Bones-Under the Influence

[jeff740x]

I am following a standard process - but keep getting stuck. I am wondering if anyone knows a common cause for a beginner to have these problems.

I built a character and then pulled it apart to add bones. I set the Bone Layer to Region Binding. I added bones, reduced the strength, checked the parenting, etc. The rig seemed to work.

When I reassembled the character, the bones influenced points on the same layer, and on different layers that they had not influenced until I put the moved the bones back in place to make a single character.

I pulled one arm back away from the rest of the character and followed the "bind points" exercise. I assume I did all the steps in the correct order and manner, but I don't know how to confirm if a bone is actually acting on flexible or region or bind points. Regardless, this did not resolve the problem and points were still influenced that had not been selected.

Since some of the points influenced were in a different layer, I selected the bone, then selected the other layer, then selected "release layer". That did not solve the problem.

Since the bones are having undue influence, does anyone know a common rookie mistake when trying to minimize the influence of bones?

Thanks - Jeff

[heyvern]

Are you using bone offset? When you say you pulled the character apart and put it back together I assume you mean bone offset? If bones are close together they "fight" over influence of the points. If you set up your character "pulled apart" and then put it back together you may be pushing the points to close to other bone's influence.

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Release Layer releases the LAYER. You can actually bind a layer to a bone. The whole layer binds to the bone. This will over ride any point or flexi point binding. If you haven't bound layers to bones and you want to "release points" you should select the points and use "release points" or "flexibind points". All of the "Release" choices have different results.

Release Layer will release a layer if is bound to a bone or "flexibound" to a bone. Flexi Bind Layer will cause a layer be influenced by bones just like points are flexi bound. A flexibound layer will be influenced by all the bones just like points. However the entire layer moves with bones, not the points in the layer.

Release points means that NO bones have ANY influence over the points. The points must be selected for this to have an effect.

Selecting points and choosing Flexi bind points will cause the points to "go back to normal", meaning they will be effected by the bones as the default way points are effected by bones.

If you are using bone/point binding the way to see if a point is bound to a bone, you select the vector layer deselect all points then with the bone tool select a bone. Any points bound to that bone will "select" indicating that bone controls that point.

-vern

[jeff740x]

Vern - Thanks.

I selected all the points of the shapes that I did not intend to move with the bone, released them, and now the bone is working as I hoped. Thanks....

When I said I "pulled apart" the character.... 1st I drew the character using a number of vector layers under a bone layer. Second, I selected shapes and moved them apart - moved the arms far from the torso, moved the legs far from the arms, etc. Third, I added bones to the shapes, drastically reduced their default strength, and checked the parenting. I also checked to see how they effected the body part shapes (but not closely enough.) Fourth, I used the Translate Bone to start putting the skeleton together and also dragged the shapes back in position.

Various tutorials suggested this "pull apart" approach - and I think the purpose is to avoid the problem I am having -- that is - the bones influence shapes and points you don't intend. Perhaps I missed some key step or action that is required.

I doubt putting the character back together caused the problem. I think the undue influence started when the character was still pulled apart and I added bones, but I did not notice because I was not looking for impacts "way over yonder". I didn't check to see if the character's hair was moving when I moved a minimum strength arm bone that had been added far-far away from the hair.

Thanks for your suggestions and explaining how I can confirm the "bind points".