• Converts BVH to comma separated values tables.
• Ouputs one file for hierarchy, one for joint rotations, and one for joint world positions.
• Use --hierarchy to export the respective CSV file.
• Using only the --rotation or the --position flag you can output only one of the transform tables.
• The --out parameter only takes a directory path as an argument.
• With the --ends flag the End Sites are included in the *_pos.csv file.

CSV tables to BVH

• Command: csv2bvh
• Takes 3 CSV files (hierarchy, rotation, position) previously exported using bvh2csv or created otherwise and builds a bvh file from them.

All converters have a --scale parameter taking a float as an argument. You can use it to convert between units for the position and offset values.

How to run the console batch scripts

• Open terminal.
• If you've installed the bvhtoolbox into a conda/virtual environment, you have to activate it first.
• type <script_name> -h (substitute <script_name> by one of the commands above) to get more information on the usage.

Notes

This package includes 20tabs' bvh module due to a lack of updates for this module on pypi.org.