welding points together from different layers

[mystd]

Is this possible? What I mean is welding together the bottom points of a torso to the top points of the hips but each are on a different layer.

Here is a picture to show why I ask:

http://i.imgur.com/9Lu986Q.jpg

If I could weld the points of the different layers together. That lump in the red circle wouldn't be occurring.

[synthsin75]

No, but you can either bind them to the same bone or make one layer that has both hips and torso and then make a reference of it and delete the torso shapes from one and the hip shapes from the other.

[mystd]

I can't bind it to the same bone since the side points of the hips are already bound to the upper leg smartbones. I've tried it and it interferes.

So I guess my only option is to make one layer out of it.

[Greenlaw]

You can certainly bind multiple layers to the same bone, just as you can use multiple bones to affect a single layer.

Which binding methods are you using? They all work a differently from each other depending on what you want to do with them. Some methods are limited to specific uses, and some work more broadly. In some situations, you can even combine methods to get the desired result. ASP is actually quite flexible in this area.

[mystd]

I used the Bind Points tool to create cloth movment.

Here is a picture that shows it:
http://i.imgur.com/9nNlQdB.jpg

The bottom one is where I bound the hip side points to the body bone. So with my limited knowledge I would either fix it by making the back bone a smartbone too or just put the hip and torso on one layer and merge them.

[Greenlaw]

In general, you'll be much better off using Use Selected Bones For Flexi-Binding. Bind Point is pretty rigid and I only use it when I need to lock down only a few points to a specific bone. For example, a couple of shoulder points near the neck might use Bind Points to bind them to the chest bone or possibly a clavicle bone if it exists, but the rest of the arm points would use Flexi-binding and the arm bones. (Most of the time, I don't even do that...it really depends on the artwork and clothing design.)

For the legs, you might consider extending the leg art into the hips area so the pants appear to be a single object. Round off the ends of the thighs so they can rotate freely.

There are a handful options available for making the items look unified but still be separated so you can do 180 - 360 'turns' for the character. For example, you can use stroke exposure in a Smart Bone (i.e., in the character's thigh bone or as a separate leg turn bone dial) to open and close the joint areas, or you can use masking, or draw the shapes using only unstroked solids, or you can use Patch Layers...that's a few I can think of off the top of my head, but there are probably other techniques. Some techniques are better suited for specific designs and rigging technique so you should experiment to see which works best in your situation.

But if you really must merge the layers as a single object, it can be done. The big issue you'll face is that you're character may only be able to do a 3/4 turn at best, but whether this is important depends on how you want to animate the character of course. Naturally, you can make a different set of legs for different views and use a Switch Layer to transition into the views.

All of these methods are valid and useful. Some are more appropriate than others for a given production, and you may even use a variety of techniques in a single production.

(FYI, while it's good to have a general purpose rig intended to work for every scene, you should also be prepared to occasionally make special 'one offs' when the need arises. I find that general purpose rigs (2D or 3D) can get me through most of a production, but there's always some odd event or action where the character has to do something that's so scene specific that you really don't want to build that capability into the general rig--most of the time, it's easier and more practical to make a new rig that does just that one thing so you can be done and move on to the next scene.)

[mystd]

Uff ok this is a lot to take in, I'll concentrate on the Flexi-Binding for now and try to slowly learn/experiment with all the techniques you've given me.

I've watched some flexi binding tutorials, I've liked this one best: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUo_-XtnWtQ
Flexi Binding seems to be more important for chars that have single graphics for their limbs. I'm currently doing cut out so I'll keep experimenting with that.