BLEND: http://users.telenet.be/EWOCprojects/kieken2.blend
This blend file consists of one halve chicken, rigged with an armature.
What I would like to know is, what is the easiest way to duplicate and mirror the chicken in such a way that the armature for the leg is mirrored but the part of the armature used for neck and body is also used on the second halve with vertex groups where necessary?
Well I don’t know about the chicken, but as far as it’s bones go; you can select the half that you did make (but Not the center bones; like the head, neck, spine, and tail) copy them, now mirror what you copied. then move the mirrored bones to the other side (holding shift or ctrl for a precise translation.). Of course, you do have to rename all the copied bones.
note: Do Not the center bones; like the head, neck, spine, and tail)
For a more precise method:
-snap the 3d cursor to the centre line
-duplicate the bones that need to be mirrored
-set the pivot point to 3D cursor
-then mirror the bones (alt + m)
-hit w, then mirror left right names
Yeah, what he said. By the way, how do you set the pivot point to the 3D cursor.
Just hit Fullstop