switch layers within bone layers

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maggie
Posts: 30
Joined: Thu Mar 02, 2006 4:14 pm
Location: Medway. UK

switch layers within bone layers

Post by maggie »

Hi, Is there a way get a switch layer to follow within a bone layer? eg., I have a beak (sideview) on the head of a stork. I have tried making a separate head layer , head bone layer and the beak switch within it, but the beak won't move properly when I animate the neckhead bone. I have tried various parent/child bone combinations, but can't get it to work. I don't understand as when I have got a switch mouth layer in a human head bone layer it works OK. The only way I have solved it is to not move the head and neck of the stork when I want to 'switch' the beak movements. Am I missing something here?

Maggie
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jahnocli
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Location: UK

Post by jahnocli »

I don't know if this is a solution to your problem, but a switch layer is just a specialised bone layer -- you can put a "generic" bone in a switch layer, and then link it to your "parent" skeleton. Is this any help?
You can't have everything. Where would you put it?
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heyvern
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Joined: Fri Sep 02, 2005 4:49 am

Post by heyvern »

I just set up a bird head just as you described and it worked fine.

http://www.lowrestv.com/moho_stuff/bird_beak.zip

Make sure you have bound the beak switch to the correct bone.

Also... if you use flexible binding and the head "distorts" the beak won't distort along with that bone and may appear to become "disconnected" from the head.

If you use region binding on the bone layer this isn't as likely to happen.

You gave something away when you mentioned that a head with a mouth switch works fine... the bird beak switch should work exactly the same way unless you did something... uh... incorrectly.

Without seeing the actual file it is hard to guess at what might be wrong.

EDIT:
You could also add an extra bone as a child of the head to control rotation of the beak. Just make sure the beak bone starts at the base of the beak. Then bind the beak to the beak bone.

-vern
maggie
Posts: 30
Joined: Thu Mar 02, 2006 4:14 pm
Location: Medway. UK

switch layers within bone layers

Post by maggie »

Hi, Thanks very much for your help. I still haven't got it quite right. I find that my 'child' head bone, doesn't move the beak at all, but the bone below that , 'parent' bone does move the beak ok. I have dissected the bird beak example you sent, and tried to copy it , but your 'top bone' moves the beak, and mine doesn't! I do use 'region' binding, so it can't be that that is wrong.... I don't truly need to move the beak on its own, except in switch movements. What I can't grasp is why the child bone can't take the beak with it on when I move it, and the one below can.
Incidentally I sometimes have that eye group layers don't always move in conjunction with heads either- even whenI try giving them their own bone.
It seems to be always Ok when I have no group layers or switch layers within the main bone rig skeleton- but that isn't always practical.

Maggie
myles
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Post by myles »

Hi Maggie,

Try:

bone layer
--head layer
--beak switch layer
----beak sublayer 1
----beak sublayer 2
----beak sublayer 2

Bind the beak switch layer to the head/neck bone (I assume you also bind the head layer) using the Bind Layer tool Image

Alternatively, perhaps better:

bone layer
--group layer
----head layer
----beak switch layer
------beak sublayer 1
------beak sublayer 2
------beak sublayer 2

Then you only have to bind the group layer to the head/neck bone.

If you have Anime Studio (standard), you can use another bone layer, without any bones, to substitute for the group layer.

Regards, Myles.
"Quote me as saying I was mis-quoted."
-- Groucho Marx
maggie
Posts: 30
Joined: Thu Mar 02, 2006 4:14 pm
Location: Medway. UK

switch layers binding to bone layers

Post by maggie »

Hi again... Thank you Myles. When I follow your instructions exactly on something very simple I can get the switch layer move properly with the bone layer. When I try to put right my more complex 'ostrich' animation, it goes wrong! As long as I only manipulate the 'parent' bone all works perfectly, when I manipulate the head or neck bone layer, I can't seem to bind the layer properly to the higher up bones. The image all moves, but the switch layer slides about it., not within the rest of it. Can I actually bind a group layer, or switch layer to an individual bone? or do I have to take each vector layer and do it with the bind layer tool. My problem is definitely to do with my doing something wrong with binding group and/or switch layers to a specific bone. Also, the birds I am trying to animate, have long flexible necks, or at least I want them to- on one 'stiff' neckhead bone all is OK. Sorry, still ain't getting there........
maggie
Posts: 30
Joined: Thu Mar 02, 2006 4:14 pm
Location: Medway. UK

switch and group layers within bone layers.

Post by maggie »

Thanks to all who helped re this. AT LAST- after all day, I've got it! My problem was the incorrect use of the bind layer tool and the selection of the incorrect 'bone'. Don't know how I've managed it- but ever since I got Moho some months ago, I didn't know I even had to use the bind layer tool for switch and group layers! There you go- never too old to learn..... :oops:
Think I will try and learn some sound editing with Audacity, and see what further mess I can get into.
Maggie
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