Weight, weight and weight – in Edit mode

IA – original modelling by mqdl-san for mmd/pmx, rigging by me.

To make facial expressions and hands/finger signs without shapekey, we should prepare each mesh for target morphs and rig it.

However, we sometimes see a gap between mesh parts in motion/posed. The reason why there is a gap is difference weights between overlapped vertices.

But it’s a little bit hard to find out mistakes and fix it by Blender weight painting mode.

Blender 2.68 provides us “Weight Editing”, that could improve the above fixing.

http://wiki.blender.org/index.php/Dev:Ref/Release_Notes/2.68/Weight_Paint_Panel

http://wiki.blender.org/index.php/Doc:2.6/Manual/Modeling/Meshes/Vertex_Groups/Weight_Edit

Overlapped vertices should have same vertex groups and weights. After weighting meshes completely and then you separated meshes, overlapped vertices would have same vertex groups and weights. However in rigging process,  it’s not always same process.

When there is a gap, the following steps could help us.

1) Check Vertex Weights table of an overlapped vertex in property panel in edit mode

We can see how many vertices are included in a vertex like the following.

Non related vertex groups should be removed even though the weight were very low like 0.001. NOT USE ZERO WEIGHT PAINTING!

We can remove vertex groups by [x] button in the above table but for just one active vertex. So in order to remove non related vertex groups from plural vertices, we should use remove vertex group button in Object data panel in edit mode. 

2) Remove vertex groups by Object Data panel in edit mode

Vertex Group in Object Data – Use [Remove] button

- Select all vertices by [A] or [C]/[B] + LMB (Left Mouse Button)
- Select Vertex Group in the above panel and push [Remove]
- [Weigh] number doesn’t matter.
- Check vertex table in property panel

3) Set COMPLETELY same weight numbers on overlapped vertices in edit mode

If vertex should have two vertex groups or more, all vertex group’s weights should be COMPLETELY same number to avoid gap.

Assign Weight for vertex group and vertices by Object Data panel

- Select all vertices by [A] or [C]/[B] + LMB
- Select Vertex Group in the above panel
- Set Weight number
- Push [Assign] button

In conclusion, I didn’t use Weight painting mode to remove gap between objects in motion/posing. Weight painting mode is useful for roughly and quickly weight painting but if you would like to set weights closely, edit mode/Object Data/Vertex Group provides us to do it.

Good luck ♪

Girls

Music : "Girls"
http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm18280798
Music & Lyrics : EasyPop(BETTI)
Vocal : MARiA san

Model : "3xma Style Gumi"
Original PMD modeling : 3xma san
Rigging for SL : snuma whitfield

Dance Motion :
Original choreograph : Miume san
http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm18553190
Original tracing : 曇＠のあき san
http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm21345387
Motion conversion : snuma whitfield

Challenge to setup rigged mesh

Still I need to understand something…

But I learned the following points from importing work…

• Before importing pmx, get rid of all joints and rigid bodies. You don’t need them and to be simple work in blender.
• Before importing pmx, you had better change Japanese material’s name to English. You could edit in blender but sometime uploading failed to secondlife (parse error).
• mmd_tools helps us for importing and editing pmx. We should add this on blender. https://github.com/sugiany/blender_mmd_tools
• Avastar helps not only secondlife born(armature) parenting but also exporting collada. If you would like to separate object and make seamless among them,  need “Weld Edge Normals” option in Avastar exporter. About weld edge normals, please see this post.  http://meshdolls.blogspot.jp/2013/04/avastar-weld-edge-normals.html
• One object should have 8 materials or less. You need to separate pmx mesh by “materials” with using mmd_tools “Separate by materials” in tool shelf. “Separate by materials” keeps armature modifier, materials, vertex group and shapekey information. No collapse meshes by shapekey (morph) incorrect data by this approach.
• In editing, you should always pay attention on shapekey. Basis! Basis! Basis!
• When you want to separate mesh more, don’t delete vertices. Create new material, assign vertices, copy material data from original to new one and “Separate by materials” in mmd_tools. If you just want to delete, you don’t need to copy material data to new one.
• When you want to copy mesh, Avastar custom mesh tool “Freeze Mesh” helps you. Getting rid of shapkeys but keeping morphed mesh, armature modifier, material (same name of original) and vertex group. To make facial expressions mesh, this freeze mesh is useful.
• When joining meshes to one, you should consider its materials naming. If you would like them to be different “side” in secondlife, you should differentiate material’s name. Don’t change its name directly. Make new material, assign all vertices and copy material’s data from original to new one.
• “Apply scale and rotation” – Avastar exporter does it by option but when pmx model scale and size changed for avastar or skelton base, apply them.
• Make T-Pose (rest pose) by using pmx born(armature) pose mode. You need to add armature modifier more and apply original one. Please see this page for how-to.  http://nixart.wordpress.com/2013/03/28/modifying-the-rest-pose-in-blender/
• PMX model has many “doubles” vertices. Mesh tools [Remove] [Remove Doubles] helps you reducing vertex count and getting rid of line on surface in the same material.
• PMX model doesn’t have lining faces backing for clothes therefore you should duplicate faces and invert normals of them. Please see this post. http://meshdolls.blogspot.jp/2013/01/making-liner-normals-inside.html
• Secondlife doesn’t support custom shapekey (morphing). We can’t export facial expressions by shapekeys to secondlife. So prepare facial expression meshes (materials) and control transparency by LSL(Linden Script Language). Please see this post. http://meshdolls.blogspot.jp/2013/04/avastar-weld-edge-normals.html
• Modify secondlife  born skeleton or avastar armature. Move armatures to same position of PMX armature. head, neck, collars, shoulders, elbows, wrists, chest, torso, pelvis, hips, knees and ankles are key armature points. Avastar armature is so special therefore see this video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mL4X1AlMtVU
• Don’t use Avastar parent tool [Rigging] [with Weight Copy] nor blender parent [With automatic weight]. PMX model already has weight data. For parenting to armature, you had better use blender parenting(Ctrl+P) and [With empty groups].
• Modifier “Vertex Weight Mix” can add PMX vertex group weight to secondlife armature vertex group. Especially for body parts, you can get so excellent weight from original model mesh/vertex groups.
• In uploading collada file to secondlife, use [with joint position] option for body, especially including elbows and knees. Because secondlife armature’s joint positions are changed by modified for PMX born style.
• Some parts should not be used the above [with joint position] option in uploading collada. For example, changing side’s alpha scripted objects like “face and eye”. I don’t know why but we see flick model in-world.
• About image (picture) file, you would need to convert files to JPEG. TGA and PNG has alpha channel and secondlife sometimes can’t handle them correctly.

In addition, it takes over 2 years to understand/learn the above by try and errors. Still I feel I don’t know blender and 3DCG thoroughly. I really appreciate that Avastar Gaia Clary youtube channel always gives me many hints https://www.youtube.com/user/gaiaclary and so many blender tutorial videos and blog posts also help me.

Thanks, Enjoy and good luck

Tools of today 3rd Sept. 2013

Blender 2.68a (64bit)
http://www.blender.org/download/get-blender/

blender_mmd_tools v0.4.3 (for blender 64bit)
https://github.com/sugiany/blender_mmd_tools

Avastar-1
http://blog.machinimatrix.org/avastar/

PMX Editor 0.2.1.9 (for Windows 64bit)
http://kkhk22.seesaa.net/category/14045227-1.html

MikuMikuDance v8.03
http://www.geocities.jp/higuchuu4/

MAKEHUMAN 1.0 alpha7
http://www.makehuman.org/content/download.html

gimp 2.8.6
http://www.gimp.org/downloads/

paint.net 3.5.11
http://www.getpaint.net/download.html#download

mio-01 ver0.1
http://www6.atwiki.jp/vpvpwiki/pages/218.html#id_8e4d9a75

SNUMA/MMDBVHToSLBVH for Upper_body2 and 60sec motion extension
https://github.com/snumaw/MMDBVHToSLBVH/blob/master/MMDBVHToSLBVH.exe

Naka chan (no rigged mesh doll) modelling by cham-sama, in-world setup by me  http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm21727255

Mesh dolls posing

In wolrd, from my friend, I was asked how do you make dolls posed?
Aha, it’s not easy to set pose by blender.

OK, I ‘ll opne my work for mesh dolls.

I recommend you to use PMX Editor transform view and VMD play.

1) Open pmd/pmx models in PMX Editor.

2) Open “Transform View” in PMX Editor.

3) Load vmd file you like, from [モード] ([mode]) – [VMDリスト] ([vmd list]) – [ファイル] ([File) – [VMD リスト追加] ([Add to VMD List]) – sample is “イージーデンス”

4) Close the abvoe windows and play motion by check [M] and play [▶] botton. If motion is no played, double click motion name in VMD list window. You can see a model is dancing in Transform windows.

5) If you would like to save the posing, you should STOP playing motion!

6) Go to “Transform View” [File] and click [現在の変形状態でモデル形状を更新-頂点モーフ正規化]。

7) Click OK [Vertex Morfing re-calcurated …] (頂点モーフ再計算閾値) maybe 0.00001

8) PMX view would be updated to same posing in transform view.

9) Save the file as another name.

10) Open the file in Blender by pmd/pmx import tool.

11) If you don’t like physical setting, adjust it in PMX editor.

That’s all

Enjoy!

Mercury Lamp Cosplay

Original pmd mesh head created by Kakomiki sama.
Of course and I’m afraid that it’s not for sale.

Costume by YOHKIHI sama - "GOTHIC DOLL"
With M3 Anime Head by UTILIZATOR.

mesh head and facial emotions–not morphing

In secondlife, we don’t have morphing (shapekey) therefore use multiple layers (materials in Blender and faces in Secondlife) and change alpha with llSetAlpha.
HUD and llGetAngentInfo can control layers by Linden scripts.

Still it’s a primitive HUD but you can understand how we can control facial expressions by multiple layers.

Enjoy.