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OffTopic > Maya Mel - Smooth data ok, Rigid data not ok

#126539 - DiscoStew - Tue Apr 24, 2007 6:59 am

For the past few months (with a whole lot of procrastinating in between) , I have been working on a basic format for getting a simple model exported from Maya to the DS, via Mel. Not just like a Display List, but an actual model with bones that will hopefully result in animation for 3D models on the DS.

My problem is the lack of knowledge with Mel commands. The actual scripting really isn't bad (as it feels like C), but there are so many commands (and flags) entangled into the whole thing, that I'm not sure about what to do in certain situations. Anyways, onto the question at hand.

As far as getting information about meshes and joints via "skinCluster", I've got what I need from many a website. However, that is if I do a smooth bind of mesh(s) and joint(s), whereas with a rigid bind, I'm most likely working with "jointCluster", which for some odd reason, I'm having a difficult time finding information I need. I'm assuming that with a joinCluster, a joint is associated with it, along with the vertices on a mesh that joint will affect. At least, that is what I'm hoping, because that is all the information I need (for the moment). Being able to get, though the many jointClusters, the associated joints, the meshes they affect, and the vertices of those meshes. That pretty much how I got the data with skinCluster, but I don't expect it to work the same way.

Would anyone here with Maya Mel scripting knowledge be able to help me?

EDIT:
Perhaps I shouldn't say just Mel commands, as I have very little knowledge of Maya itself, other than a few things for making a basic model. Still have lots of tutorials to go through :(
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#126800 - DiscoStew - Thu Apr 26, 2007 9:07 pm

Well, I've made some progress.

With Smooth Skinning, the skinCluster helps get to the mesh and joints influencing the mesh, and from that, the individual vertices can be obtained as to which joint affects it, and by how much.

Having used different functions, I've gotten to the point with Rigid Skinning where I use the jointCluster to get the mesh as well as the individual joint connected with it. However, I am now stuck, as I have no idea how I can relate the joint with the individual vetices of the mesh. The different skinning functions work differently, so I am unable to use one the same way with the other. As far as I can tell with Rigid Skinning, each vertex can only be assigned to an individual joint, meaning that a joint can reference to multiple vertices, but not vice versa.

All I need now is to figure out which joint each vertex on a mesh is associated with.
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DS - It's all about DiscoStew