[Bf-committers] Rigging a different way

[joe]

Ah not sure what all your points are here. . .Bone layers and custom
bone shapes allow cutting down visual clutter (and work well for
that).

Simply positioning joints and scaling (non-uniformly if desired) to
set an envelope would be an interesting workflow, but you'd still have
all the same deformation problems.  Envelope deformation just isn't
that great.  Also having a joint-based system isn't all that different
from a bone-based system, since you still have to deal with things
like proper roll, singularities, etc.  It's just a slightly different
user interface.  Really, there is no rigging method that isn't a huge
pain and involves a lot of work, if you want production-quality rigs.

Joe

On Wed, Feb 25, 2009 at 7:15 PM, Roger <hovergo at net-tech.com.au> wrote:
> After reading about the problems with rigging fat bodies (Big Buck Bunny) and
> observing the visual complexity of bones in a model after getting to grips with
> the rigging in Tony's book I wonder if bone and armature bodies are necessary.
> Surely its just the joints that matter.
>
> A mesh of quads is verts connected by edges why can't these be the armature
> body, with only the verts close to the joint parented to the joint which could
> be represented by emptys with a sphere of influence surrounding each to
> differentiate the empty/joint from an normal empty very similar to the head and
> tail of a normal envelope armature.
>
> Wouldn't it be easier and natural to simply install joints at appropriate positions
> by snapping to the 3D cursor.
> Modify/scale the x,y,z axis to shape of the joint to alter vertex weighting.
> Parent verts outside a sphere of influence to the empty joint as necessary.
>
> For articulated movement, arms, fingers, cranes, doors, only the joint matters
> anyway.
> All the current context controls remain.
> For Ik solvers simply add an external joint and constrain it as an Ik.
>
> Would this address the problem of bones twisting while attempting to properly
> locate them within a mesh.
>
> For fat bodies, it could be a matter of adding empties/joints where influence is
> needed and setting the degree of influence from or by neighboring empties.
> Make the colour of joints blue or green.
> Roger