CGTalk - More on muscle deformation and skin simulation

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nemirc

01-04-2003, 12:06 AM

Hello everybody.

I am trying to archieve "skin simulation through muscle deformations".

What I did is to put an skeleton and then build the muscle structure onto it. Then I configured the muscle deformations using blendshapes connected to the bones' rotation.
As a last step I added the muscles to a smooth skin using the "add influence" command. I turned on the "use components" option so the skin would deform when the blendshapes are activated. The thing is that I get this weird looking wireframe (at the end of every muscle the skin opens up like an umbrella).

I've checked all the parameters and the only thing that solves the problem is re-painting all the weights (setting the muscle influence somewhere near 0, which sends all my work to the trash can).
I am sure there is another way to avoid this problem, since I don't think that to be a "bug". Besides Maya has never let me down :applause: and I don't think this is the time for me to give up on it. :shame:

Thanks

nemirc

01-04-2003, 09:13 PM

Nevermind. I figured it out by myself.

Never use spheres for muscles. From now on I will use hollow NURBS tubes :bounce:

Lyr

01-04-2003, 09:16 PM

I've been using nurbs sphere's for muscles and works fine. However I do not use them as influence objects but rather passive hardbodies. I also make the skin a softbody. Very little wieght painting on the smooth skin envelope is needed using this method.

nemirc

01-04-2003, 09:20 PM

That was my second choice, but I hadn't thought about using passive rigid bodies as collisions.

Nevertheless I didn't see a way to simulate the "skin stretch" using the particle collisions.... and you?

By very little weight and envelope I think you are talking about the skinCluster node, right?

Lyr

01-04-2003, 09:29 PM

The particle collisions can cause stretching, how much is up to how closely they follow the goal. And yes by little weight I was talking about the skin cluster node. Most of my workflow for setting up a muscle and bone driven mesh comes from this book http://images.amazon.com/images/P/1584502258.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg if you haven't got it yet I would reccomend it, some very useful information in it.

nemirc

01-05-2003, 01:18 PM

Thanks for the book.
It's in my "to-buy" list now :cool:

Modulok

01-06-2003, 07:19 PM

Lyr

Your link kinda died on me. What was the name of the book?

-Modulok-

Lyr

01-06-2003, 07:24 PM

Maya Feature Creature creations. Pretty good book for this kind of stuff. Though the muscle system the author describes isn't that robust, and a bit tedious, but it will work if you don't want to script.

Modulok

01-06-2003, 09:22 PM

Thanks man! :thumbsup:

-Modulok-

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