Karl Reisman

Physics weight gfor the objct doews indeed need to be under 32. but we have been able to get aircraft of a PE of around 70 and a physics wqeight of around 20 to work fine. A lot of the parts are "no physics" and Phantom within the link set., that's how to get around it, but one neds to keep in mind that the presence of a script will double the PE, though and anything over 100 PE is cxonsidwered rude for a vehicle.

So I giuess until we wait until a rewrite of the importer to add those bones witbn spaces in their names. IF this was on the JIRA, unfortunately I see it as a very low priority item. If you can, I'd like to see a jaw bone working.

THE FBX DAE plugin works fine for standard mesh, but it fails for Rigged mesh, Youneed to get the Opencollada plugin for rigged mesh to work. Also if the "Import Skin Weights" is grayed out in your SL importer a good chance is that the skeleton file is still no good. or that one has rotated a joint

This is good news. IF you are using Maya, you might want to experiment with replacing the spaces with underscores and see if those bones then export, I would be nice to see if physics can eb applied to custom mesh Avss as well.

Often the mesh will not allow importing of skin weights, it's because the skeleton is bad. Skeletons are very finicky apparently for Sl., so the file has to be perfect. this file, I know works http://dl.dropbox.com/u/15354633/skeleton.ma

My someone imperfect memory leads me to believe that there was a notice sometime in the last quarter of 2011, that said that the importer did not support bone positions out side of the default. I've had the deformation problem and another thing yu may want to check your measurment units. The default in Maya is Centimeters, but import into SL should be Meters. If everythingis default,you are going to get a crumpled piece of paper. pulsing as the 1/10th scale skeleton moves within. I envy the Blender folks with their ability to import skeletons with bone positions changed.

typo

this is a erepost from another Threaed, but this shouold help for non rigge mesh as well> make sure yoou are uising OpenCollada, rather than the FBX/DAE exporter. But here Well I figured out the problem with my Maya files. I received a bad skeleton. So Maya users, if you do not get a export skin weights button, it's probably because the skeleton file is bad. The legends of the SL skeleton being finicky are indeed true. Once I used a clean skeleton from a source no longer available, the weighting was exportable, and thus began a day long task of painting skin weights. Then I discovered, and fixed a second problem. The initial skin bind looked bad around the knees, I was informed that one could "move" the joints, but never rotate them. So I "corrected: the position of the knee joints by moving to where they were indicated on the mesh. It was true that you could move them and still obtain a valid export of a weighted mesh, but the knees no matter how they were weighted, they would not be fixed. For this to work, you cannot move, rotate, or modify the skeleton in any way to obtain a good skin bind. I ended up using scales, and mesh deformers to push the geometry and push the Mesh so the mesh lined up with the joints. Then I deleted the history and bound the skin, and proceeded as normal. here is that "good" skeleton file, On generated for Maya users from the days of the Mesh Beta. http://dl.dropbox.com/u/15354633/skeleton.ma WARNING: This files units are in centimeters, unfortunately, and I hesitate to rescale the skeleton, so in binding you need to export yoru weighted mesh at a scale factor of 100 (100 centimeters = 1 Meter), and because the scale factor only applies to the mesh, It doesn't support bone offsets, so leave that unchecked or your mesh when worn ill looked like a crumpled up tissues, pulsing with a hideous parody of live and movement. Maya Procedure: 1.) Open the above file, and immediately rename it as something else and save it. 2.) Import your mesh into the scene. 3.) Scale the mesh, and deform it to match the bones. Delete History on the mesh. 4.) Select the Mesh and then select the root nose (Pelvis) and choose "Bind Smooth Skin". Leave "removed unused influences" check box unchecked. 5.) You now have a bound skinned mesh, now. 6.) Save your file as a copy, renames it as something else. 7.) This new file is specifically to animate the skeleton to test skin weighting and edit it. Animate the skeleton , including into the porn poses so as to give you an idea of how the mesh will behave once its in the grid. 8.) Using the "Paint skin weights" tool, and the animation slider, scrub the animation to a certain point and then use the brush to modify the shape of the mesh into the proper form in that particular pose.Use low opacity settings on the brush (or a tablet where the stylus us set to control opacity with pressure). 9.) A day Later, once you have made good skin weights, go to "Skin -> Edit Smooth Skin -> Export Skin weights.-> [ ] "(Click on the box). When the dialogue box comes up choose a place to save the weight maps (note this only works on a mesh where the UV Maps are completed) name them. Maya will ask if it's okay to write 26 files to disk? Accept that and sit back. 10.) Go back to your first copy file, the one you made the initial skin weight on, and select the mesh, and go ""Skin -> Edit Smooth Skin ->Import Skin Weights. A dialogue box will pop up and ask you ti find the weight maps. Go to where you saved the export from the above step and there will be a file named "[File name]_weightmap". Click on that and select open. Maya will perform it's magic (rezzing points from 0,0,0, making the mesh look like it's transporting in from Star Trek.). If you do not get the transporter effect, and Maya appears to do nothing, that is because there is a change in the mesh itself (not the binding) between the first copy and the second copy, and you will have to start over from Step 5. 11.) Once Maya completes is magic, click the skin, then click the Skeleton (on the root node), and select Export, and export the file as a Collada DAE File. Import with the above caveats taken into account and you should have a nicely skinned mesh in SL to wear. Hope this Helps. --KARL

lookoing at your mesh.. Did at any point did you move the joints of your skeleton? What unit set up is the Skeleton? TO me it looks like the bones were moved from the default position either thrugh translation or rotation (though in truth, if you rotate the joints, the skeleton will not export.) I tried moving joint positions to conform to the mesh and was greeted with similar problems. Currently the skeleton cannot be moleted in anyw ay if youw ant a clean import into SL, That meanns adjusting the models proportions to fit the skeleton, rather than the industry ractice which is to fit the skeleton to the mesh. As such, any disproportionate, or cartoony characters are difficult, until such time as the sensitivity of the skeleton is fixed by the Lendens. Make the geometry to the Sl default skeleton, and use the sliders to change the groos proportions. --Karl

I would have to say on this you are essentially correct. However you can part out pieces of your avatar separately if you are careful about it, but you have to reat each separate piece as a separate fileand import them into SL and attach them to different attatch points. In doing soyou get to add the detail. Also don't forget that this is Mesh so you can apply up to 9 different materials per single mesh object, and that might help as well. But your steps are correct. This is a limited skeleton (for maya) and as yet I have not figured out how to make the proper bone offsetsm, for things like digitigrade legs. The small scale issue of the skeleton file is a problem for that. --Karl

What I'm using only has 19 joints... Could this be the problem? Could you direct me to a correct download if so? I downloaded this avatar file that someone posted the link to here on the forums.. That would indeed be the error. The importer requires that there has to be information for all 26 bones, even if the information is "Zero Influence". a 19 Bone Skeleton is invalid. I'll test the aboveskeleton to see if it works in Maya. But I suggest you need to usethat. --Karl

Thanks Karl! I'm going to try this blender has some work arounds thanks to Gaia and Masami. But it's extremely touchy as well. Plus my mesh get's really out of wack. This might work better. I noticed the skeleton so far is laying on it's side on the Z axis if I look at it from maya's side view. It's a jumbled up mess so I been changing the radius on the joints to 0.05 instead of moving it. I'm afraid to move it around incase that might mess it up. Is thow you're working off it? Side laying down? Okay This problem is that when you work in Maya specifically for Second Life, you have to set up your maya file to be Z -up. not the Maya default Maya Y-up. go to Window -> Settings and Preferences-> Settings, and then set the environment as Z up, and build with the X axis being forward (rather than the Y axis now). With those settings, the skeleton should be standing up tall on the Z axis and facing positive X axis. Second Life's rules for Mesh are rigid and limiting, but one can still produce good work if one has had previous experience working with bad game engines.

First. Looking at the model. that's a nice piece of work there. However adding bones to the default skeleton is probably why it won't import properly. As I stressed above, the Sl skeleton is finicky, and should not be messed with, Moving joints will export, but the skin binding might be messed up ( even before the skin is bound to the bones, which what happened with mine). Added bones will not import into SL in any case, that functionality isn't there yet. Moving Jaws in bones is necessary, but it doesnt' exist yet, I have heard rumors of hack that may allow it, but Nothing concrete, yet. But how things ought to work is that you don't "parent" the jaws and eyes to the bones for export but bind them as skinned objects to their appropriate bones and export them, Then export the body. What I am doing with the current project,a jet pilot's flight suit, is to export the body as one object, then the floating polygons above the shoulder and breast for name tags and flight patches, and a third object for the survival pouches, flashlight and .45 Holster. With mesh, where a piece attatches now means nothing, but it will snap to the correct bones when worn. I have now seen a few mesh avatars in SL in the field as ti were, and theons I have seen a few have had "sculpted" heads, and mesh bodies. The sculpted heads were so that the mouths and expressiosn would animate using the old swapping of sculpt maps techniques. A Mesh head would be comparatively unblinking and rigid, unless one used other techniques, So yes, mesh is currently a bit limited, but cretive folks can often use those limitations to create good, disciplinned work. --Karl

Well I figured out the problem with my Maya files. I received a bad skeleton. So Maya users, if you do not get a export skin weights button, it's probably because the skeleton file is bad. The legends of the SL skeleton being finicky are indeed true. Once I used a clean skeleton from a source no longer available, the weighting was exportable, and thus began a day long task of painting skin weights. Then I discovered, and fixed a second problem. The initial skin bind looked bad around the knees, I was informed that one could "move" the joints, but never rotate them. So I "corrected: the position of the knee joints by moving to where they were indicated on the mesh. It was true that you could move them and still obtain a valid export of a weighted mesh, but the knees no matter how they were weighted, they would not be fixed. For this to work, you cannot move, rotate, or modify the skeleton in any way to obtain a good skin bind. I ended up using scales, and mesh deformers to push the geometry and push the Mesh so the mesh lined up with the joints. Then I deleted the history and bound the skin, and proceeded as normal. here is that "good" skeleton file, On generated for Maya users from the days of the Mesh Beta. http://dl.dropbox.com/u/15354633/skeleton.ma WARNING: This files units are in centimeters, unfortunately, and I hesitate to rescale the skeleton, so in binding you need to export yoru weighted mesh at a scale factor of 100 (100 centimeters = 1 Meter), and because the scale factor only applies to the mesh, It doesn't support bone offsets, so leave that unchecked or your mesh when worn ill looked like a crumpled up tissues, pulsing with a hideous parody of live and movement. Maya Procedure: 1.) Open the above file, and immediately rename it as something else and save it. 2.) Import your mesh into the scene. 3.) Scale the mesh, and deform it to match the bones. Delete History on the mesh. 4.) Select the Mesh and then select the root nose (Pelvis) and choose "Bind Smooth Skin". Leave "removed unused influences" check box unchecked. 5.) You now have a bound skinned mesh, now. 6.) Save your file as a copy, renames it as something else. 7.) This new file is specifically to animate the skeleton to test skin weighting and edit it. Animate the skeleton , including into the porn poses so as to give you an idea of how the mesh will behave once its in the grid. 8.) Using the "Paint skin weights" tool, and the animation slider, scrub the animation to a certain point and then use the brush to modify the shape of the mesh into the proper form in that particular pose.Use low opacity settings on the brush (or a tablet where the stylus us set to control opacity with pressure). 9.) A day Later, once you have made good skin weights, go to "Skin -> Edit Smooth Skin -> Export Skin weights.-> [ ] "(Click on the box). When the dialogue box comes up choose a place to save the weight maps (note this only works on a mesh where the UV Maps are completed) name them. Maya will ask if it's okay to write 26 files to disk? Accept that and sit back. 10.) Go back to your first copy file, the one you made the initial skin weight on, and select the mesh, and go ""Skin -> Edit Smooth Skin ->Import Skin Weights. A dialogue box will pop up and ask you ti find the weight maps. Go to where you saved the export from the above step and there will be a file named "[File name]_weightmap". Click on that and select open. Maya will perform it's magic (rezzing points from 0,0,0, making the mesh look like it's transporting in from Star Trek.). If you do not get the transporter effect, and Maya appears to do nothing, that is because there is a change in the mesh itself (not the binding) between the first copy and the second copy, and you will have to start over from Step 5. 11.) Once Maya completes is magic, click the skin, then click the Skeleton (on the root node), and select Export, and export the file as a Collada DAE File. Import with the above caveats taken into account and you should have a nicely skinned mesh in SL to wear. Hope this Helps. --KARL

From what i understand, for it to work the skeleton has to be exactly the skeleton used on SL, No more, No less. and the bones have to have the exact names as the bones in the SL Skeleton. SL does not allow for custom skeletons yet. it requires the same skeleton as is used in SL. --Karl

it is a little unclear by your question, at what point you want to apply textures. in Maya, or in Second Life? If in Maya, you need to make a new material (Blinn, Phong, what ever) , and put the texture in the new materia in the color channel the usual way. Then you apply the material and the texture should appear on the model. Maya does not assign materials automatically, unless the model is imported using any of the native Maya file formats. Scott

Samarra, what si the differences between your file and simplebot? is it the version of Blender? difference exporter version? and this was done today? I think something broke. I'll have to ask around then. --Karl

Gaia, does that mean you were able to import a rigged mesh onto either (Aditi, Agni) grid, as of today's calender date? And does it move as it should? --Karl

I am having the same problem. I have bound mesh, and did it to the standard SL skeleton. I hand painted the weights, and I exported it using the OPENCOLLADA exporter (not DAE FBX< because that exports is not Opencollada). I do not have an option in the SL Viewer for importing a skin weighted mesh. the mesh itself comes in fine though. A similar file had been imported into Sl three months ago (Same Mesh, same Skeleton file), but it needed beter skin weighting... so I got it. I am using Maya 2010, in Windows XP, and using the latest Opencollada plug in, and still getting no dice. Is this an operator error, or should we enter a JIRA note? As an aside, the beta Grid is down to one sim with annoying children pestering you for attention. --KARL

But do note that if the prim count or "PE" is important, then making them larger "cubes" the PE number. Anything larger than 5m square is prohibitive.

I am one of sseveral manufacturers of combat Aircraft in Second Life, and adding a penalty for script usage is ridiculous. The PE is pretty fearsome, but manageable if you are dealing with hitoric bombers with around 20M wingspans, but sure combat scripts for aircraft are manifild, but the flight scripts are tuned to as low a script load as possible bcause that directly impacts performance and good performance is life or death in a dogfight, (Well Seoncd Life, or Teleport). A vehicle may come in with a physics costof 16 -20, but a PE of 60 or more. As above the scripts do not effect the sculpted made objects.

In that above example, did you ":reposition bones" rather than scale bones and make it work? There was a tab on the beta viewer that said "preserve bOne offsets" or some such is that the trick? I am a Maya Us34r planning on making skinned mesh Avatars, and would like some illumination on the project. I have experience rigging and binding characters for console gamnes, and the proceedure seems straight forward, but each game engine has it's "gotchyas"

When have the other roll outs happened? It's either Noon or the end of the day. Well I supposeI'll seed it when I get home from the day job but I am sooooooooooooooooooooolooking forward to this