Importing a GLM with Weights

[Cerez]

How do I import Raven's models (GLMs) with weighting information preserved? My 3DS Max plugin imports the GLMs successfully, but there are no weights showing on the imported model's mesh.

 

I really need to have a look at an original rig from Raven for reference. I'm having a real hard time with getting the shoulders to deform properly...

[Wystan]

Im afreid it's impossible.

 

But I can give you my model.

[Xycaleth]

Maybe @@Scooper's 3DS Max GLM importer preserved weights? I can't remember if he finished it or not

[Cerez]

It's just that there are so few polys to work with, and the JKA skeleton is merciless with the arm movements. It's extremely hard to find a balance that works. This is the third time I've started from scratch, and I just can't get the shoulders to behave... :/

[Ramikad]

I think Blender keeps the weight when importing player models.

[Cerez]

I think Blender keeps the weight when importing player models.

 

Can someone confirm this?

[Circa]

Can someone confirm this?

It does, with @@mrwonko's plugin. That's where all these frankensteined models have come from lately.

[Cerez]

Great! Thanks @@Ramikad and @@Circa! 

 

I'll download Blender then, and see if I can figure this thing out...

[AshuraDX]

Shoulders are tricky - are you worknig with envelopes only or do you use weight painting/ the vertex weighting tools ?

don't stick with envelopes - they will only give you fucky results

[Psyk0Sith]

Take a look at the skinwrap rig:

http://psyko3d.50webs.com/tools/skinwrap.rar

 

Probably not perfect but should help.

[Archangel35757]

@@Cerez -- what GLM file are you trying to import? If you downloaded the Raven released dotXSI model files then you can simply import the dotXSI file with my Maxscript dotXSI importer (but you'll need to migrate to the Max7 at least).

 

Remember that GLM character models are scaled down to 64% of original size-- so you'll have to rescale the imported model by a factor of 1.5625.

[Scooper]

Maybe @@Scooper's 3DS Max GLM importer preserved weights? I can't remember if he finished it or not

Yeah it does. I did sorta finish it. Just not the last UI stuff to make it user friendly. So 99% finished? I got bored.

[DT.]

Got a link?

[minilogoguy18]

That would be a very useful tool for a lot of people.

[AshuraDX]

@@Milamber has been rubbing this plugin under my nose for half a year now

now share it plox @@Scooper

[Cerez]

Shoulders are tricky - are you worknig with envelopes only or do you use weight painting/ the vertex weighting tools ?

don't stick with envelopes - they will only give you fucky results

 

I'm weighting using vertex selection. I have very few polys to work with for each joint, so it's very finicky to get the balance right. I see that even the Raven team has had problems with deforming the joints on their models properly. It was a poor choice to design the models and assign/control the skeleton this way on their part... If they were planning on arms swinging behind and over the head, they should have elaborated on those shoulder joint designs. Either way, is what it is... gotta work with it.

 

Take a look at the skinwrap rig:

http://psyko3d.50webs.com/tools/skinwrap.rar

 

Probably not perfect but should help.

 

Thanks @@Psyk0Sith, but I can't open this in Max 5.

 

@@Cerez -- what GLM file are you trying to import? If you downloaded the Raven released dotXSI model files then you can simply import the dotXSI file with my Maxscript dotXSI importer (but you'll need to migrate to the Max7 at least).

 

Remember that GLM character models are scaled down to 64% of original size-- so you'll have to rescale the imported model by a factor of 1.5625.

 

Where are these Raven XSI model source files, @@Archangel35757? I was only able to find animation sources, which are just that: skeleton animations without any mesh and weights.

[Archangel35757]

File front IIRC and the models are in a folder called "models" may have been submitted by Keshire.

[DT.]

Btw, why are you using Max 5? It's terribly old.

[Cerez]

Btw, why are you using Max 5? It's terribly old.

 

It's a long story... but now that I've come more than halfway through the project with version 5, I don't want to switch to something different. It'll throw me off the task at hand. I will update Max after this project.

 

 

An update: after some tinkering and setting up, I was able to get Raven's GLMs to load with weights in Blender (thanks, @@mrwonko). Version 2.64 of Blender (surprisingly) doesn't support viewing exact weight values on individual vertexes (something that even ancient Max 5 can do), but at least it gives a visual idea of how the weights are distributed across the mesh for the individual bones. Version 2.68 and upward added vertex weight viewing and editing, though I've yet to see if @@mrwonko's GLM import plugin works with a newer version of Blender...

 

Stay tuned.

[Cerez]

Yessss! Here we go!

 

 

Version 2.68 of Blender has no problem importing GLMs using @@mrwonko's plugin with all weight settings and individual vertex point weight information visible (you can see it on the right side there, in the Properties panel). That's as good a reference as one can get!

 

Now I'm ready and armed to tackle those shoulders properly. B)

 

Thanks everyone.

[Archangel35757]

You won't notice any big difference in UI from Max 5 thru 2010... just more capability.

[minilogoguy18]

You don't need to reference another program to get the weights right, just look at how I do it in my video tutorials, I set keyframes on all the bones so that I was free to move the bones however I wanted and changing the frame in the timeline would just snap everything back to the base pose. There are other ways of doing it like setting neutral poses, reference poses then just using the reset all transforms and reset actor commands but selecting all bones and setting keyframes is something anyone can figure out. Then I just bent the joints and with the joints bent I painted the weights so that the bent joint looked proper, then just snapped everything back to the base pose and moved on.

 

You really need to update programs, the UV mapping tools in Max 5 are from the stone age and someone correct me if I'm wrong but I don't think  that version even has a weight painting tool.

[Cerez]

You really need to update programs, the UV mapping tools in Max 5 are from the stone age and someone correct me if I'm wrong but I don't think  that version even has a weight painting tool.

 

Hahaha, don't be so dramatic, @@minilogoguy18. Of course Max 5 has a weight painting tool. It has all the basic necessities to get the job done -- all of the core functionality of 3DS Max. It's just missing some of the luxury tools and features that the newer versions have that make the workflow easier.

 

I did have a look at a few helpful video tutorials -- I think yours included -- but I'm not satisfied with how my shoulder weighting attempts are turning out, and now, after getting my weights matching as close to Raven's as possible, I've realised why...

 

 

Have a look at this beauty! The only consolation these models have is a matching texture on the arms and torso, so that the shoulder mutations are not so obvious. Unfortunately, in my case, I don't have that luxury...

 

It's just bad model design for animation in the original game. The best thing I can do is to carefully fine-tune the weight on each vertex and try and get it looking as close to less mutated as possible... So it comes down to whether it's looking bad or disastrous, and I'm trying to get it as close to bad as possible, hahaha...

[DT.]

You will never get perfect deformation for every animation. I just focus on getting the stances, movement cycles, sitting & standing looking decent enough. If you want a pro's look at things, wait until @@Scooper finishes his importer and import a Hapslash model. Infinity Blade was a pro rigger who weighed 95% of Hapslash's models.

[Veosar]

I agree it's kind of frustrating sometimes, I'm having really hard times weighting everything in 3dsMAX, but at the same time I really prefer it over Blender (which I have to use, since it imports the weights).