Animesh - Rigged Mesh with Animation

2018年後半に正式にリリースされたAnimesh。言えば、「踊る人形」です。
仕組みそのものはシンプルなのですが、rigged mesh（ボーン入りメッシュ）の作成のハードルは高く、また、アニメーションを操作するスクリプトも通常のDance/Animation HUDと比べるとパーミッション許可や複数人ダンスを踊らせるわけではないので簡単ですが、それなりにスクリプトに慣れていないと大変かと思います。

動画のミクさんAnimeshドールは、1日で作ったので、スクリプトは同梱しているアニメーションファイル専用です。
元々、着ぐるみアバターとして作成したrigged meshのパーツをリンクして1体化して、ルートオブジェクトの中にアニメーションファイルとスクリプトを入れています。

各パーツは「着用」した時に初期化するようにしているので、配布後に気が付きましたが、眉毛が2重に表示されているようです。このTda Style Mikuのアバター版を持っているなら、Animeshドールを体のどこかに着用して、アバター用のHUDを装着、そこから表情を設定することができます。

まだまだ楽しめそうですね。

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 ♪

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

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!

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.

makehuman has seconlife export option

makehuman is designed to make human polygon as free software. It can export mesh object for several formats, includes collada.
If you select collada export, also you can select "Use second_life rig" option.
To export colllada for second life, check the following options.
- Rotate 90X
- Rotate 90Y
- meter
- Use second_life rig

Already rigged and weighted! You don't need adjust by blender, you can upload it as shape model into secondlife directly.

Also this is collada therefore import it into Blender and using PMX exporter, you can make PMX model. (don't forget changing axis-world and PMX bone should be used and weighted.)

makehuman

http://www.makehuman.org/

Enjoy!

Avastar “Weld Edge Normals”

Great news!
Avastar RC4-812 also provides us “Weld Edge Normals” option in Tools shelf [Other] section as collada export option, in order to avoid visual seems (line) between objects.

http://blog.machinimatrix.org/2013/04/25/avastar1-rc4-812/

Visual seems? Yes, you can see “Line” between objects or doubles vertices in smooth shading.

Why we can see such a “line” even though we adopted “smooth” shading in blender?
Because vertices on the line are “doubles” and vertex normals are different.

Here is a great video to understand Normals and Smooth shading by Avastar’s creator, Gaia Clary. It’s Good Job!!!!

Face normals

Vertex normals and smooth shading

In order to hide/avoid visual seems, so far we use [Remove Doubles] in Tool Shelf in Blender. However [Remove Doubles] means merging vertices to one vertex. If you would like to keep separated objects, you could not avoid visual seems between objects by normal functions.

Keep separated? Yes, if you would like to have over 8 materials in one object, you should separate object for more materials under secondlife mesh limits.

See “Mesh” limits below link.
http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Limits

Why we need more materials?

We need “faces” for each facial expressions. With like a flip cartoon  method, you can adopt facial expression to mesh head/face instead of morphing.

Eye part has 8 materials as 8 (prim) faces

Mouse part has 8 materials as 8 (prim) faces

Eye and Mouse part should be separated objects. It means we can see visual seems between Eye and Mouse parts.

But now we can erase it by Avastar “Weld Edge Normals” option in exporting collada.
See the video below

Enjoy!

UTILIZATOR – M3 Mesh Anime Head

PMX imported model? Non non, it’s mesh anime head “M3” from UTILIZATOR!

(Head only. Miku costume by GANTZ)  with Wind Light, light/shadow and DOF rendering options

UTILIZATOR – M3 Mesh Anime Head in marketplace
https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/UTILIZATOR-M3-Mesh-Anime-Head/4697296

With PMX imported mesh doll.(Applied Wind Light setting, without light and shadow)

With another M3 Head avatar. (Applied Wind Light setting, without light and shadow)

Realistic mesh head (hybrid avatar) “Nea” is also amazing work and this M3 Mesh Anime Head has so many facial expression patterns controlled by HUD.

This M3 Mesh Anime Head shows us high potential of mesh works in secondlife, I think, as well as Nea gave us.

UTILIZATOR creator’s blog and news
UTILIZAOR BLOG

(deferred rendering – light, shadow and DOF – close-up)

Changed eye size, blushing and opening mouse

Imported pmx mesh doll GUMI by Mamama-san and M3 Mesh Anime Head + Edelweiss school blazer (Only Wind Light setting)

*Edelweiss* http://moekakohime.blogspot.jp/

Enjoy!!!

Nea - Hybrid Avatar (skin and mesh head)

As I introduced in this blog, mesh head and skin - Hybrid Avatar - "Nea" is released in Skin Fair 2013 in Second Life.



I think this fabulous mesh head and skin opens new era for secondlife mesh avatar. Still it's a starting point and less facial expressions but I believe so many creators will be heading for high quality mesh avatar.　(I MUST SAY SHE HAS RICH FACIAL EXPRESSIONS - PLEASE SEE THE FOLLOWING URL-FLICKR.COM)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/snumaw/sets/72157633063375895/

I made the following video with Nea mesh head and MikuMikuDance motion - Cyber Thunder Cider -. This avatar gives me a lot of motivation for making video.



Enjoy, ;)