Bones, CP Weights -- remove all effect?

[sb4]

Following chapter 3 of "A:M A Complete Guide" by David Rogers, I'm rigging my flour sack with bones and assigning CP Weights.

 

When I turned on "Has Falloff" to the bones, all the numbers assumed some default values, for example: Pivot Outer 35%, etc.

 

As instructed by the book, I used "Compute All CP Weights" from the model window contextual menu.

 

However, I don't know what effect that is supposed to make. I don't see any changes in the "Falloff" numbers, for example.

 

I tried "Remove All CP Weights", and likewise don't see any change anywhere, either in the property values or the coloration in Shaded mode. The Shaded mode coloration seems normal, with colors of CPs assigned to nearby bones, but I don't see changes when I "Compute All" or "Remove All" CP weights.

 

Can someone clarify how that works?

 

-SB

[robcat2075]

The falloff numbers are something you leave or set manually and not affected by "Computer Weights"

 

You can see the "envelope" the falloff numbers create by selecting that bone. That gives you a visual approximation of how much a bone will grab of a CP when "Compute weights" is done.

 

"Remove all weights" eliminates all sharing of CPs between bones and leaves each CP assigned 100% to one (the nearest?) bone.

 

If you really want eradicate all CP assignments you can select the black model bone and assign all CPs back to that in swoop.

[sb4]

The falloff numbers are something you leave or set manually and not affected by "Computer Weights"

 

You can see the "envelope" the falloff numbers create by selecting that bone. That gives you a visual approximation of how much a bone will grab of a CP when "Compute weights" is done.

 

"Remove all weights" eliminates all sharing of CPs between bones and leaves each CP assigned 100% to one (the nearest?) bone.

 

If you really want eradicate all CP assignments you can select the black model bone and assign all CPs back to that in swoop.

 

That helps, although I'm not quite there yet.

 

Is there some way to see how much weight each bone applies to a particular CP? And are the colors blended in the color-coding when multiple bones affect a CP?

 

The description I'm reading of the fall-off envelope says that the points in the inner fall-off envelope of a bone are completely controlled by the bone, and the points between the inner and outer envelopes are regions of shared control.

 

But what happens if two different bones' inner envelopes overlap (if that's possible)? And what happens in the regions that are outside all envelopes? I'm not sure I yet have a good description of how the fall-off envelopes operate.

 

Unless maybe those envelopes are just visual approximations of the control, since I see the property "Falloff Type" with the description "Cubic", which makes me think now that the field of influence of a bone is infinite, not only within a sharp boundary.

 

-SB

[robcat2075]

That helps, although I'm not quite there yet.

 

Is there some way to see how much weight each bone applies to a particular CP?

 

You can select the CP and the >edit CP weights to see exact percentages. In modern version of A:M the pop-up display will also show that info

 

And are the colors blended in the color-coding when multiple bones affect a CP?

 

Approximately so. It's only a rough indication.

 

The description I'm reading of the fall-off envelope says that the points in the inner fall-off envelope of a bone are completely controlled by the bone, and the points between the inner and outer envelopes are regions of shared control.

But what happens if two different bones' inner envelopes overlap (if that's possible)?

 

It will be divied (DIV-eed) up, based on distance again.

 

 

And what happens in the regions that are outside all envelopes?

They retain their default weight, usually to teh model bone.

 

 

I'm not sure I yet have a good description of how the fall-off envelopes operate.

Unless maybe those envelopes are just visual approximations of the control, since I see the property "Falloff Type" with the description "Cubic", which makes me think now that the field of influence of a bone is infinite, not only within a sharp boundary.

 

It is not infinite. Cubic has a bell curve influence that falls off slowly in the center, more rapidly half-way out, then slowly again.. Linear is straight falloff by distance.

 

 

This thread has some demonstrations of different ways of attaching CPs to bones, including falloffs...

 

http://www.hash.com/forums/index.php?showt...amp;hl=falloffs

[sb4]

That helps, although I'm not quite there yet.

 

Is there some way to see how much weight each bone applies to a particular CP?

 

You can select the CP and the >edit CP weights to see exact percentages. In modern version of A:M the pop-up display will also show that info

 

And are the colors blended in the color-coding when multiple bones affect a CP?

 

Approximately so. It's only a rough indication.

 

The description I'm reading of the fall-off envelope says that the points in the inner fall-off envelope of a bone are completely controlled by the bone, and the points between the inner and outer envelopes are regions of shared control.

But what happens if two different bones' inner envelopes overlap (if that's possible)?

 

It will be divied (DIV-eed) up, based on distance again.

 

 

And what happens in the regions that are outside all envelopes?

They retain their default weight, usually to teh model bone.

 

 

I'm not sure I yet have a good description of how the fall-off envelopes operate.

Unless maybe those envelopes are just visual approximations of the control, since I see the property "Falloff Type" with the description "Cubic", which makes me think now that the field of influence of a bone is infinite, not only within a sharp boundary.

 

It is not infinite. Cubic has a bell curve influence that falls off slowly in the center, more rapidly half-way out, then slowly again.. Linear is straight falloff by distance.

 

 

This thread has some demonstrations of different ways of attaching CPs to bones, including falloffs...

 

http://www.hash.com/forums/index.php?showt...amp;hl=falloffs

 

Thanks, it's getting clearer.

 

-SB