Datasheet
14 Chapter 1: Character Skeletons
To check your work so far, you can compare it to jackWeights_v03.ma on the DVD.
26. Do the hip, leg, and neck using the same procedure you’ve followed for the other
joints in this project. You can try them on your own or continue to the next project.
Mirror and Copying Weights
Symmetrical characters are great because you only have to build half of them. You can
mirror just about every aspect. Skin weighting is no exception; mirroring signicantly
reduces the amount of redundant work.
Perhaps an even greater tool than mirroring is the Copy Skin Weights tool. It allows
you to copy weights from one skin to another, regardless of the skeleton. It works on
entire meshes as well as components. Copy Skin Weights is very exible and a time saver.
Project: Mirror and Copy Weights
Half of the character is weighted. In the next project, you’ll mirror the weights and then
clean them up. In the latter half of the project, you’ll copy the single mesh weights over to
the divided mesh with the head separated from the body. Follow these steps:
1. Open the jackWeights_v04.ma scene from the chapter1\scenes folder on the DVD. The
scene picks up where the previous project left off. Half of the character is weighted.
Figure1.17
Scale the weights to
get a crease around
the bent wrist.
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