Workflow

Rumba Dataflow

A Rumba project is built assembling asset node references and USD/Alembic content.

In Rumba, the asset controllers are animated using animation curves organized in layers.

Then the assets geometries can be deformed by deformation layers before to be displayed or exported.

USD and Alembic contents can be overridden using animation curves and then displayed or exported in USD layers or ABC files.

To assemble a Rumba animation project, first export each Maya character rig using MTORBA to get a .rumbanode file.

You may also need some alembic files with the static scene elements.

Once exported, reference each character and the alembic files in Rumba using File -> Reference Nodes…

You can also do this in Python, see Reference a file.

Once the animation is done, export it to your preferred DCC. You can choose to export the geometry cache or the controllers animation.

If you choose the last option, you won’t be able to get the deformation effects of the deformation layers (like the sculpt or the sticky deformer).

In the first one, you can export an Alembic or a USD file with all the character geometry baked.

You can also import a Rumba animation back into Maya, over existing Maya assets using the Rumba animation format.

You can script all this, see Export a .rumbaanim file.

Warning

The Rumba deformation tools (like the sculpt or the sticky deformer) won’t be exported using that workflow.

Another solution is to export an FBX file with the animation of the different rig controllers.

You can also script this, see Export the animation.

Warning

The Rumba deformation tools (like the sculpt or the sticky deformer) won’t be exported using that workflow.