Avastar 1039 workflow

 by Eleanora Newell

▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ▀ ▀ ▀ ▀ ▀ ▀ ▀ ▀ ▀ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
Installation of Avastar test version 1-1-1039.
We have found that you will need to:
1. Install the zip addon.
2. In the addon tab, type Avastar into the search field.
3. Verify that Avastar is enabled.
4. Save user settings.
5. Restart Blender.
6. If you are in Blender 2.7x, the Add menu is now at
the bottom of the 3D View window.  The shortcut is
Shift-A.

If it is stubborn, uninstall Avastar and restart Blender
before proceeding with the steps..

Still stubborn, Set to Factory setting, uninstall Avastar
and proceed with the steps.

▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀

Please note that this is for Avastar test version 1-1-1039
and is likely to change with future updates!  1039 fixed a
bug found in 1038.
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀

● Workflow for  previously weighted mesh:

1.  Have your mesh and the avastar figure and rig ready (I like the meshes and rig on different layers for ease of selection, you can use shift select to add more than one layer, but you can put them as you like).

✱ NOTE:  It is important to model over the default shape.  Once the model is complete and parented to the rig, with sliders attached, you can load the shape you wanted to use.  If you did the five standard sizes, hopefully you also included default.  If not, take the one closest to default size and edit it to the default shape. ✱

2.  Select your mesh and the rig.  In the Skinning and Rigging panel, set Weight to "Keep".  Shape sliders should be on by default.

3.  Press the Assign Armature button.  This changes the options for the next step.  At this point both your mesh and rig are still selected and can stay selected for the next steps. 

4.  For Fitted Mesh, press the plus sign by "Deform (Fitted)..." to open the panel where the Fitted button should be the one enabled.

5.  The deform panel has been updated to try and make it as simple as possible.  Since we are doing a garment that was previously weighted, change Weight to Move.  This will move the weights that were originally mBones (SL) weights and moves them to the corresponding cBones (volume/collision).  If you want your mesh to also have weights place on the cBones for which there are not corresponding mBones, checkmark the Generate Weights button.  Apply configuration.

6.  The mesh is now ready for you to test with sliders.  Go to the object properties to test the sliders.

7.  Go to Show bones in the Avastar tab and enable weight.  This will make the sl base (blue) and volume bones (orange octahedrons) visible and put you in the weight room.

8.  Enabling Stick will make the SL base bones easier to work with.

9.  Use the SL bones to pose, and the volume cbones to weight.

10.  To update the weights while you're painting, press alt-q to see changes to the mesh after you paint weight.

▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀

● For unweighted mesh:

1.  Have your mesh and the avastar figure and rig ready (I like the meshes and rig on different layers for ease of selection, you can use shift select to add more than one layer, but you can put them as you like).

✱ NOTE:  It is important to model over the default shape.  Once the model is complete and parented to the rig, with sliders attached, you can load the shape you wanted to use.  If you did the five standard sizes, hopefully you also included default.  If not, take the one closest to default size and edit it to the default shape. ✱
 
2.  Select your mesh and the rig.  In the Skinning and Rigging panel, set Weight to Meshes, Bones or Empty, depending on what you want weight from.  Remember that to use Meshes means you must have the avastar, or another mesh with weights, visible for the copying to occur.  Shape sliders should be on by default.

3.  Press the Assign Armature button.  This changes the options for the next step. At this point both your mesh and rig are still selected and can stay selected for the next steps.  

4.  For Fitted Mesh, press the plus sign by "Deform (Fitted)..." to open the panel where the Fitted button should be the one enabled.

5.  The deform panel has been updated to try and make it as simple as possible.  Since we are doing a garment that was previously weighted, change Weight to Move.  This will move the weights that were originally mBones (SL) weights and moves them to the corresponding cBones (volume/collision).  If you want your mesh to also have weights place on the cBones for which there are not corresponding mBones, checkmark the Generate Weights button.  Apply configuration.

6.  The mesh is now ready for you to test with sliders.  Go to the object properties to test the sliders.

7.  Go to Show bones in the Avastar tab and enable weight.  This will make the sl base (blue) and volume bones (orange octahedrons) visible and put you in the weight room.

8.  Enabling Stick will make the SL base bones easier to work with.

9.  Use the SL bones to pose, and the volume cbones to weight.

10.  To update the weights while you're painting, press alt-q to see changes to the mesh after you paint weight.

▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀

1.  Have your mesh and the avastar figure and rig ready (I like the meshes and rig on different layers for ease of selection, you can use shift select to add more than one layer, but you can put them as you like).

✱ NOTE:  It is important to model over the default shape.  Once the model is complete and parented to the rig, with sliders attached, you can load the shape you wanted to use.  If you did the five standard sizes, hopefully you also included default.  If not, take the one closest to default size and edit it to the default shape. ✱

2.  Select your mesh and the rig.  In the Skinning and Rigging panel, set Weight to Meshes.  Remember that to use Meshes means you must have the avastar, or another mesh with weights, visible for the copying to occur.  Shape sliders should be on by default.

3.  Press the Assign Armature button.  This changes the options for the next step. At this point both your mesh and rig are still selected and can stay selected for the next steps.  

4.  We're doing Fitted Mesh, so press the plus sign by "Deform (Fitted)..." to open the panel where the Fitted button should be the one enabled.

5.  The deform panel has been updated to try and make it as simple as possible.  First we want to change Weight to Swap.  This will swap the weights from the mBones (SL) weights to the corresponding cBones (volume/collision).  If you want your mesh to also have weights place on the cBones for which there are not corresponding mBones, checkmark the Generate Weights button. 

Now, here's the important part:  If you want to have the mBone groups to weight to, you will ALSO checkmark "Keep groups".   The mBone groups will be empty.  You will have them though if you want to weight to any of them.  You can delete any (in the vertex groups list) you don't use.

Apply configuration.

6.  The mesh is now ready for you to test with sliders.  Go to the object properties to test the sliders.

7.  Go to Show bones in the Avastar tab and enable weight.  This will make the sl base (blue) and volume bones (orange octahedrons) visible and put you in the weight room.

8.  Enabling Stick will make the SL base bones easier to work with.

9.  Use the SL bones to pose, and the volume cbones to weight.

10.  To update the weights while you're painting, press alt-q to see changes to the mesh after you paint weight.


▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀

There are other presets in the list.  Hovering over each preset in the list will tell you what it does.  If you have questions about these other presets, you can ask and I will try to explain or find out the workflow for them.

Happy Meshing,
~ele

These pictures by Eleanora Newell explain a lot. This is the case, as I asked , to have both mbones and fit bones

Avastar 1039 - fit mesh

trying to reinstall 1038 after uninstalling 1039- but I reopened Blender and it is there properly

Cannot transfer weights and create groups in 10 39

Avastar 1038

Trying to add some cloth and collision. The lower part of the default avastar  avi cannot be selected in object mode, not does the upper part. If you select it from the panel on the right, you can obtain an edit and select, not select obj mode.

Selecting an  appended workbench works

Selecting lower body mesh works as well, as I can move it, but it is not highlighted

-See , right and left pectoral are not visible in the second picture, yet I can select them in the panel on the right.
Trying to solve the problem with buoyancy and fitted mesh
Avastar 10.1038
New bug

 and something more, see this pose, it is smooth in avastar but..

Something went wrong when uploading

more on the waist

 

Avastar workflow for version 1038

this is the workflow posted with the permission of Eleanora Newell, for Avastar test  10.38.
Even if Blender says it is properly installed, if you see something wrong I suggest that you uninstall and install it again from scratch.  New versions are coming out, so this will probably work just for this version

▀▀ ▀ ▀ ▀ ▀ ▀ ▀ ▀ ▀ ▀ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀

▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ▀ ▀ ▀ ▀ ▀ ▀ ▀ ▀ ▀ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀

Installation of Avastar test version 1-1-1038.

We have found that you will need to:

1. Install the zip addon.

2. In the addon tab, type Avastar into the search field.

3. Verify that Avastar is enabled.

4. Save user settings.

5. Restart Blender.

6. If you are in Blender 2.7x, the Add menu is now at

the bottom of the 3D View window. The shortcut is

Shift-A.

If it is stubborn, uninstall Avastar and restart Blender

before proceeding with the steps..

Still stubborn, Set to Factory setting, uninstall Avastar

and proceed with the steps.

▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀

Please note that this is for Avastar test version 1-1-1038

and is likely to change with future updates!

▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀

● Workflow for previously weighted mesh:

1. Have your mesh and the avastar figure and rig ready (I like the meshes and rig on different layers for ease of selection, you can use shift select to add more than one layer, but you can put them as you like).

✱ NOTE: It is important to model over the default shape. Once the model is complete and parented to the rig, with sliders attached, you can load the shape you wanted to use. If you did the five standard sizes, hopefully you also included default. If not, take the one closest to default size and edit it to the default shape. ✱

2. Select your mesh and the rig. In the Skinning and Rigging panel, set Weight to "Keep". Shape sliders should be on by default.

3. Press the Assign Armature button. This changes the options for the next step. At this point both your mesh and rig are still selected and can stay selected for the next steps.

4. For Fitted Mesh, press the plus sign by "Deform (Fitted)..." to open the panel where the Fitted button should be the one enabled.

5. The deform panel has been updated to try and make it as simple as possible. Since we are doing a garment that was previously weighted, change Weight to Move. This will move the weights that were originally mBones (SL) weights and moves them to the corresponding cBones (volume/collision). If you want your mesh to also have weights place on the cBones for which there are not corresponding mBones, checkmark the Generate Weights button. Apply configuration.

6. The mesh is now ready for you to test with sliders. Go to the object properties to test the sliders.

7. Go to Show bones in the Avastar tab and enable weight. This will make the sl base (blue) and volume bones (orange octahedrons) visible and put you in the weight room.

8. Enabling Stick will make the SL base bones easier to work with.

9. Use the SL bones to pose, and the volume cbones to weight.

10. To update the weights while you're painting, press alt-q to see changes to the mesh after you paint weight.

▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀

● For unweighted mesh:

1. Have your mesh and the avastar figure and rig ready (I like the meshes and rig on different layers for ease of selection, you can use shift select to add more than one layer, but you can put them as you like).

NOTE: It is important to model over the default shape. Once the model is complete and parented to the rig, with sliders attached, you can load the shape you wanted to use. If you did the five standard sizes, hopefully you also included default. If not, take the one closest to default size and edit it to the default shape.

2. Select your mesh and the rig. In the Skinning and Rigging panel, set Weight to Meshes, Bones or Empty, depending on what you want weight from. Remember that to use Meshes means you must have the avastar, or another mesh with weights, visible for the copying to occur. Shape sliders should be on by default.

3. Press the Assign Armature button. This changes the options for the next step. At this point both your mesh and rig are still selected and can stay selected for the next steps.

4. For Fitted Mesh, press the plus sign by "Deform (Fitted)..." to open the panel where the Fitted button should be the one enabled.

5. The deform panel has been updated to try and make it as simple as possible. Since we are doing a garment that was previously weighted, change Weight to Move. This will move the weights that were originally mBones (SL) weights and moves them to the corresponding cBones (volume/collision). If you want your mesh to also have weights place on the cBones for which there are not corresponding mBones, checkmark the Generate Weights button. Apply configuration.

6. The mesh is now ready for you to test with sliders. Go to the object properties to test the sliders.

7. Go to Show bones in the Avastar tab and enable weight. This will make the sl base (blue) and volume bones (orange octahedrons) visible and put you in the weight room.

8. Enabling Stick will make the SL base bones easier to work with.

9. Use the SL bones to pose, and the volume cbones to weight.

10. To update the weights while you're painting, press alt-q to see changes to the mesh after you paint weight.

▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀

There are other presets in the list. Hovering over each preset in the list will tell you what it does. If you have questions about these other presets, you can ask and I will try to explain or find out the workflow for them.

Happy Meshing,

~ele

strange weights in avastar

this is weird, the two verts come out either I weight them or not. As you can see, there is O weight and I do not understand what is happening. They were red before, same result.

Avastar 1.1.1038 fitted mesh

Here we are with the latest test version of Avastar.
Fitted mesh does not work at all for me.
Eleanora Newell kindly sent a note with workflow, here is what  should happen:

"4. For Fitted Mesh, press the plus sign by "Deform (Fitted)..." to open the panel where the Fitted button should be the one enabled.

5. If you have done weights from meshes or bones, change Weight to Move. This will move the weights that were originally mBones (SL) weights and moves them to the corresponding cBones (volume/collision). Apply configuration."

Weight to move does not show up, nor does the menu with bones. Frustrating.

 

Ok , now I know what a "stubborn install" in Blender is. To solve this problem you need to reinstall Avastar from scratch.

Anyway one previous Avastar ( can't remember which one, 24 perhaps? ) worked with fitted mesh, as you can see here below)

 I was still wearing something below not to appear naked to someone without an updated viewer.

fitted mesh in SL

So after working for some days I came to some conclusions: I have not found a solution to weighting proper both for enlarged breasts and  buoyancy, as they need a different system of weights to go from small to big ones or from "low" and "up" breasts.
Avastar works properly , even if it gives me messages of error.
If you haven't a mirror mesh it is not possible to use X mirror in weights , meaning the dress of the picture below is not properly mirrored because of the scarf on the neck , as I removed the faces below.

Here you can see the model in the beta grid ( different r and l shoe, yes, I did not mind changing them). It works properly.  It is more or less what you see in Avastar , but not exactly.
Below same sl official browser, normal grid

 The shape was slightly different, but the dress behaved anyway in a different way, not following the breast enlargment as it did before. True I also fiddled with mchest and other bones as fitted bones seemed not to be precise for the back of the dress, no way to paint a proper alpha.Same on the hips, they look ok in Avastar, do not in sl as the avi comes out. Or maybe I was so busy I forgot to press alt Q ( remember, the important keyboard shortcut to update when you are weighting). Will keep you posted about that. Blender crashed when I tried to save and close the program.
Then I tried in Phoenix, as I wanted to take a proper picture, but I have not updated to the latest, and I am not sure it can see fitted mesh, so this is the result

Which means that if you buy a fitted mesh dress you run the risk to be seen  this way by those who do not have the latest  or official browser.   The latest Phoenix with fitted mesh is out
http://wiki.phoenixviewer.com/firestorm_release_4.6.1.40478_change_log
but I have not installed it yet.
Imagine going to dance or to a concert where people can still have old browsers.
There is also a strange glitch in the dress I made, which is properly uploaded as a usual mesh, but if I texture it with a png  look what happens if I rezz it :

The mesh is the same, png in blue textured, worn, and looks normal, same texture colored in pink, and no texture on the left. If you use a jpg no problems , it looks ok even rezzed.
Any feedback is welcome
So here is what happens in Avastar

As you can see , the problem is about the same, so I tried all possible bones as below

butt is not enough

so I tried with mpelvis, same result

pelvis

upper leg did something, did not dare to see what happens if you sit down

lower back seems to be what disturbed. It can be noticed there is a line on the waist, like in sl avi, not sure why

working with Avastar for fitted mesh

Actually Eleanora Newell is helping a lot. This picture as I need to understand where weight bones is and what you need to highlight to get fit or classic mesh appear

second part of menus, no bone weight

Whatever it is, I could save the dae file and load it in the beta grid, it works. Thanks for Avastar the the work put in it!

Exported and reimported the dae file in Blender

Avastar keeps giving problems to me, but I am quite stubborn and would like to solve what's wrong. Today,  using the instructions of Eleanora Nevell , I tried again,
here they are up to point four:

[23:00] Eleanora Newell: Workflow for unweighted mesh:

1.  Have your mesh and the avastar figure and rig (I like them on different layers,

 you can put them as you like) ready.

2.  Select your mesh and the rig.  In the skinning panel, choose weights from bones 

(or meshes if you want them from the avastar figure meshes - the figure must be visible

 if this is your option).

3.  Press the fitted mesh configuration and apply.

4.  Fitted mesh panel in the Bone Presets Operator panel at the bottom of the toolbar, 

weight should be set to Move and Generate Weights checkmarked.

No "generate weights " appeared, then I made it to have it, don't ask me how, no idea, 

but no checkmark, then I closed everything again and opened an old file, so when I tried to 

move weights I got an error message, here it is.

Here I am. Waiting.

 And trying again, now the mesh seemps properly rigged with weights. I will let you know more

 X mirror does not seem to work

But finally I made it to weight the mesh, which is great. 

 ok, fearing it will not export to dae I check the weights, and get  this, more

 than 700 etc verts with more than 4 weights, but..

when I check one weight, I get a lot of 0 on many different parts. How was that possible?
I did not add weights, so Avastar did it, or I used it in the wrong way. As I thought, it is not possible to create a Dae file

one more try

the body is deformed, the dress is not,though it is selected with bones

Still struggling with Avastar today, and quite frustrated, as things do not show up where they should. Not sure why this is happening ( I am the best beta tester, make it in such a way as to change the usual working of any program )but I am watching Gaia's video http://blog.machinimatrix.org/2014/03/18/breaking-news-on-avastar-1-1/, go to 12.30 and compare my picture : bone presets does not show up. I opened the default avi in Avastar, yesterday I  tried fitted avatar from the menu above, though it was what was not weighting properly ( see yesterday's post)

See also Gaia's video at 1228, Bone presets here or fitted mesh does not show up ( it used to)
I guess I will have to uninstall Avastar and install it again, but have to look if I can leave the file unzipped, the first time doing it, and I am short of time, this is very time consuming, hours..

A few days ago it worked ( was it version .11? not sure), here you can also see through after weighting  ( it didn't )and I cannot see fitted bones, but I used to see them, so not sure about what happened.
I am also a bit confused as I got you have to use classic rigging, detach sliders, parent armature, use fitted rigging , move weights ( can't see the box to do that but I know I saw it  yesterday in .23 , and this is .23 ), add sliders. Not sure this is the process.Any help is welcome.

a problem in weight transfering, avastar .23
51 verts with more than 4 deforming weights and 48 with no weight

For all working with Avastar Blender, is this cursor normal? Difficult to work with it, as I cannot select with precision
Anyway I removed and reactivated Avastar and it works with a normal cursor now, not sure what happened, maybe some buttons I pressed not in the usual way the program works.