How to add another mesh of the same vertex group without replacing the old one? (Blender)

[Ivanael]

I've been trying to add another mesh to a model in Blender, for example a torso_0 mesh renamed to torso_1 to a model which already has a torso_0, and I would need both of them to be displayed at the same time, but everytime I do so and export the model, when I import the model again, the first mesh gets deleted and replaced by the newer one with the same vertex group, ex. the original torso_0 automatically gets deleted and replaced by torso_1, which gets renamed into torso_0 and takes the original mesh's place. I believe the meshes using the same vertex group assignments is causing the issue, although I might be wrong on that. How can I prevent this and add a mesh to a model without replacing the other, and have them both display at the same time ingame also?

Alternatively, how can I switch a mesh's vertex group, for example torso_0 to hips_0, to add the part of the torso mesh I want to a model which already has a torso_0 mesh without it replacing the first one?

I want to separate the ported TFU Tatooine Luke's tunic bottom below the belt from the torso mesh it is a part of, and add it to another model which already has a torso.

[Ramikad]

A couple of things you may or may not know:

 - Renaming a mesh to <something>_1 kind of suggests the .glm exporter that <something>_1 is a LOD (Level of detail) of <something>_0, and if the model doesn't have a model_root_1 (the model_root which specifically deals with the first lower level of detail) it might mess stuff up. A better idea would be to rename it to <something else>_0.

 - Check out the Ghoul 2 Properties under Object Data, in the specific the name: exporting two meshes with the same Ghoul 2 Property name will cause conflicts because the game wouldn't know which one to display.

As for your question I'm not exactly sure what you want to do with the two meshes. From your last sentence, I'd suggest selecting the mesh, enter Edit Mode, delete the entire upper torso and belt geometry, leaving the lower part intact (if that's what you mean) and rename it however you want (for example hips_lower_0 as Object name and hips_lower as the Ghoul 2 Property name). Then back in Object Mode (if that mesh doesn't come with them) you can simply add an Armature modifier, which will allow it to move in-game (if you port it from another JA-working model you can skip it) and weight it, which will allow you to define how it moves in-game and what bones move that piece, and once it's done you can Parent it to whatever you want; typically hips details are parented to a "base" hips_0 or in case of hips_0 itself to stupidtriangle_off_0, but you can parent the new mesh to any other mesh really.

I realize this brief tutorial may come off as a bit generic, so if you have any more questions feel free to ask them.

[Ivanael]

Thanks a lot for the quick reply, that was very helpful. I got it now. Renaming the object in the Ghoul 2 properties under Object Data did the trick.