Skinning issue after import

[Noname]

Hello,

Encountered bug after import skinning, in my case for hair, is incorrect and some part of model is left behind.

To reproduce:

• Easy Import
• select character in my case G8F

• DBZ file + merge rigs + eliminate empties + merge materials + (optionally, doesn’t influence result) merge geografts + rig type MHX

  • easy import is not issue, this happens also when importing and then adding rig manually

• model is imported correctly → pose mode → move hip and see that portion of model geometry is left behind

Version affected: 1.6.0.0562
Working version: 1.6.0.0534

Re exported dbz using latests plugin before testing.

Update:

• rigify works correct
• import itself works correct
• MHX conversion causes issue, tried disabling tweaks, optimize pose for ik, etc. same buggy result

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[Thomas Larsson]

This sounds like a missing bone or vertex group, or that one was renamed and the other wasn’t. But it is hard to tell since I haven’t run across this problem with my characters. What is the kind of hair that triggers the problem?

[Alessandro Padovani]

Just to check, did you download the latest mhx version too ? That’s easy enough to forget.

[Thomas Larsson]

What could have happened is that some bone has length = 0, because then Blender removes it. This caused problems with toes after poseable bones were added, because the toes were connected to their parents, but the bone and parent had the same tail location. However, I thought this had been sorted out, and I don’t think hair bones are connected to anything.

Noname, do the orphaned vertices belong to a vertex group, and does the corresponding bone exist?

[Noname]

MHX - yes, before reporting I usually check addons versions (and I did checked mhx and updated before reporting, including Daz re-export and update).

Issues:

• New issue ? Eyelashes skinning issue

While testing I did noticed that when I use EasyImport for G8F with eyelashes (didn’t tested normal import) and don’t check “Merge Lashes” then MHX rig doesn’t skin those even thought bones and vertex groups are there and eyelashes mesh has assigned armature modifier pointing to armature of G8F model. This is unrelated to hair skinning issue described below and happens only for MHX rig (rigify works correctly regardless of the setting).

Work around - merge lashes when using MHX rig.

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• G8F skinning issue import

The issue is related to fitting of G3 meshes into G8. I did testing as fallows:

1. Daz → import base G8F
2. Add G3F hair (any, tested both dForce and normal)
3. when asked choose G3 and length of the hair
4. save and export
5. Blender → Easy Import → dbz file (selected: Merge materials + Rigs + eliminate empties) rig type → mhx

At this point: all imports fine, hair are either a) dForce - not skinning at all b) non dForce - have same are not skinned, noticed back of the neck when hair is longer and bang (area in front of forehead above eyes - not sure if bang is correct work so described it more, not native en speaker).

The bottom line:

work around - don’t use G3 models on G8

root of the issue - G3 doesn’t play nicely with G8 ?

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[Thomas Larsson]

I don’t understand your eyelash problem at all. If the bones, vertex groups and armature modifier are all present, then the mesh is skinned. Are you sure that the bones and vertex groups have the same names?

However, you cannot rotate the eyelash bones in the viewport, unless they have been made poseable, because they are driven by the eye rotation. And I noticed now that the eyelashes don’t move if you pose the eyes with the gaze bones.

[Noname]

@Thomas

Maybe I’m explining this incorrectly or missed something, so here is what I did.

Please do fallowing:

1. Daz → import G8F (Genesis 8 Basic Female - as G3 doesn't have by default eyelashes) just base model, nothing more.
2. Save and export dbz
3. Blender → Easy Import rig type mhx, don’t merge eyelashes
4. pose mode → move i.e. hip bone

At this point eye lashes stays in same position as they were before.

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[Thomas Larsson]

Did you enable Merge Rigs? Otherwise the body and the eyelashes have different armatures, and only the former is converted to mhx. But that is no different from rigify.

[Thomas Larsson]

Hm. Merge rigs only merges those rigs that are children of the main character rig. So if the eyelashes and hair are unparented in DS, their rigs will not be merged, and you would have this behavior.

[Noname]

I did not touched DS G8 character at all, just loaded default one so it’s as it’s in Daz.

Please do check on Your end, it’s possible that this is issue on My end as I do have heavily modified Daz version (I mean a lot of files and non working PosgreSQL CMS).

Here is setting that I used:

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[Thomas Larsson]

I do exactly the same thing in the same version 1.6.1.0566, and the eyelash meshes are definitely skinned.

[Noname]

Tested more, after reply from You Thomas and it’s definitely issue on my end only.

Root of the issue is with my Blender and some additional scripts that I installed for testing. Some time ago blender crashed (randomly) on start up and I had to disable some plugins (unfortunately forgot with one was it) as either a) other plugin conflicted b) blender 3.0 alpha API (didn’t reported this as I was using this plugin for some time now with 3 alpha and worked fine) changed.

But this is strange and hugely as I did found another work around.

1. Easy load G8F with MHX rig
2. Import any pose
3. eyelashes now works
4. undo pose import
5. eyelashes still works

… don’t know why this happens.

Anyway, did renamed user setting directory so I have fresh factory state of blender, re added mhx and daz importer and same issue.

Bottom line this is related to the 3.0 alpha - don't work issues as above.

Tested on 2.93.5 works fine - both issues are gone.

Sorry for the confusion, but maybe useful info for feature.

EDIT:

While I was writing this reply I realized that indeed python API had to change with do explain other plugin issue and this issue.

In 3 alpha I also tested few older versions and it’s same there, so I’m suspecting that this is recent change in 3 alpha to the API (I do update to development versions for both Blender and daz import plugin).

Yet again sorry for wasting Your time.

[Alessandro Padovani]

So this issue is related to blender 3.0 alpha. Yep when reporting bugs it’s better to state some specs, to avoid confusion.

1. daz studio version, blender version, plugin version
2. exact steps to reproduce the bug, possibly with pictures
3. a test file as simple as possible

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[Noname]

Issue still present in Blender 3.0.0

[Noname]

Re done testing and this issue is still present.

Blender 3.0.0
Plugin: 1.6.1.0756

Steps:

• update to above versions
• re-export dbz from daz (deleted manually dbz just in case)

• using “Easy import DAZ”

  • select DBZ file
  • Merge Materials
  • Eliminate empties
  • Merge rigs
  • Merge Geografts

  • Rig type: “MHX”

    • Tweak bones

• import

• go to pose mode and move (i.e. hip controller)

Result: portion of mesh stays still like vertex groups are missing for them

After pose import and undo - all works fine

Do same for Rigify - works ok

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[Noname]

This issue seams to be resolved now.

Tested 0758 version and all works fine.

Related to issue #773

[Noname]

Thanks, seams like issue is now resolved.