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I don't know. I've never tried to install it in a model with the TSM rig. It will probably work with the alternate instructions below, but save a backup before you try it. Gerry, I had the same problem with one model. I haven't been able to pinpoint why the install fails on some models and not on others. I thought placing dynamic constraints on the model before the face install was what caused the problem, but since your model probably doesn't have any dynamic constraints, that must not be it. It seems you are the only one besides me who is interested in the rig, so I haven't been too diligent about keeping it updated in this thread. Sorry about that. Here are some alternate instructions that should work. If you have any questions, please ask. -------------------------------- * Download the new LiteFace from the first post in this thread: LiteFace Rig (updated 10/15/09) * Open the LiteFace project. * Save the project under a new name (It is important to keep the original LiteFace project in it's pristine state). * Import your model into the project. -- (If you have already done the steps below, you don't have to do them again) -- * In the PWS, drag the Face Bones model onto Your model. This will import the face bones and several relationships into your model. * Position the bones * Do CP weighting/smartskins on the face -- (if you have already done the above steps, you don't have to do them again) -- * Make a new empty model. For convenience, name it "empty model". * In the PWS, drag the "Face Bones" null in the container from *your* model onto the empty model. Do not drag it from the Face Bones model. Drag it from *your* model.(A copy of the Face Bones null and all its child bones should import into the empty model.) * Import the "Face Labels" model into the new empty model - it is located in the "Face Controls" folder. (If you do not want labels beside your face controls, you can skip this step) * Make a new bone in the empty model. This is a temporary bone to show where to place the "Face Controls" null in the next step when you open the Face_Install action. This bone should be at about the level of the nose on the Y axis and positioned so the tip of the bone extends 1-2 cm past the tip of the nose. (if some other feature protudes farther out than the nose, then extend the bone along the Z axis until it is 1-2 cm past the protuding facial feature on the Z axis) It does not need to be a child of the "Face Bones" null. For convenience, name this bone "position controls helper". * Open the Face_Install action using the new empty model. * In the PWS, under the Action, select the Face Controls Action Object. The large Face Controls null shoud become visible in the Action window. * Position the Face Controls null so it is located at the tip of the "position controls helper" bone. * Position the Face Cam Control bone so the face control nulls are roughly centered in the camera view. * Position each of the face control nulls to your liking. The only restriction is that you cannont move a control null from one side of the face to the other. If you cannot see the control nulls, select the Face Controls Action Object in the PWS once again. The nulls should then appear in the Action window. * Leave the face labels alone for now. The labels are down near 0 on the Y axis. * Make sure you have the appropriate filters active and [shift]-click on the "Force Keyframe" button. (see instructions in the Installation PDF file) * Save the project (or at least the Action). If you do not save it, it will not export properly. * Right-click on the Face_Install Action and choose Export > Model from the context menu. * For convenience, name this exported model "empty model exported". * Bring the "empty model exported" model into the project. * Delete the "position controls helper" bopne from the "empty model exported" model. * Delete all the *child* bones of the "Face Bones" null from the "empty model exported" model. IMPORTANT - Do not delete "Face Cam Control", "Face Controls" or "Face Labels" or their children. (To delete many bones at once, click a bone in the PWS, then [shift]-click another bone. All bones inbetween will also be selected.) * Now delete the "Face Bones" null from the "empty model exported" model. * In the PWS, drag the "empty model exported" model onto *your* model. This will import all bones and relationships from "empty model exported" into your model. * Save you model under a new name, such as "MyModel FaceRigged". * In the PWS, in the container for Your Model, drag "Face Cam Control", "Face Controls", "Face Labels" and "Face Bones" onto your model's Head bone. This should make all the LiteFace bones and controls children of the Head bone. * In Your Model > User Properties > Face Rigging , switch Hide Face Bones to ON. * If you imported the Face Labels in a previous step, now is a good time to position the labels. * Open the "Face ON / Labels ON / Split Controls" pose for editing. * Slide the "Face ON / Labels ON / Split Controls" pose slider in the *Pose Slider Panel* to "2". (In the Pose Slider Panel- Not the model's User Properties). The face labels will appear. * Position each of the the face labels so each is near its appropriate control null. * Close the pose window. * Edit each of the Phonemes poses ( Your Model > User Properties > Face Controls > Phonemes) so the mouth shape matches the appropriate phoneme. If you plan to do manual lip syncing instead of using a dope sheet, at least edit the MPB, O, FV and E poses because these poses are used by one of the face control nulls. * Save your model. * That's it!

Nice commercial Matt. You guys done good!

Be sure you save a copy of your rigged model without LiteFace installed ... just in case you run into any trouble and need to try it again.

You shouldn't have to turn off the hand gizmo to access it. It should be available when the hand gizmo is ON. ....

The manipulator options in the Model's Properties are for limiting how the bone can be manipulated by you in a chor or action. It doesn't limit how the bone moves via other means. To limit the bone so it will only rotate along a certain axis, no matter what, place a Euler Constraint on it.

Sure, what would you like to know? Rotate the carpal controller null left/right to spread the fingers. Rotate it up/down to bow the hand. What else would you like to know?

Mr BigBootay, love the Frankenstein theme

Really nice start. I agree about the lip sync. For something like the 11 second club, it seems important to make it more snappy/less mushy. Maybe the facial expressions could be much more exaggerated too. Especially the eyes. If you can create a pose so you can make the eyes physically larger at certain points, that would help too. Adding eyebrows might also help to make his facial expressions more apparent.

Awww man, I'm jonesing already! I can't believe I've become so dependent on a comic strip

I am not an expert in the subtleties of TSM (or TSM FLipper), but with the MirrorBone plugin, it seems you have to have "right" or "left" at the beginning of the bone name, or it will sometimes duplicate certain bones. For example, "right_upper_arm" works - it makes a mirrored bone named "left_upper_arm" But "upper_arm_right" sometimes produces a duplicate of the upper_arm_right bone named "leftupper_arm_right" (in addition to creating a mirrored bone). If you pay close attention to whatever bone naming convention you are using, it is usually pretty easy to spot the wrongly duplicated bones and delete them.

Hi Gerry, When you Copy/Paste Mirrored, be sure you have the "Whole Model" filter button activated. Don't try to just CPM a bone or a branch. At least in v15. I have used CPM on many occasions with the LiteRig and it has always worked fine, but that does not mean it will always work flawlessly for you. I guess it just depends on the way you work. If you can list a series of steps that always produces a funky result, it would help greatly in troubleshooting any problems you might be having. In the movie you posted, it looks like the shoulder bones are rotating around the Z axis. You probably don't need to rotate the shoulder bones for a walk cycle. Just delete the channels for the shoulder bones (in the Action) and it should be fine.

You can safely delete an Action without losing any of your weighting or smartskinning. Those things are stored in the model, not the action.

Gerry, I don't know what is going on. If you send me the model (holmesbryant at gmail dot com) I will take a look at it. Sometimes if I reassign CPs after having already assigned them to a bone, I get results like those in the picture. In those cases, I have to delete the old action and create a new action. Then everything behaves.

Hi Gerry, Screen shots always help. I need a little more information. Assigning CPs to bones in the Modeling window is a basic AM process. The rig, no matter what the rig is, shouldn't have an impact on that. How, exactly, is your mesh getting messed up when you assign CPs? If the mesh is messed up in an Action window, then most likely the roll handles on the bones are not pointing the right way. If you copied the rotation values from the left thumb to the right thumb, then the Z rotation on the right thumb bones will be opposite of what they are supposed to be.

looking pretty good so far

Nice model Paul. Can't wait to see what you are planning to do with him.

Awwww man, how's he going to get a parrot now?

Disp can often create acceptable details, but Tralfaz is going for hyper detail ... and any hyper detail affectionado naturally eschews "acceptable". Geometry always trumps displacement when you want clean lines and super detail, especially up close. Plus, if you ever want to rapid prototype a model, displacement won't show up unless you jump through a bunch of hoops to turn it into geometry ... and it won't look as good.

very cool. great start! In some corners you can get away with setting the bias magnitude to a very small number, like 12 or 20, instead of beveling. It just depends on the area and how far away the next CP is.

That darn lucky hat! I knew it was trouble

It sounds like you have the Legs IK pose turned ON. If you turn it Off, you will be able to see all the leg geometry bones. The Legs IK pose should be in User Properties > Body Rig > Legs IK. I just uploaded a new version of the LiteRig project that I modified back in August. This one has the Legs IK pose turned off. Unfortunately I can't remember if I made any other modifications to the rig.

Thanks for the link! I bookmarked it Those kinds of posts usually go in the OT forum though.

Have you seen this page? http://www.sgross.com/plugins/plugin7/index.html Not sure if this one works with v15. I think it was made for v12. http://www.sgross.com/plugins/plugin8/index.html

Great tut Eric. It was the perfect length too. For anyone interested, you can see all of Eric's video tuts here: http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=3DDink#grid/uploads

I'm sorry. I edited my post after you read it. It isn't personal jumbotuna. It's my issue. It isn't yours. Sorry for the misunderstanding.