How to use "Node Weight Map Brush" to rig with bones?

steve-2268543

The previous approach of using "Weight Map Brush" was a fairly straightforward process, allowing rigging with previously designed bones and face groups. Daz 4.6.2.118 has replacement of "Weight Map Brush" with "Node Weight Map Brush" which enables adding a D-form and rigging weights based on that node. But, how should rigging now be done using previously defined bones and face groups? The previous approach seems not to work with the new map brush. (I'm going by Blondie9999's, "Rigging Original Figures in DS 4 Pro." The procedure described there in Section 5 seems to not work the same way now.)

I note from release notes for DAZ 4.6.2.48:

4) Replaced Weight Map Brush Tool with a Node Weight Map Brush Tool; see next highlight
5) Added DForm weight map support; requires Node Weight Map Brush to paint

Did this addition break support for rigging with bones and face groups?

Richard Haseltine

The method should be the same for bone weight maps - select the bone in the scene, seelct the map to work on in the Tool Settings pane (with the brush tool active) and paint. Where is it failing - at the map selection stage, or when painting?

steve-2268543

That's what I thought. However, it looks to me like that is broken. As a sanity check, I tried this with a sphere. I created a face group on it. Then, I added a bone (saved then brought in with Figure Object). Then, I went to "Node Weight Map Brush", selected my bone, then selected "X Rotation". At this point, I would expect to see some "blue" where weighting has not yet been done. I don't see blue, just the sphere in "Wire Texture Shaded" mode.

As a further sanity check, I add a D-former node to the sphere object. Back to "Node Weight Map Brush". Select the D-Former. Now, the faces all turn red and the brush can modify it. I can also select the face group I created for the sphere. I can add a D-Former map and paint weights as usual.

So, the weight brush is working when I select the D-Former. But, now if I select the bone, the weight colors all turn off. I have rotation maps there, but the brush is not working and the weight colors aren't there. Selecting the face group has no effect.

This looks broken to me. But, this should be pretty easy to reproduce with a sphere like I've done here.

Any ideas what I may be doing wrong? I would be more than happy to discover I'm doing something wrong here.

Thanks! :)

Richard Haseltine

Did you try painting on the map? According to the changelog "Added zero color to weight painting; used to provide visual feedback of difference between weighted and unweighted sections of a weight map" so if there are no weights you will see neither blue nor red, but if you paint you do start to see weights (I just checked). The DForm does show weights from the outset as it is inheriting the eights of the DForm's field.

steve-2268543

In my test sphere, I am using "Node Weight Map Brush" with "Paint Brush" mode, a bone is selected and "X Rotation" map is selected. I mouse over the sphere with left-button held down. Nothing seems to paint. I can also right-click the sphere, "Polygon Selection" -> "Select" -> "Face Groups" -> "test" and nothing happens. But, if I have the D-form selected (instead of the bone), the painting and the face selection all seem to work. Is there something else I should try to paint on the map?

Richard Haseltine

It works for me, I'm not sure why it is failing for you - I thought it might be because your bone was a child of the figure, not of the root bone, but that doesn't seem to make a difference (as it shouldn't). As an aside, if you use the Snipping Tool in Windows you can cut out part or all of the screen as an image and save it without the white surround.

steve-2268543

FWIW, I'll be happy to post the .duf I'm using, though that should be easy to set up. I wonder if maybe I'm not setting the bones up correctly? It seems like it should work. I suspect I'm doing something stupid but it doesn't seem obvious to me.

BTW, I was just sloppy in my .jpgs. Should have trimmed the white out before posting. Will see if I can correct that ...

steve-2268543

I think I almost have this figured out. The problem appears to be in how the bone was created. I found that in creating the bone, I think I inadvertently created a second object. So, I need to go back and review how I created the bone and how to avoid creating a second object. I found the second object (VERY tiny) and that the brush works on that. So, this is a case of pilot error on my part.

Thank you for the feedback! :)