Help binding bones!

[Dean]

I am so frustrated....sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't darnit!

OK...let's say I have a pants leg from hip to ankle with two points for where the knees will be....so basically a long rectangle.

1. I add the thigh bone
2. I add the lower leg bone.

How the freak do you bind both bones to the single vector layer!!!!!! Every time I try I either get the thigh bone bound or the lower leg bone bound but rarely if every both.

And when miraculously I do get both bones bound to the leg so that I can actually bend the leg, I can't figure out what I did to get them both bound! I am so frustrated. I try just binding both bones with a click...then hold the shift and click both bones....then hold the cntrl and click both bones. It just doesn't work. What the hell am I doing wrong!

[slowtiger]

What you do wrong: "both".

1. You can only bind one bone at a time, whatever method.
2. With flexible binding, you don't need to do anything at all. Just place the vector layer inside the bone layer, place the bones, and you're done. You already figured out that you need more points than the 4 of a basic rectangle, so it should bend.

[Dean]

What you do wrong: "both".

1. You can only bind one bone at a time, whatever method.
2. With flexible binding, you don't need to do anything at all. Just place the vector layer inside the bone layer, place the bones, and you're done. You already figured out that you need more points than the 4 of a basic rectangle, so it should bend.

Nope you are incorrect. I had problems (all layers are in bone layer) with my legs so I go to bone layer and delete the bones - foot, lower leg, and thigh bones from one leg to test). I then (while in the bone layer) add bones back to the leg (basically lay bones over the leg vector), reduce the strength of the bones, then try to bend. Nope doesn't work, doesn't bend, only one bone attached or no bones attached. And since I have just a single vector layer for the entire leg (which my bones aren't bound to) - as you said, you can't bind two bones to a single layer - so I can't bind the bones.

[sbtamu]

You can not bind bones to layers, you bind layers to bones. If you are using one layer for all 3 bones you simply need to use bind points; look it up in the manual.

Or you build you character with the limbs far apart from the body and on frame 1 bring them to the body; I never use this method, I almost always use the bind points method for the body, legs and arms and bind layers for the head, mouth and eyes.

[neeters_guy]

Some binding methods won't work if you've already applied different binding methods to a layer. You may need to release the layer or points in order to start clean (look under Bone in the menu bar).

[chucky]

Dean, listen to slowtiger and observe he has made over 3000 posts, it seems a little odd that you who've come for advice would correct him.
Have a think , check what you have done, release the layers and points and try again, one layer at a time.
It does work just be methodical, it will all seem simple once you have done it correctly.