VMD2PNG
VMD2PNG is a separate open-source tool that encodes a .vmd motion file into a .png image. DanceXR can load motion data directly from these PNG files, so you can use them anywhere a VMD motion would normally go.
Added in 2026.3.
Why use it
- Smaller file size than the original VMD in many cases.
- Easier to share — a PNG is readable as an image on any platform, with no special metadata to strip.
- Visualization — the PNG itself is a visual representation of the motion data, so you can see at a glance how dense or sparse a motion is.
Loading a VMD2PNG file
Two equivalent paths:
- Drag and drop the
.pngfile onto the running DanceXR window — it loads as a motion just like a VMD. (See drag-and-drop loading notes in 2026.3 for how drag-and-drop interacts with dance sets.) - Content library — keep
.pngmotion files in yourmotions/folder alongside.vmd/.bvh/.pose/.vpdfiles. They appear in the motion picker like any other motion.
Encoding your own
Use the VMD2PNG command-line tool to convert an existing .vmd to .png. The output PNG is portable — anyone with a recent DanceXR build can load it.