copy and paste bone structures?

buijon · Post by **buijon** » Fri Nov 10, 2006 9:32 pm

Is there a way to copy bones? I set up one arm very nicely and want to simply mirror it for the other arm. I already duplicated the arm vector layer, but I can`t seem to copy and paste bones....is there a way to do it that i`m missing? thanks

slowtiger · Post by **slowtiger** » Fri Nov 10, 2006 10:53 pm

You can duplicate bone layers as easily as anything else. And you can have bone layers in a bone layer.

buijon · Post by **buijon** » Sat Nov 11, 2006 12:05 am

perhaps i wasn`t clear in explaining myself. I want to duplicate the bones but on the same bone layer. Like copy and pasting a set of points in the same vector layer, I want all bones to be on the same bone layer.

Genete · Post by **Genete** » Sat Nov 11, 2006 1:06 am

If you want to duplicate bone structure it is the same if they are in other bone layer attached to same parent layer, because root bone will be copied as root bone again. If for any reason MUST be in same layer (it moves other portion of same vector layer) then you have to make them manually.
Someone can correct me if I'm not correct, but duplicate bones in such way is not possible.
Regards

Rasheed · Post by **Rasheed** » Sat Nov 11, 2006 1:59 am

Install the copy-paste-bones script. Mind you, this script has a little bug. It will crash AS if you delete one of the pasted bones.

Select the bones you want to copy.

Run the copy bones script, followed by the paste bones script.

The copied bones are on top of the original bones.

Carefully move the new bones to another location, by clicking on each bone's base (so, not on the point, because that changes the length!).

Use the Reparent bone tool.

Reparent the new bones and put them in the correct positions, using bone rotation and bone translation of bone base.

Check the bone rigging with a pose in frame 1. Reparent in frame 0 if necessary.

buijon · Post by **buijon** » Sat Nov 11, 2006 2:09 am

very nice! Thanks i`ll give it a shot when i get back to that character! That script allows you to resize bones as well?

Rasheed · Post by **Rasheed** » Sat Nov 11, 2006 2:25 am

buijon wrote:That script allows you to resize bones as well?

Not as far as I'm aware of. The script is mainly used to copy bones between layers, because for complex rigs you often use nested bone layers.

Anyway, resizing is far more complicated than copying and pasting.

buijon · Post by **buijon** » Sat Nov 11, 2006 3:26 am

"(so, not on the point, because that changes the length!)."

so what does that mean?

heyvern · Post by **heyvern** » Sat Nov 11, 2006 6:00 am

When you want to move bones you grab the "base" (fat end) or the middle.

If you try to move a bone by grabbing it too close to the tip, it will change the length and rotation of the bone.

All of this applies only to frame 0. On other frames grabbing and dragging will just move the bone.

-vern

buijon · Post by **buijon** » Mon Nov 13, 2006 3:57 am

i tried copying 3 bones and pasting them on the same layer....and all hell broke loose lol. I got a series of errors that popped up anytime i clicked on anything....a tool...the screen....error would pop up. I`ll try to get it again and screen shot it for you.

Rasheed · Post by **Rasheed** » Mon Nov 13, 2006 11:17 am

Seems to me that your copy-paste-bones script has some flaws. Perhaps you should also contact the script writer (Tha Narie), by sending him a PM. He asked for bug reports himself.