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[3ds Max] Skeleton Controller Rigs - Draugr v0.13.2 (2015-09-22)


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[3ds Max] Skeleton Controller Rigs - Draugr v0.13.2 (2015-09-22)
 
Check out the animation tutorial that complement these rigs.
 
Update: 2015-09-22

Draugr Rig v0.13.2

-Scalable via NPC Root [Root]_Ctrl_M controller. Extreme scaling will make fidelity issues more apparent.  Be sure to revert scaling before export. Draugr has correct scales in Max and in Skyrim.

 
----------
 
From Trepleen:

 

I've attached the vanilla bone list to be used for havok export.
 
I'm going to try and get the word out to all animators, that if you create an animation that doesn't use custom bones, then just export the animation using the vanilla bone list, instead of the XP32 1.6 list.
 
If animation using vanilla bones only, then use the vanilla rig text file
- vanilla_rig_99bones.txt attachicon.gifvanilla_rig_99bones.txt
 
If animation only uses the first 109 bones (butt, breast without HDT), then use the 1.6 basic.
- XPMS RIG 1.6 Basic.txt
 
Since HDT is becoming popular, I can see animations being exported with the vanilla list in most cases now.
 
Problematic Examples:
 
FNIS sexy move animations were exported with an old rig list of 210 bones even though he only used the first 109.  This animation causes problems with the vagina model I made using custom bones since bone order is extremely important.  I edited the sexy move # 9 HKX files and removed all bones from 99 and up and it fixed the problem.
 
Another example is that I've created a hugging and kissing animation. I exported using the XPMS RIG 1.6 Full.txt (242 bones) which was wrong, I should just use the vanilla basic bone rig text file since the hugging and kissing animation only uses the first 99 bones of vanilla skeleton.
 
Just wanted to put this information out there and include a vanilla rig list for vanilla bones animations.

 


 
Overview:
 
These are animation rigs meant to facilitate the creation of new animations and poses. Custom controllers have been built upon the XPMS skeleton resource file found here. The canine rig was built using the vanilla canine skeleton. The draugr rig uses the vanilla draugr skeleton. Paired rig made following Kentington's tutorial.
 
Sample animations:



post-8195-0-04983800-1440568149_thumb.jpg post-8195-0-95989200-1440639302_thumb.jpg

 
Features:

  • Mirror Poses.
  • IK/FK switch for arms and neck. Allows for switching between IK/FK animation and blending in between.
  • Integrated roll bones. Forearm roll bones will follow the twist of the hand. Upper arm roll bone will twist against the shoulder.
  • Finger Presets. Save finger poses as presets and blend between them.

Controller Rig Walkthrough:


 
 
 
post-8195-0-64763400-1440640457_thumb.jpgpost-8195-0-78220500-1440566896_thumb.jpgpost-8195-0-87330100-1440112957_thumb.jpgpost-8195-0-03745300-1422148379_thumb.jpgpost-8195-0-82882500-1411154390_thumb.jpgpost-8195-0-44080600-1409646169_thumb.jpgpost-8195-0-58568900-1409646248_thumb.jpgpost-8195-0-55719000-1409646345_thumb.jpg


Requirements:
 
Niftools (To import meshes)
Max 2010 + Havok Content Tools 2010.2 or
Max 2012 + Havok Content Tools 2011.3 + hktcnv.exe (To convert xml to hkx)
PEN Attribute Holder 2 - This script allows for the saving and blending of finger presets. You may still load the .max scene without this but will not have access to the presets.
 
 
Usage: Human F+M

After installing Havok and opening a new scene, you may get the following error. This is a Havok error that can be ignored. You can open the MAXscript Listener to see the script details.
post-8195-0-20308900-1439557258_thumb.jpg
----------
Please watch the rig walkthrough video to get an overview of how the rig functions.
 
I'll only cover rig specific features here. Check out the animation tutorial and other non rig specific guides. Use Google for other general 3ds Max guides.
 
The interface.
There are 4 areas to be aware of:
    post-8195-0-20338400-1428208501_thumb.jpg
    1. Curve Editor/Dope Sheet. Control all animation keys from here. Learn to use this to make smooth animations. Google tutorials.
    2. Selection Sets. Quickly access common selections.
    3. Layers. Organizes the scene. Hide/unhide, freeze/unfreeze selected layer.
    4. Custom Attributes. The secondary functions of a selected controller. Custom attributes are available for feet, hands, fingers, and head controllers.
 
 
Working with the rig.
- Keyboard shortcuts: W, E, R = Move, Rotate, Scale
- To key the fingers, you must be in Auto Key mode.
- Mirroring poses: Use the included Copy Paste Transform script.
- Resetting a selected controller(s) to default: Alt+Right Click-->Transform To Zero.
  post-8195-0-38748900-1439435872_thumb.jpg
- Hold Left Click+Drag Up/Down on a spinner arrow to quickly set it.
  post-8195-0-61761300-1428212675_thumb.jpg
- Right Click on the spinner arrow to zero it's value.
 
 
Working with FK/IK.

The rig has 2 animation systems called FK and IK. The systems can be blended but more often than not, using one system precludes the other.

By default, the arm bones are controlled by a single IK controller.

 

FK = forward kinematics. Green Colored. Is default vanilla skeleton behavior. Can only be rotated
IK = Inverse kinematics. Red/Pink colored at feet, hands & head. Allows you to quickly position the entire arm/leg chain. Can rotate and move.
 
If IK/FK blend = 0, then it is in full IK mode. Fully controlled by the red/pink IK controller.
    post-8195-0-66215800-1428215629_thumb.jpg
 
If IK/FK blend = 100, then it is in full FK mode. Fully controlled by the green FK controller.
    post-8195-0-55262500-1428216052_thumb.jpg

IK-->FK switch. Will sync the position of the IK bones to the FK bones.
FK-->IK switch. Will sync the position of the FK bones to the IK bones.
    post-8195-0-95811900-1428216932_thumb.jpg
 

Change the behavior of the IK hand controllers.
By default, the IK hand controllers are linked to the [COM] controller so that the hand IKs will follow [COM]. To change the behavior so that the hands will act independently, select and unlink them.
    post-8195-0-32587700-1428218504_thumb.jpg
 
 
Manage finger presets/poses.
From here you can mirror finger poses, make & store new poses. All poses can be exported and carried over.
    post-8195-0-40352900-1428220063_thumb.jpg


 

Usage: Human F+M (Paired)

 

Based on Kentington's tutorial, the F+M (Paired) rig has 2 separate skeletons linked to a central scene root. The effect of this is that you're able to have perfect sync and alignment every time - assuming the body scale and mesh is ever the same. The paired rig uses Havok filters and rig.txt as provided by Kentington. Be careful not to confuse F+M (Paired) vs F+M rigs. Their set ups are different. I was able to export fine using the provided default HCT settings. As far as I'm aware, paired animations can only be called from scripts. For preview, you can replace a paired animation in fore's spell mod.

 

Issues/Limitations:

There are some limitations to a paired set up:

-The individual skeleton roots can't be animated, although it can be offset. Trying to animate a root may induce skew/scale issues. You'll need to use COM to animate.

-If a paired animation is used on the player, the camera is locked in 3rd person view without free look so you may want to animate the camera.

-Paired animations don't use IK data in game; feet will clip or float according to the central scene root.

 

 

 

 

Usage: Draugr

Export as normal.
 
The draugr rig isn't a dedicated rig, rather it uses the base human rig to drive the draugr skeleton. As such it's very experimental and there may be unforeseen glitches. Because it's using the human controller rig as a driver, it should be possible to re-use all previously made animations with minimal adjustments. Some testing will need to be done to find a good workflow.

 

To transfer male rig animation data to draugr:

Select all _M controllers, Animation-->Save Animation

In the draugr scene file, select all controllers. Animation-->Load Animation. Edit and export as normal.

 

To transfer female rig animation data to draugr:

Use Max's rename tool to rename _F controllers to _M. Then follow the steps above.

 

Issues/Limitations:

Due to terrible twist weights, I've left the upper arm twist bones unrigged. Or the weights were imported incorrectly. Haven't tested.

post-8195-0-61157400-1440829895_thumb.jpg

 


 
 Usage: Canine

Please watch the canine rig walkthrough video to get an overview of how the rig functions.
Read the human rig Usage section for general rig functions. Export using the same workflow as the human rig.

Having flex has a  performance impact. I recommend the no flex version for general use.

 
Dynamic Flex Controls:
The canine rig comes with dynamic flex controllers to automatically add secondary motions. Their controls can be found in the Modify panel.
    post-8195-0-61770900-1440113262_thumb.jpg
 

Flex can be thought as having 2 animation systems:

Flex = 0, Full manual spline IK controls. Flex is off.

Flex > 0, Automatically driven animations. Flex is on.

 

Flex animation is driven automatically through the flex modifier, which means there are no actual keys in the animation track - except the flex parameters. If you tried to animate a tail controller while it was being driven by flex, it would create an offset. These can cause issues when wanting a seamless loop animation. Best to turn off flex in this scenario.

 

The main use of flex would be in non-looping animations where control isn't needed. Turn flex on, animate a main controller(head, pelvis) and the animations for face/tail will automatically be generated.

 

The main flex control are availabe for tongue, tail and ears.
The lips and eyebrows flex are controlled as a percentage of the ear flex.
The eyelids will rotate as a percentage of the eyes' rotation.

 

How to loop flex animation:

Will update when I figure it out. :cool:

 

Color Scheme:
Simply, red is left, green is right. Port/starboard colors.
Blue is neither.
 
 Issues/Limitations:
There's apparently an issue with 3ds Max and spline IKs which causes splines to flip which causes collapsed mesh. This issue is visible when the rig is rotated at or more than 90°/-90° on world Z axis. I recommend keeping the canine rig at the origin and rotate other characters instead.
 
However, if you absolutely must rotate the rig, here are some workarounds:
-You can rotate characters post animation via script in game.
-It may be possible to freely rotate after baking an animation(save/reload animation).
-Advanced Users: Turn off or reverse the IK twist properties.
    post-8195-0-03120900-1440115814_thumb.jpg


 
Downloads:
3ds Max Skyrim Skeleton Controller Rigs_v0.13 (2015-01-24).7z

3ds Max 2010_Skyrim_Controller Rig_F+M (Paired)_v0.13.7z

3ds Max 2012_Skyrim_Controller Rig_Draugr_v0.13.2.7z
3ds Max 2010_Skyrim_Controller Rig_Canine_v0.11.7z
 
The controller rigs aren't designed to have .kf(key frame) animations be imported into them. To be able to import and use vanilla .kf animations, you must use a vanilla skeleton:

3ds Max 2010_Skyrim_Vanilla Skeleton.7z

 

Rigs by other authors:

Creature Rigs by AnubiSs2167

Creature Rigs by Leito86

MoCap Rigs by Supertin

 

FAQ:

Q: Can I import existing animations into this rig to modify them?
A: Importing FK animations into this IK rig will not look right. This rig is mainly for new animations. Try out MalikCG's rig to import animations.


 
Release Notes: 2015-09-22

Update: 2015-09-22

Draugr Rig v0.13.2

-Scalable via NPC Root [Root]_Ctrl_M controller. Extreme scaling will make fidelity issues more apparent. Be sure to revert scaling before export. NPC Root [Root]_Ctrl_M default = 111.61. Draugr has correct scales in Max and in Skyrim.

 

Update: 2015-09-06

Canine Rig v0.11

-Fixed double rotations that affected tail, tongue and ears.

-Just having flex in the scene, even when turned off, can have a performance hit. Added no flex version.

 

2015-08-29

Draugr Rig v0.13.1

Added face controls.

Improved human->draugr fidelity.

 

2015-08-26
F+M (Paired) v0.13 initial release.

 

2015-08-25
Draugr Rig v0.13 initial release. v0.13 because it's based on the human rig. See Usage:Draugr.
 
2015-08-20
Canine Rig v0.1 initial release.
 
v0.13 (2015-01-24)
Added dedicated F/M rigs to avoid ambiguity when merging scenes.
Added 2 actor F-M scene using Dream Girl and Better Males. You will have to merge your own scene if you want different meshes.
Changed controller colors to match 3ds Max scheme. Change them as you like.
 
v0.12a (2014-11-18)
Reverted hand scales back to original XPMS of 100 from 85.168. Scaling didn't do anything except to shorten or lengthen the fingers/hand. In this case, it resulted in crushed fingers.
 
v0.12 (2014-10-03)
Hands scaled to vanilla female scale of 85.168.
 
v0.11 (2014-09-19)
Copy/Paste Pose mirroring script.
 
v 0.1 (2014-09-02)
Initial release
 
Permissions:
Do what you want with the rig. Scripts and meshes belong to their respective authors.
 
Credits:
pornphile - Rigging
XP32 - XPMS skeleton resource files
Paul Neale - PEN Custom Attribute Holder 2
Matthew Dicks - Copy Paste Transforms
TheFigment - Havok Command Line Tools 1.4
Petrovich - Dream Girl mesh
Chris57 and FavoredSoul - Better Males mesh

Kentington - Paired rig resources
fore - FNIS

Bethesda
Autodesk
Niftools
Havok


 
Further Development:


place holder

 

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Wow , thanks .

I use blender to animate . Love using IK a lot . I Use HCT to export a few animations in 3ds Max and most of the animated objects are animated in 3ds.

 

While I can Animate in 3ds Max , there is no flow , this will help a lot for people like me who want learn max, if its not too much trouble I would request a similar  Rig with Groovtama's XPMSE (Extended Skeleton) Because It has fixed certain scaling issues that are a problem in normal XPMS

 

Cheers and thanks , Keep Up the good work

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Wow , thanks .

I use blender to animate . Love using IK a lot . I Use HCT to export a few animations in 3ds Max and most of the animated objects are animated in 3ds.

 

While I can Animate in 3ds Max , there is no flow , this will help a lot for people like me who want learn max, if its not too much trouble I would request a similar  Rig with Groovtama's XPMSE (Extended Skeleton) Because It has fixed certain scaling issues that are a problem in normal XPMS

 

Cheers and thanks , Keep Up the good work

 

In fact, my original plan was to build upon Groovtama's XPMSE upon it's release (v 2.0). I messaged him asking for the resource files to avoid the problems you've described. The problems occur when using the importer to import skeleton.nif. As far as I'm aware, the XPMS resouce v1-6 don't have these problems. As of XPMSE v2.06, resource files have yet to be released. Unless I missed something?

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Rig txt and hkx files as xml are available, I still need to fix the weapon nodes in the upcoming 2.1 and people should be able to import it out of the box into max with any weapon placement there is.

 

Then I can also do an updated resource because it would just be importing, adding some havok nodes and throwing it out.

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I'm using 3ds max 2010 and it crashes when I try to import a body mesh using 2010 file. Anyone else having this problem or am I just doing something wrong?

 

I tried doing the same thing importing the body mesh with Autodesk 2012 and it seems to work fine, but my HCT is for the 2010 version.

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I'm using 3ds max 2010 and it crashes when I try to import a body mesh using 2010 file. Anyone else having this problem or am I just doing something wrong?

 

I tried doing the same thing importing the body mesh with Autodesk 2012 and it seems to work fine, but my HCT is for the 2010 version.

I don't actually have access to Max 2010 so I can't test this. The 2010 scene file was made using Max 2012 'Save As' version type. You need HCT 2011.3 for Max 2012.

 

Maybe someone with 2010 can chime in?

 

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As some guy says in skyrim, in an overdramatic fashon : "What in oblivion is that!!!"

 

 

1410014484-crushed-breast.jpg

 

 

do you know what causes this? When i import unpb meshes, the breast goes like that with your rig. Halp? :) Testing with another body mesh soonish.

 

I imported UNPB & UNPB TBBP from the main archive files and can't reproduce this. Can you post your mesh?

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Here you go! :) thanks for the quick answers!

 

I imported this into the orginal 1.6 resource and it has the same problem. See Groovtama's post above.

 

To curtail further mesh import related questions:

What mesh you use is unimportant. It's only used as a visual aid in animating.

 

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Okay, first step.

 

1. Import a body mesh.

 

I downloaded the dream girl body mesh from this link: http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/download/1000057009/?

 

I extracted the body, feet and hand mesh to the 3ds Max Controller Rig v0.1_2010 folder.

 

All three body parts imported fine and I imported the femalehead.nif from my own asset folder.

 

These are my import settings:

 

post-332693-0-37223800-1410455102_thumb.jpg

 

Everything is working perfect as per the exact instructions in the video you provided. Thank you, this is perfect!

 

5. Add Annotations

 

Right click NPC COM bone

Select Dope Sheet

Selcet NPC COM under objects

Click Tracks --> Note Tracks --> Add

 

There should now be a notes track inbetween NPC COM and Transform.

post-332693-0-80554800-1410460139_thumb.jpg

 

Extra screenshot from tesnexus:

http://wiki.tesnexus.com/images/7/76/Animations_skyrim_6.png

 

 

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You wouldn't happen to know how to get mirroring or symmetry working? For example if I pose the right arm and hand to the hip, can I mirror somehow so the same pose for the arm applies to the other arm?

 

Here is what I'm doing right now which seems to work:

 

MIRROR RIGHT ARM/HAND TO LEFT ARM/HAND

 

post-332693-0-48663900-1410457499_thumb.jpg

 

post-332693-0-45112200-1410457506_thumb.jpg

 

 

Looks like you imported skeleton in your screenshot. Untick that and try again. Can you use the controllers without anything imported?

 

That fixed it.  And before I didn't set the value from 100 to 0, that's why the hand didn't move.  This rig is amazing by the way, my goodness. Thank you so much for this. I'm going to share an animation here as soon as I'm finished with it. It will be the female with hands on hips, slightly bent over with ass out, LOL.

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You wouldn't happen to know how to get mirroring or symmetry working? For example if I pose the right arm and hand to the hip, can I mirror somehow so the same pose for the arm applies to the other arm?

 

I don't know enough scripting to do it automatically so you'll have to do this manually.

 

Use world coordinates, select move, select controller. In the lower bottom you can see the transform coordinates. Use these on the opposite controller if you must have exact mirroring (inverse x value).

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FK --> IK switch. Set IK/FK blend to 100. Match world rotational transforms to other shoulder controller.

 

Something else to consider:

That area in question is the upper arm roll which is automatically rotated by the shoulder controls. It may be that some meshes were not weighted to take advantage of this bone and therefore have asymmetric weights.

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Something else to consider:

That area in question is the upper arm roll which is automatically rotated by the shoulder controls. It may be that some meshes were not weighted to take advantage of this bone and therefore have asymmetric weights.

 

You're right, the weights are different. I clicked the skin modifier and checked the envelopes and they are different in color in the upper arm twist area.

 

I ended up just changing the positions of the arm, no big deal.

 

I'M DONE, THANKS TO THIS PROJECT I CAN FINALLY ANIMATE PROPERLY.

 

This is a basic stick your butt out pose with slight natural sway movement so the body appears alive and healthy. Anyone can use this animation, just give me credit.

 

post-332693-0-67111000-1410468584_thumb.jpgpost-332693-0-02709900-1410468585_thumb.jpgpost-332693-0-37315800-1410468585_thumb.jpg

 

sexyhandships.rar

 

If anyone is curious that is a follower I'm working on, Katreena Darkmoore.

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I just did a quick mock up with dream girl and the shoulders look pretty good. Just slight asymmetry when twisting.

attachicon.gifDG_Shoulders.JPG

 

Maybe you posed something different along the way. Test the transforms in a new scene.

 

Ahh what the hell?!  Damn it, I probably did something wrong.   I will continue to experiment and learn, then report my findings here.

 

1. Are you using the same import settings here?

 

post-332693-0-76803200-1410489130_thumb.jpg

 

2. Are you using 3d studio max 2012?

 

3. For each of those three blue FK_CTRL's (for the right arm), you've clicked "FK-->IK" and then set the IK/FK weight to 100?

 

4. Then you use the three blue FK_CTRL's to rotate and pose?  Did you ever use the select and move tool at all or just the select and rotate?

 

If you don't have time to respond to all this no worries, I'll figure it out eventually.

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Max 2012 with these settings:

post-8195-0-06221200-1410491046_thumb.jpg

 

There's only 1 IK/FK switch but they've been instanced to all of the arm controllerss for ease of selecting. You simply change the setting on any controller to take affect. This is per arm.

 

'FK --> IK' snaps the FK bones to IK bones. Setting 'IK/FK' blend to 100 is full FK mode. 0 is full IK. You can also blend between weights.

Changing weights will be keyframed so take that into account too.

 

Blue controllers(FK) can only rotate the bone. If you try to move them, you'll only move the controller out of the way. I should probably lock their movement.

 

Red controllers move and rotate.

 

PM me your scene file and I'll take a look.

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