Easy Blender Shape Conversion?

[Myst42]

Hi everyone

 

I was wondering if among the new features and if any of the designing experts out there knew a way to deal with this issue since so many conversions are out there

 

Let me explain

I have a few models that need readjusting position to be wearable ripped outfits in other games.

Specifically I work with Oblivion

 

The skeleton for Oblivion has a certain "pose" which is legs and arms in straight angles, while skeletons for other games have different stances, like arms separated at 45 degrees, legs closer or more separated to each other etc...

 

In modeling, I'm very fond of lattices and sculpting, but neither has the ability to make good large scale modifications like changing the arms position symmetrically 

 

An image is worth 1000 words

 

Lattice, which is mostly what I use for large scale changes, is not mirror-modifier compatible;

 

while sculpting, has a button for symmetry, but large scale changes dealt with sculpting can look ugly

 

Last time I dealt with this I deleted the entire half of the model and used a mirror modifier, but that time the other half was already identical so there wasn't any harm in it

So does anybody know another way or a better trick?

Cause one could adjust manually but it will never have the original degree of symmetry

 

[D_ManXX2]

This question will be difficult to answer. if you are using blender 2.49b then that is the problem older blender is missing allot of cool stuff new blender could have easily fixed. So this part will be easier to do when switching to 3dmax.

 

I thought new blender has new add-ons from community witch fixes this part. The only problem is backwards compatibility between 2.49b and newer blender 2.7 and higher.

 

Not sure if this will work better but did you try to match the oblivion skeleton to the one you are trying to convert to oblivion ?? This way the arms of the oblivion skeleton are already in place and you don't need to adjust the arm to get it into place like you showed in the screenshot. it is just a pose does not matter in-game anyway.

 

Right now you are trying to match the mesh to skeleton but maybe it will be easier to match the skeleton to mesh and then parent them together.

[kingkong]

in your case ; for me,  it is easyer to rig the mesh to any oblivion skeleton      then   Under 'pose mode'  you can adjust any part of the body .

[Myst42]

Yeah, I though about that, but

1.- I'm not sure I can do that... I mean how compatible skeletons can be and how to even make the transition permanent without messing it up. I mean, just parenting to the armature's not enough right? Specially if you don't have the right rigging

And

2.- I don't actually have the other skeleton, just downloaded meshes

 

About Blender

Im using 2.49b because it works with Oblivion stuff, BUT

I have another version of Blender installed, - 2.66a, used only for special cases (If it's still not high enough, I'm downloading the last one now). I had to use it a long time ago to import a psk file.

I'm not familiar with all of it's functions, but I use it when 2.49b its not enough, make the changes, then switch back to familiar ground

 

[D_ManXX2]

When rigging you should always rig the armature to the mesh not the mesh to the armature. Armature == skeleton. terms of blender. So if the mesh is angled differently you should match the armature to match the mesh.

[kingkong]

if it is hard to rigged the mesh     then do the thing around  :  i mean you take the oblivion body already rigged with the skeleton  using 'pose mode' you adjust  all body parts to meet   the one you want       - than you copy bone weight to the new body from oblivion repositioned body   (you might need to fix some weight paint around fingers)   -  after parenting to the skeleton you readjust again the new body to the right position.

 

 

Normally it is not difficult to rig a mesh you just need patience.       i do not recall exactly    :     but you can import a skeleton  than you have to rig each bone with 'weight paint'     than give a new pose  with ' pose mode '  delete the old modified  skeleton   and  import and apply the new skeleton.

[Myst42]

Ok, I still feel a bit clueless, but it's starting to make sense.

 

So I should import a pure Oblivion skeleton, make it pose like the intended mesh and then somehow connect mesh and skeleton so I can pose the skeleton to the new stance and drag the mesh with it, right?

 

Where it fails me is at the "somehow" 

I think I could have a few rigged models, but I got mostly from XNALara stuff, or downloaded around.

So I have a bunch of files in .mesh.ascii or .obj

No rigging

And even if it was, then how am I supposed to make the other rigging compatible with Oblivion?

 

EDIT: Ohh I think I'm begging to see it

-Import Skeleton, add Oblivion body

-Change skeleton to mimic other mesh's position

-Copy bone weight from Oblivion repositioned body to other mesh. (BTW I almost never do manual weight paint, its a gazillion bones and you need symmetry for that too)

-Import Oblivion unchanged skeleton, add other mesh

 

I'll try that now

 

EDIT Again: Any way to pose with symmetry? it's not perfect symmetry to change one arm, then the other

NEW: Duh.. has been so much time since messing with animations I forgot one could copy and paste inverted

[Myst42]

Guys, Thank you sooo much!