itsjustme

Don't forget to reset the compensates using the included text file, Jeff. Once you run the "InstallRig" plugin, all of the geometry bones will be unhidden in model window in Bones mode...even if you have done some hiding or unhiding of bones, you can run the plugin again and all it will do is unhide them again, nothing else would be affected. Squetchy Sam will help give you an idea of what bones to weight everything to, but every character is going to be at least slightly different. The way I rough-in the weighting is to run the "InstallRig" plugin, in Bones mode hide all of the head bones except the "head_geom_front", hide the fan bones ("right/left_elbow_fan_geom", "right/left_wrist_fan_geom", "right/left_shoulder_fan_geom", "right/left_bicep_fan_geom", "chest_IO_geom", "stomach_IO_geom", "right/left_thigh_fan_geom", "right/left_knee_geom") and the "right/left_foot_shadow_geom" bone (it's located in the same place as the "right/left_foot_geom" bone). Then, I right mouse-click over the model window and select "Auto Assign Bones". That gets enough weighted to make it easy to see the affect of resetting the compensates. Not everyone does it this way, it's just what I do. Weighting one side and then using the "MirrorBones" plugin to copy the weighting from one side to the other will save you quite a bit of time...it's a very cool plugin. Another method to rough-in the weighting would be to use the Transfer_AW plugin which is on Steffen Gross' download page where the "MirrorBones" plugin is located...here. The results of my experiments with the Transfer_AW plugin are here. You could use Squetchy Sam as the "lo-res" model to transfer weighting to the "hi-res" model (your character)...it would do a decent job of roughing-in (I would probably make a modified Squetchy Sam that didn't include the face weighting, to keep it simple). Do as much of the manual CP Weighting as you can in an Action. That way, if you accidentally move something you didn't intend to move, it doesn't become a permanent part of the model. Hope that helps, Jeff.

Save your Action before you export it, then you only have to reload it for adjustments if needed. Hope that helps, Jeff.

You just need to set the "Animation_Controls/FACE Interface/FACE off/Joint Controls/Split Controls" Pose to "not set"....the interface splines will not export if it's set to anything else. Hope that helps, Jeff.

At about 32 MB, that's around three hours of downloading on my dialup...any possibility of a more compressed version, Lee? I've gotten some pretty good results with H.264.

More control of the eyelids was added since this installation tutorial was made...there are short videos here and here that show what the setup can do. Yes, it would be rare for me to use that Pose...but, if the entire eye socket is at an angle, it could be useful. Each eyelid is divided into three now, plus the corners. So, there are controls for positioning each division on the 'X' axis, 'Y' axis and scaling. Hope that helps, Jeff...if not, I could always make a quick video.

If you put "geom" in the name of your geometry bones, you could run the InstallRig plugin and it would make only those bones visible in Bones mode. The plugin wouldn't do anything else unless you set up "INSTALL" bones, so nothing else would be affected. It might not speed up your workflow by much, but every little bit helps.

I use "Auto Assign Bones" to initially rough-in the weighting...just so I can quickly see if I missed something when I'm setting up a rig. It works fine for that.

Not a dumb question at all...I should have worded the instruction better. I'll try to do that in the next release. Turn on the leg FK_IK Poses in the model's Properties by selecting the model in the "Objects" folder in the PWS, go to the "User Properties/Animation_Controls/Leg_Controls" and turn on the "Animation_Controls/Leg_Controls/right_leg_FK_IK" and "Animation_Controls/Leg_Controls/left_leg_FK_IK" poses". Then, in the same folder, right mouse click on the "Auto_hips_(IK_LEGS_ONLY)" Pose and select "Edit Relationship"...this will open that Pose for editing. In the "Auto_hips_(IK_LEGS_ONLY)" Pose, set all of the constraint enforcements to 0% to start. Then, click on the "Compensate" button before restoring the percentages that were initially on the constraints (all of them are 100% except for the "Aim Roll at hip_lower_controller_roll_target"...that one is 50%). Hope that helps, Steve.

You don't have to use the Squetch Rig to use the tongue or the tail...there is a standalone version of the FACE controllers at the bottom of the Wiki page. There are three versions in the ZIP file, one without anything added, one with a tongue added and one with the entire bones rig for the face added. The tail is also toward the bottom of the page...it can be adapted to being a tongue. The Squetch Rig is still moderately difficult to install...I think it will get easier as it continues to get tweaked. However, the 2001 rig would be easier at the moment for a first time install. Hope that helps.

Are you talking about "Auto Assign Bones"? If so, in Bones mode, right mouse-click over the model window...it's in the menu that pops up. Hope that helps.

The tongue rig in the Squetch Rig has squetching built into it. The tail add-on for the Squetch Rig could probably also be adapted if that's more like what you need (it squetches as well, but is built differently). You can get them on the Wiki page, the link is in my signature. Hope that helps.

Where are you trying to move the bone? The Choreography? An Action? Bones mode? I'll guess Choreography and ask if you are in Skeletal Mode (F8)?

Nice, Luuk!

Very cool, Andy! The stuff that drives me nuts usually ends up being something simple that I overlooked. I'm glad you found the problem.

Sorry it took me so long to get back to this...the Project file is missing the "Room112bug_final.mdl" model and the "short_walk_twist.act" Action, so I can't tell if there would be any slippage while the character walks. About all I could tell is that the path works fine. If you post the missing stuff, I'll take another look at it.

For modeling humans, try Colin Freeman's Cooper tutorials or Matthew Krick's tutorials. For mechanical modeling, try Roger Reynold's site. For paid tutorials, you could try Will Sutton's modeling tutorial or Barry Zundel's tutorials. Hope that helps.

Posting the Action might help in diagnosing the problem...the entire Project would probably be better though.

Some of these might be helpful: Paint software: ArtRage (free version), Artweaver (free, Windows), GIMP (free), Inkscape (free, Windows & Linux), Pixia (free, Windows), Project Dogwaffle (free version, Windows). Audio software: Audacity (free), Skale Tracker (free, Windows). Video software: Virtualdub (free, Windows), Quicktime Pro (around $30), Cinelerra (free, Linux) Text editing software: jEdit (free), celtx (free).

Go into the "Help" menu and select "About Animation Master"...the version should be listed on the window that pops up.

Putting an "Aim at" constraint on the eye bone with the target being a null in front of the eye will get the eye aiming done. Make an on/off Pose, in that Pose apply the "Aim at" constraint. For the pupils, I just use muscle movement in a percentage Pose. Make a percentage Pose, in that Pose at 100% go into Muscle Mode (F7), select the spline ring that defines the pupil and scale it. I made a face rigging tutorial a couple of years ago that might help...it's here. Hope that helps.

Hi David! A (nother) question... :-) If I do as you say above (except instead of using the bicep bones, substitute in the sleeve bones, yes?)... then will the sleeve mesh expand out to accommodate the muscle flex? And, will it somehow do this even when the bicep is rotated and the arm twists under the sleeve (while the sleeve does not twist)? Is that clear? In other words if, from the default model position, you rotate the lower arm forward to flex the bicep will the front of the sleeve push outward to accommodate the flex... and... if you then rotate the bicep so that the lower arm rotates upward and the flexed muscle rotates from the front to the top will the shape of the sleeve somehow morph from the front upward to the top to still cover the flexed muscle as it rotates up? The best I can do at describing it. Sorry. Thanks! Rusty I think I understand, Rusty. The sleeves won't flex at all unless you use the "Animation_Controls/Squetch_Controls/ARMS/sleeves_squetch_like_bicep" Pose...which can be added to a model by dragging it from the quick fix version of Squetchy Sam that I have posted in this post. It will be in the next update to the installation rigs, but for the next week or so it will be there. I think the installation stuff I sent you has that included. Hope that helps.

Also, don't forget to reset the compensates according to the text file that comes with the installation. If you run into any problems, you can post, PM or e-mail me. Good luck with the installation, Heiner!

Nice! Fantastic work, Satyajit! You and Nep are putting together a great project so far.

Hey, I'm sorry for suggesting that the Squetch rig has bugs. That was stupid of me and I don't know what I was thinking of. You, David and others have worked hard to provide this really cool rig and your support (especially to me) has been exemplary. I think I was having a brain fart. :-) My only intention was to make a few suggestions that might help you. To a person with my background 'all' complex systems, whether from NASA, IBM or the US Army Corp of Engineers (or anyone) have 'bugs' -- esoterically, mathematically it is impossible for them not to. Iandependent studies done in the early 80s by all of the aforementioned institutions concluded this and probably planted this mind set in my head and sadly, experience reinforced it. For the most part, this is one of those lofty, theoretical, mathematical views that does not pertain to the real world that much. In this case the system is not constrained to normal or expected usage and is wide open to any circumstance. Rusty As Mark said, the dynamic feature wouldn't have much of a chance to have a bug...although there is always a possibility for a bug somewhere in the rig. We do our best to fix anything that pops up. If anyone runs across anything, let us know and we'll do our best to track it down and provide a quick fix.

I vote for adding jiggle. We could also add some to the thighs, calves, biceps and face.