Help! - Beginner Rigging

handyman4545

I'm fruitlessly hunting for a vido tut I saw (but alas didn't save) by (I think) Jen Greenlees about rigging a pair of pliers.
I'm new and am just now learning to rig motion and I need to set a door in motion on one of my props.

Any direction, links or info on this would be greatly appreciated.

Ascania

If you don't go and switch to a program that actually has rigging you will be stalled at this forever.

handyman4545

Ahh. A cryptic hint.
Greetings again Asc.

I was under the impression that Hex was the program to build the models. "Rigging" was assumed to be a part of "building", Photoshop (or some such) is for coloring the items and people, that Daz is for manipulating the charecters, costumes and scenery and Bryce is for building the envirnment.

There's no book that I've found yet that explains the steps involved or the software that achieves the result.

I'm running by touch only.

wsterdan

If you search the DAZ store with the word "rigging" you'll find a number of tutorials on rigging -- both simple and advanced rigging -- that would probably show you how to do it.

You can also search the forum for rigging, and get stuff like this (among other discussions):

https://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/241206/tutorials-for-modelling-creatures-with-rigging

Hopefully that helps.

-- Walt Sterdan

ShawnDriscoll

handyman4545 said:

Ahh. A cryptic hint.

All of Ascania's posts are back-handed ones, with little to no help for anyone.

handyman4545

[chuckles]
I noticed that.

I'm looking for 1244 Wizard St.

That would be a house.

Uh huh.

 

 

ADDENDUM...

SHAZAM!!!
Thank you so much Ws!
The first couple lines in the post answered one of the biggest questions I had about this marvelously exciting art!
Much obliged.

Wee Dangerous John

Here's the videos Jen made on rigging a pair of pliers. The actual rigging is done in Daz Studio, but the prep work can be done in Hexagon - Shading domains.

Part 1- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKwLPrDnAVg

Part 2 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3AvgyRUOXc

She has also made one on bending a cylinder (subscribe and you'll see it in her playlist).

Prep work - export your OBJ and load it into DS. Export it out again as an OBJ (see pic for info).

When you import it back into Hex it will be called Default. In face selection mode, select a face on your door and press shift and the + key to increase selection.

When all the door faces are selected Cut and Paste it, name it door. Select a face on the door then press CTRL&A to get all the faces, then click the New button on the Shading domains tab. Rename the shading domain and the material it gave you.

Repeat the process with the rest of your container. Save as a HXN file and export the obj for use in DS's Figure Set-Up tool.

Hope the above helps - John

Oh, tip - When you have all the domains named select each one in turn (scene tree) and make sure the material changes as-well, sometimes Hex messes up, if it does just select the part then click on the arrow in the material tab and "Set Material". 

 

Ascania

handyman4545 said:

Ahh. A cryptic hint.
Greetings again Asc.

I was under the impression that Hex was the program to build the models. "Rigging" was assumed to be a part of "building", Photoshop (or some such) is for coloring the items and people, that Daz is for manipulating the charecters, costumes and scenery and Bryce is for building the envirnment.

There's no book that I've found yet that explains the steps involved or the software that achieves the result.

I'm running by touch only.

"Rigging" refers to adding a skeleton to a mesh to make it move and deform in particular ways. Hexagon does not feature that. The best you can do in Hexagon is have separate parts leverly positioned in relation to each other and with well-defined pivots allowing them to rotate around particular points.

 

That's why the rigging tutorials in the store are for Studio, not for Hexagon.

Fisty

Yeah, things to do in Hex:

Modeling, obviously.

UV mapping, unless you have another program that's better at it.

Setting up the material zones.

For a model like pliers you'll want two groups, basically the two parts that are riveted/screwed together in real life.. you can assign them in DS with the geometry editing tools but it's easier to do in Hex.  Just do it before you do the material zones and UV map or it'll probably clear those things.

handyman4545

One last question then I'll draw this thread to a close...

In regards to the pic below, I want only three bones to work with.
1) the box.
2) the left door.
3) the right door.

I have welded all the different parts in the Hexagon design into the three parts above but when I Export/Import I get this.
Am I doing somthing wrong in Hexagon or do I just delete all the extraneous items shown here?

Wee Dangerous John

I hope you have not welded everything, if you have I hope you've saved a previous version.

Did you see my previous post ? When you import the obj into the Figure Rigging menu you should only have the 3 parts.

Things to do in the FG part (at least this is what I do) - Rename the parts so you do not have any numbers (you have to press enter for it to take). Change the type from Triax to Parametric.

I'm putting the finishing touches to a project at the moment so cannot give you any examples (I'm scared of messing things up) - Sorry

Fisty

Gimmy a few minutes, I'll get you some screen shots...

Fisty

er, gimmy a few more than a few, my computer wants to do an update.  >.<

handyman4545

I welded the box. Then I welded the left door (seperate), then I welded the right door (seperate).

Regarding the box.
The frame was created first.
Then every individule rib in the sides and top panel were welded together via "Weld Points".
Then the materials were set.
Then the "slabs" were set on the frame and the entire box, minus the doors, was welded via rubber banding and "Weld" command.

The individule doors (frames, panels and hinges) were welded as well the same way. Right and left, seperate from each other.
No renaming took place.

To my admittedly, limited understanding, I should have only three parts and yet here I have what, 15?

Fisty

Of course save it out of Hex with all the things in the right places, I seperated them so you could see better.  Bone centers and ends still need to be adjusted, etc, all that fiddly stuff, but you get the idea.

er..once I can get the forums to let me attach an image..  >.<

oh, it actually worked.. yay.  Well, I think it worked.. if you see two of the same image attached let me know

 

 

Fisty

It should be noted as well, if you rename your groups in Hex like I did (select the group and change it in the box in the top right corner) when you bring it into the figure setup you won't have to mess around with the names there, it'll all be pretty, the only ones you'll need to fix are the root name and label, mine said Chest_96 so I changed them both to just Chest.

PS: Hex' "group in the root" is not the same as a group in terms of rigging, that's probably where you're running afoul, it's one piece, it doesn't have to be all connected mesh, it can be a bunch of seperate things, but Hex sees it as one thing (no little triangle to open up in that list in the botton right corner)

I tend to model things like you did with lots of seperate groups and then I use UV Mapper classic to combine them into their appropriate groups because I'll often UV map things ahead of time, especially if I have things that get copied a bunch of times like chain links, studs, gems, etc.  If you weld things together in Hex afterwards it will strip out all the UV data (and UV mapping 100 studs is a PITA)  UV Mapper will do it without stripping the UV mapping or any material zones you have already set up on the model.  The classic version is free.  It's easier to do if you've renamed all your little pieces in Hex so you know what's what when you select them in UV mapper and assign to group.