auto-assigning bones

[smbaker]

Hi,

 

I'm working on adding some bones to one of my models (a scorpion, screenshot is attached). This is my first attempt at doing skeletal animation.

 

As you can probably see from the picture, I was doing fine until I started to work on the legs. When I went to do one of the legs, I added four bones to it, then clicked auto-assign, and my bones were assigned to various unwanted locations (chunks of the two adjacent legs and part of the torso was connected to one set of leg bones).

 

A few questions -

 

1) Is there a way to un-assign the bones? I've tried moving them around and clicking auto-assign again, but it still leaves them connected.

 

2) How do I get the bones to assign only where I want them? Should I hide all but the leg I'm working on?

 

3) Should I be adding more bones inside the torso? I purposely only put one "backbone" in there since I want the scorpion to have a rigid torso that can't bend.

 

Any hints and tips are appreciated, as I'm very new to this.

[KenH]

Hey,

 

1) In bones mode, cps are always assigned to a bone. Originally, they are black which means they're assigned to the main default model bone. So, in order to un assign them, you could assign them to that bone. However, it's just as easy to asign them to another bone you put in.....which is probably what you want anyway. Just select the bone you want to assign cps to and start picking off your cps.

 

2) Looking at the model, it would probably be easiest to assign each leg individually. That means you have to hide in muscle mode. So, just pick a cp on a leg. Press the / key. Press H. And go into muscle mode.

 

3)If the body doesn't need to bend, you're safe with one bone.

[smbaker]

Thanks! that seems to have worked.

 

Next question -- when I designed the model, I didn't adjust the size and position before I added the bones. I've been creating all of my models to a specific scale, and centering them about the origin. But, I got excited adding the bones and forgot to set the model up where it's supposed to be.

 

So what I'd like to do is scale/move my model. However, whenever I do this in modeling mode, the model scales and translates, but the bones do not (i.e. when I go back into bones mode, all of the bones are in the wrong spots)

 

Is there a way to scale/translate my model and it's bone structure? or am I stuck with the model where it is?

[KenH]

Yes. Go into bones mode and select the parent bone of all your bones (you can use the black default bone for this I think).

 

Now press the S key or N key for scale or translate.

 

Hold down the control key as you scale or move.

 

All bones/cps should also move.

 

You can do this as far up the heirarchy tree as you want....if you don't want to effect all bones.

[tysono_71]

Hey,

 

1) In bones mode, cps are always assigned to a bone. Originally, they are black which means they're assigned to the main default model bone. So, in order to un assign them, you could assign them to that bone. However, it's just as easy to asign them to another bone you put in.....which is probably what you want anyway. Just select the bone you want to assign cps to and start picking off your cps.

 

2) Looking at the model, it would probably be easiest to assign each leg individually. That means you have to hide in muscle mode. So, just pick a cp on a leg. Press the / key. Press H. And go into muscle mode.

 

3)If the body doesn't need to bend, you're safe with one bone.

 

 

I tried picking the bone and picking off the CPs but nothing happened, the just sit there and blinkas if they were connected to the bones. Assigning them worked though. Am I doing something wrong? I am using the Mac version of 12.0u.

 

thanks,