Skin Weight Option Disabled

[perfectslam]

I've made rigged mesh before, a few years back and was trying to get back into it.

However, nothing I've tried that worked in past works anymore for importing anything rigged into SL.

What'd I'd like to know is where does SL, if they bother at all, dump out errors when attempting to import rigged mesh so I can start to track down where to start.

I had hoped that my existing items could be saved back out of SL (using Firestorm) into DAE files but the rigged weights don't go with them.

 

[perfectslam]

I believe I figured out the problem but I haven't tested it yet.  

My modellor will only export DAE but not import.  So, I used Blender 2.6.1 to import the DAE and export it back out.  Turns out, Blender didn't export mFootLeft and mFootRight for some unknown reason because I know I didn't delete them and I use a copied version of this "root" document for any items.

I figured it out by opening performing the command-line diff command between the "pure" DAE file from Linden Labs and my "root" DAE document.  A bunch of lines poppued up and the <name_array> was one of them.

Previously, I wondered why there were 48 entries when it said count was 50.  Now I know why.  I thought maybe there was some sort of hieracy issue (as my rigged mesh items tend to be in parts).

Anyways, live and learn.  Hopefully this will help others in the future.

[Gaia Clary]

Blender 2.6.1 is ... a bit old, isnt it ? There has been a lot of improval in blender since then.

Maybe its worth a try to check out Blender 2.76? But of course 2.61 should work as well, sure that.

[perfectslam]

Even with the two missing bones added back in, skin weight is *still* greyed out.

Perhaps SL should starting consider using COLLADA 1.4.1 and I utterly despise Blender.  

My original question still stands, is there any error log that I can find to figure out why Second Life is unable to use skin weights?  Or am I having to resort to tea leaves or the infinite monkey theorem?

[Gaia Clary]

The error logs (for windows) are in the Roaming folder in your application data. Something like:

C:\Users\{yiurusername}\AppData\Roaming\SecondLife\logs\SecondLife.log

 

[Gaia Clary]

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perfectslam wrote:

Perhaps SL should starting consider using COLLADA 1.4.1 and I utterly despise Blender.

---

Second Life does use Collada 1.4.1

[perfectslam]

Those log shows nothing of real use in this situation.  I was wondering if there was anything else.

Nothing in the user specific folders that I could see, either.

[perfectslam]

In converstaion with the team responsible for my modeller, SL apparently does not.  And that I'm out of luck because they have no plans to provide backwards support for older versions.

This is why even output from 3DS Max have to have files manipulated with text editors to get weight maps to work.

[Gaia Clary]

you could publish your blend file so we can take a look into this.

Also... since you use Blender 2.61 i recall the collada exporter was not the best in those days. Maybe you can try with my temporary solution (SL Exporter for Blender, see the sticky note on top of this forum)

However i recommend you switch to at least blender 2.65 as 2.63 was known as the worst release ever with 2.64 not much better :matte-motes-sunglasses-3:

Anyways the collada exporter has got a major update around Blender 2.74 so maybe try this if you like.

But well, we are at Blender 2.76 now and if there is no good reason for sticking with an ancient blender then i recommend you update to that one (although updating Blender might not necessarily solve your issue)

[Gaia Clary]

Cab you point to any incompatibility of the SL Importer regarding Collada 1.4.1 ?

[perfectslam]

The fact that nodes are renamed to allow for Unicode characters in the joint array?  That was a change from a while back.  There's a reason why you cannot have spaces inside joint names (in older versions) and the use of placeholders using ID[09-] resolved that.  Any newer programs would export using this ID system but SL importer won't accept them.  I suspect it's because if that new format was sent to an older viewer, it would break it.

If I exported a DAE file with a jointed name "Right Hip", it would work inside Preview on the Mac desktop because internally it's reference by a placeholder name ID<whatever>.  But the SL importer would puke because it would pull the joint array as text, then think that there were two joints named "Right" and "Hip" because the array is space delimited.  It's why in the SL armature for exporting it's L_CLAVICLE.  I also think the new ID system doesn't have to have the joints in a particular order, making it a bit more resilient but I've never experimented to see if it's true.

Okay, so, I don't understand why joints are just disappearing.  Am I blacking out and hitting the delete key?  Invisible gnomes coming in and scurrying off with them?

I used the same process (using 'diff') above and suddenly mHead was missing. I plopped mHead back manually into the array and at least skin weight is now no longer greyed out.  Now to recheck my armature.

 

Lesson #1: Don't assume a protected "root" document is correct.  I started from that point and assumed that it was working correctly.  I had made new ones (based of versions by LL) last week and just assumed they looked correct and totally missed that two bones were missing.

Lesson #2: Keep copies of my DAE files after I import instead of assuming I can just export new versions from backups.

[Gaia Clary]

"Right Hip" is an attachment point. Attachment point weighting has never been supported by LindenLab. You can however use the firestorm viewer. This viewer possibly might still be able to import the attachment point when its renamed to "Right_Hip"

However as far as i know the weighting of attachment points has recently been banned. So even if it still can be done, you should not do it. I am pretty sure that once the new Bento bones are released to the main grid, then the import of attachment weights will be fully rejected. (if its not already done)

[Felicia Silversmith]

I have same problem with Blender 2.79.

There is simple cube rigged to 2 bones. When i exporting it to DAE "Include armature" option is enabled. But when i try to upload mesh to SL weighting options group (skin weight, joints position etc. ) is disabled. Any ideas why it can be? 

Edited March 10, 2020 by Felicia Silversmith