.bvh File Extension

A .bvh file contains BioVision Hierarchy motion data. Poly identifies supported files with model/x-bvh.

What does BVH contain?

BioVision Hierarchy (BVH) stores motion-capture data as text. A hierarchy section defines joints and their relationships; a motion section provides frames of channel values and a frame interval. The format describes skeletal motion without a character's textured surface.¹

The format was developed by Biovision to deliver captured motion with hierarchy information. It is useful for transferring movement, but a recipient must still interpret joint names, channel ordering, and coordinate conventions correctly.¹

Opening and using BVH

Blender provides a Motion Capture import/export option for BVH. Review its scale, axis, frame-rate, and animation-range settings when importing a clip.² Keep the original motion alongside the rigged character you intend to animate.

Retargeting a motion to a different character is a separate authoring task. Matching filenames does not establish that two skeletons share the same proportions or joint layout. Check a full motion sequence in the target application before relying on the result.

Poly support

Poly recognizes supported BVH motion data and keeps the file searchable by name. When a visual rendition is available, you can inspect it interactively, find related visual content, and see available scene counts in 3D Details. A skeletal representation is not the same as the finished character with its skin, clothing, and materials.

An optimized rendition of the 3D object or scene is provided to the agent, allowing compact yet information-rich multimodal interaction with 3D files. For BVH, agent access depends on an available visual rendition and does not imply that the agent has the original character or a complete motion-analysis tool.

Alternatives and conversion

Keep BVH for exchanging captured skeletal motion. For delivery of a character together with supported geometry and animation, export an assembled asset as glTF or GLB. A static OBJ export cannot carry a BVH animation.