Help understanding Weights

[The Punisher]

HI

 

 

I am trying to learn the correct weight process and have a few questions and hope someone could help me with the answers. Please keep in mind that I am a total idiot but willing to learn, so please excuse my ignorance and feel free to correct me whenever I say something wrong or use the wrong term.

 

I am adding some parts from some files I found in "obj" format to existing models in an attempt to improve them. For example, I am currently trying to improve the "Hero Armor" version of Starkiller by adding an armor, instead of the "painted" one. While adding the parts, I try to weight it but I believe I am doing it wrong as I am applying the weight to the entire mesh (I think is call mesh?).and the results in game are weird.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

While comparing to other models, like Toshis Vader, I see only vertex related to the particular bone seem be be weighted.

 

 

 

I tried to replicate the same but Blender complains about unweighted vertex

 

 

Can someone please let me know what I am doing wrong and how to overcome it?

 

 

Also, sometimes a different Vertex is weighted by accident, is there an easy way to "unweight" that particular vertex? What would be the best approach to apply the weights?

 

 

 

Thanks in advance for the help (and patience)

[Kualan]

The unweighted vertex error comes up during export because every vertex needs to be weighed to something. So for example, in that second Blender pic where the torso is only partially weighed to the thoracic bone, if you click on other bones in Vertex Group you'll see the rest of the vertices in that mesh are weighed to at least one of them. Use vanilla models as a guide for how best to distribute the weights across the different bones.

 

As for removing weights, you can just select the relevant vertex in Edit Mode then click 'Remove' under Vertex Groups to remove any weights attached to it.

[The Punisher]

The unweighted vertex error comes up during export because every vertex needs to be weighed to something. So for example, in that second Blender pic where the torso is only partially weighed to the thoracic bone, if you click on other bones in Vertex Group you'll see the rest of the vertices in that mesh are weighed to at least one of them. Use vanilla models as a guide for how best to distribute the weights across the different bones.

 

As for removing weights, you can just select the relevant vertex in Edit Mode then click 'Remove' under Vertex Groups to remove any weights attached to it.

Thanks a lot Kualan. I didn't wanted to call on anyone in particular but I knew if anybody answered, you would be among them. Reading your feedback, it makes perfect sense. I didn't checked every vertex but thinking about if and putting the pieces together in my mind, makes perfect sense. I will try your suggestions tomorrow and let you know.

 

Any additional feedback for a newbie trying to learn is more than welcome.

[The Punisher]

Thanks @@Kualan, it worked! Movements are still a little bit weird but I guess I weighted some vertex wrong, I'll keep trying, I know is a matter of practice now that you have explained the issue! Any additional feedback is welcome as always!

[mrwonko]

As a rough first approximation weighting via bone envelopes works pretty well, too. Look it up, it's a normal Blender thing. You can then convert that to vertex paint and hand-tune it.

[The Punisher]

As a rough first approximation weighting via bone envelopes works pretty well, too. Look it up, it's a normal Blender thing. You can then convert that to vertex paint and hand-tune it.

 

 

Thanks a lot @@mrwonko! Sounds really interesting, I would really like to try it. How would I accomplish that (or do you know of a tutorial how to accomplish it)? I was looking at a tutorial in Youtube were you select the skeleton and the part and press Ctrl+P, then select Object, then transform with automatic weights (something like that, can't remember the exact steps right now), but when I tried the steps, the skeleton just disappeared.

 

Thanks for the feedback!

[mrwonko]

I don't remember where I first learned it, but there's plenty of Blender tutorials out there. You might need to enable bone weights in the armature modifier and change the display of the bones in the object properties to see the envelopes.

[The Punisher]

I don't remember where I first learned it, but there's plenty of Blender tutorials out there. You might need to enable bone weights in the armature modifier and change the display of the bones in the object properties to see the envelopes.

 

Cool! Will try and see how far I can get. Thx!