The Biovision Hierarchy character animation

Character animation

Character animation is a specialized area of the animation process concerning the animation of one or more characters featured in an animated work. It is usually as one aspect of a larger production and often made to enhance voice acting. The primary role of a Character Animator is to be the...

 file format was developed by Biovision, a defunct motion capture

Motion capture

Motion capture, motion tracking, or mocap are terms used to describe the process of recording movement and translating that movement on to a digital model. It is used in military, entertainment, sports, and medical applications, and for validation of computer vision and robotics...

 services company, to give motion capture data to customers. This format largely displaced an earlier format Biovision providing skeleton

Skeleton

The skeleton is the body part that forms the supporting structure of an organism. There are two different skeletal types: the exoskeleton, which is the stable outer shell of an organism, and the endoskeleton, which forms the support structure inside the body.In a figurative sense, skeleton can...

 hierarchy

Hierarchy

A hierarchy is an arrangement of items in which the items are represented as being "above," "below," or "at the same level as" one another...

 information as well as motion data.

As of 2008, BVH is widely used, however not all applications support importing and exporting files in this format.

Examples of software using files in BVH format:

• Lightwave 3D
• 3ds Max (version 9 or later)
• Blender
  Blender (software)
  Blender is a free and open-source 3D computer graphics software product used for creating animated films, visual effects, interactive 3D applications or video games. The current release version is 2.60, and was released on October 19, 2011...
  
  
• Cobalt
  Cobalt (CAD program)
  Cobalt is a parametric-based computer-aided design and 3D modeling program that runs on both Macintosh and Microsoft Windows operating systems...
  
  
• DAZ Studio
  DAZ Studio
  DAZ Studio is a 3D figure illustration/animation application released by DAZ 3D Inc. It is compatible with most files intended for use by Poser. It is available free of charge . Version 1.0 was released in Fall 2005. Version 4.0.0.335 is the current release as of June 29, 2011...
  
  
• Esenthel Engine
• Lifeforms
• Maya
  Maya (software)
  Autodesk Maya , commonly shortened to Maya, is 3D computer graphics software that runs on Microsoft Windows, Mac OS and Linux, originally developed by Alias Systems Corporation and currently owned and developed by Autodesk, Inc. It is used to create interactive 3D applications, including video...
  
  
• Poser
  Poser
  Poser is a 3D CGI rendering and animation software program optimized for models that depict the human figure in three-dimensional form, mostly used to pose and animate the figures in a similar way as a mannequin...
  
  
• Seamless3d
  Seamless3d
  Seamless3d is open source 3D modeling software free and available for all under the MIT license.The models for the virtual reality world, Techuelife Island were created using Seamless3d technology...
  
   Free open source modeller
• Second Life
  Second Life
  Second Life is an online virtual world developed by Linden Lab. It was launched on June 23, 2003. A number of free client programs, or Viewers, enable Second Life users, called Residents, to interact with each other through avatars...
  
  
• Avimator
  Avimator
  Avimator is a basic BVH editor, originally written for use with Second Life, as a simple inexpensive alternative to commercial 3D rendering and animation software, such as Poser and Maya. It is open source software, and is based on the FLTK toolkit.Avimator is available for Microsoft Windows,...
  
   and its Qt port Qavimator
• Maxon Cinema 4d
• formZ
• Milkshape 3D
  MilkShape 3D
  MilkShape 3D is a Shareware low polygon 3D modelling program created by Mete Ciragan. It is used mainly by people compiling models for Half-Life, Blockland, The Sims 2, The Sims 3 and other sandbox games....
  
  
• Papervision 3D
• OpenQwaq
  OpenQwaq
  OpenQwaq is open source computer software for immersive collaboration, which enables organizations to implement online 3D virtual world workspaces for their specific needs...