maya 6- add bones without detatching skin?

rooster

Is it possible to add in a bone to a bound skeleton without having to re-weight the entire model.. I'm told probably no.

which seems really really crap. Sometimes when I've thought maya is being really crap it turns out there is an answer, so please let me know if there is a way! Max manages it so simply I can't believe maya just can't full-stop.

edit: Ive tried add influence, but it screws up the current weighting so badly that I might as well start from scratch

pyromania

When you go to detach the skin, click the option box and change it from Delete History to Keep History. This will keep the skin cluster and all the weights associated with it. Then when you attach skin again, it will use the existing weights. You might want to hold all the weights around the area you are adding a joint. Otherwise maya will try and re-normalize the weights.

rooster

ah, that makes sense! cheers I'll give it a shot post haste

Jeff Parrott

You can also export your skin weight maps, add the bones, reskin it, then import skin weight maps. I've had some issues with doing this though. Most often I have to transfer the wieghting from one side to the other and completely reweight the hands.

Whargoul

Even easier:

Select mesh & bone you want to add. Under the skin menu is "Add influence", choose that with the option box and make sure to choose "lock weights" or somwething - to ensure it just adds the bone & doesn't auto weight it. Unfortunately it only works one bone at a time, something I fixed a long time ago with a very simple script.

rooster

[ QUOTE ]
When you go to detach the skin, click the option box and change it from Delete History to Keep History. This will keep the skin cluster and all the weights associated with it. Then when you attach skin again, it will use the existing weights. You might want to hold all the weights around the area you are adding a joint. Otherwise maya will try and re-normalize the weights.

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could someone help me out with this procedure, when I re-attatch the skin (bind skin>smooth bind) having detatched with keep history- it doesn't remember the weights

edit: also, is it possible to re-position any bones while the model is unskinned then add the weights back on?

pyromania

[ QUOTE ]

could someone help me out with this procedure, when I re-attatch the skin (bind skin>smooth bind) having detatched with keep history- it doesn't remember the weights

edit: also, is it possible to re-position any bones while the model is unskinned then add the weights back on?

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Did you do any sort of changes to the mesh, that would of affected the history? As long as you have a existing skin cluster on the mesh it should use that instead of making a new one. Try right clicking on the mesh, then go to Inputs>>All inputs. Make sure you have a skin cluster and its set to Normal. You may have multiple skin clusters that are causing you problems.

If it still isn't working, you can try detaching the skin with "Keep History. Then duplicate the entire mesh and move the copy off to the side. Do whatever you need to do to the skeleton, add joints, reposition, whatever. Now select the mesh thats on top of the skeletion, delete all of its history, and Smooth bind it like normal. Now to get your weights back, go to the copy of the mesh you saved before and right click, Inputs>>All Inputs. Set the skin cluster back to Normal. Select the copy, then shift select the mesh on the skeleton and use Skin>>Edit Smooth Skin>>Copy Skin Weights.

Delaney King

brilliant. ive been wondering about that. thanks guys.

rooster

hey yeah pyro, forgot to say thanks for clarifying that