Blender 2.8 - Breathing Script Tutorial 2020

A simple tutorial to arm your rig with imitated breathing motions over any length of keyframes. This may save you, as it did me, hours of MOCAP editing crap. The breathing in the tutorial is subtle as it is in a stationary human.


Pre-requisite
1. Makehuman mesh and rig (Reccomended)
2. Your own mesh with three available bones in relevant areas where breathing would occur, chest and neck.


You can tailor this script to however your rig is set up but obviously it needs to be within the area of the chest. That is not to say you cannot tweak and edit as you see fit. A breathing arse may be interesting.... :)

T-SHIRTS - https://eval-optimize.teemill.com/

Bandcamp: https://muzakmusick.bandcamp.com/

Python Script:


#Import blender library
import bpy

#Set mode to Pose automatically
bpy.ops.object.mode_set(mode='POSE')

#Set record button to on
bpy.context.scene.tool_settings.use_keyframe_insert_auto = True

#First function, takes float x,y,z inputs
#Applies those inputs to a translate value
def breathe(x,y,z):
bpy.ops.transform.translate(value=(x, y, z))

#Second function, as above but applied to rotate value on Z axis
def rotate(num):
bpy.ops.transform.rotate(value=num, orient_axis='Z')

#A counter for flicking between breathing states
#out breath versus in breath
check = 0

#Loop through an amount equal to your scene length
#In my case scene length is 250
for i in range(250):
#I am taking current frame and multiplying by 30.
#This gives the appearance of breathing
#Faster breathing multiply by less
bpy.context.scene.frame_current = i * 30
#Check our counter is 0
if check == 0:
#choose rig, eg mine is face.
#choose rig bone by name and select.
#min is clavicle_r
bpy.data.objects["face"].data.bones["clavicle_R"].select = True
#Pass amount to function one
#This small amount is subtle
breathe(0, 0, 0.002)
#Repeat above process for clavicle on the left
bpy.data.objects["face"].data.bones["clavicle_L"].select = True
breathe(0, 0, 0.002)
#Repeat above process but we need to choose a neck bone or equivilent
bpy.data.objects["face"].data.bones["neck01"].select = True
breathe(0, 0.0010, 0.002)
#Increment counter
check = 1
#The above code imitates breathing out
else:
bpy.data.objects["face"].data.bones["clavicle_R"].select = True
breathe(-0, -0, -0.002)
bpy.data.objects["face"].data.bones["clavicle_L"].select = True
breathe(-0, -0, -0.002)
bpy.data.objects["face"].data.bones["neck01"].select = True
breathe(-0, -0.0010, -0.002)
check = 0
#Repeat process to breath in


#now ALT AND P.............