How to apply softbodies to character

Artwork Works in Progress
1

For example I have a sumo wrestler and I want his stomach to jiggle. How I can do his stomach without making the whole model to be a soft body and have no visible seams between wrestler model and softbody stomach? In other words stomatch must be independent object for faster physics calculations (comparing to making a whole sumo wrestler mesh as a softbody, then making body vertex group as a goal for stomach vertex group), but must be also connected to character without seams. Maybe there’s some good tutorials for that?
And another queston, it is possible to apply a few physic properties (one part is softer, another - harder) to one softbody mesh?

2

I don´t think you can have two objects seamlessly connected in Blender, but you can define the area of influence of the softbody by painting a new vertex group on the mesh and telling softbodies to use that group.

3

Thanks for your answer, but actually I found a way now how to seamlessly connect two or more s-b objects for rigged model and its a very simple technique. Btw I’m using Blender for a few days without any docs.

4

Maybe you could use a proxy object that would be a softbody and use it as a hook controlling the stomach … just an idea, I didn’t try this myself.

5

Just make the entire mesh a soft body and paint the parts you don’t want do jiggle with a value of 1 to the goal vertex group. Vertexes with goal values higher that 0.999 are excluded form the simulation.

enricos pengzilla tut ->
http://www.enricovalenza.com/softb.html

the blender wiki manual
http://wiki.blender.org/index.php/Manual

BM

6

Thanks, guys for replies. I use now MeshDeform modifier and it works perfectly …as for many softbodies per rig as you want. Blender is a great tool (my view from Maya), but still misses some features - as softbody springs vertex connections for every possible position - no need for stupid volumetric solid meshes. Gosh, there’s a script for generating a sphere (semi-sphere) volumetric solid meshes? Because manually its a pure nightmare.

P.S.: Btw, whats up with jello tutorial in softbodies on wiki? Here’s the quote
Jello

This example illustrates the use of a volumetric solid. A volumetric solid is one with interior edges. Ths softbody simulation works much better when there are edges inside the mesh, to give it elasticity and resist compression and collapsing of its walls.

or

Walking Jello

This example illustrates the use of an Armature to control the softbody.

http://wiki.blender.org/index.php/Manual/Soft_Bodies

Umm. thats all??? lIlustrates where??? Fix it, please.

7

Well looks like this part was abandoned.
Please keep in mind that most of the things done for blender is done by volunteers.
So yelling “fix it” is not the best way to get things done.

In Blender the springs are build along all edges if you enable the use edges option.
For 4-edges you can add the diagonal springs by the quat option. Secondary springs over 2 edges are created when the bend value is > 0.

8

I understand how springs works in Blender. I meaned springs automatically created inside the mesh, not only on its surface. In Maya I have such feature, but actually I can’t have some great features which Blender have. Maybe there is some tutorial or script for creating of volumetric solid semi-sphere?

9

Btw here’s what I’ve found.
I’ve separated part of the mesh which I want to make a softbody, then created a MeshDeform connecting the separated part with main mesh. And you can have as many softbodies instances as you want with this technique. Well, its more complex with rigged model, just ask if you’re interested for more detailed info.

10

There is no way creating springs but the ways described above.
To have things like this you have to create internal edges in blender.
–> select 2 verts F_KEY
And i don’t know of a script doing so.
A last one: if you create internal edges like this the subsurf modifier will see them too giving pretty unpleasant results, but for a mesh deformer that might be fine.
Sorry, but blender is not Maya.

BM

For real simple tasks it is convenient to use a soft body lattice (which is a 3d grid) and embed the actual mesh in there.

11

Hi there Rico! I am interested! Tell me everything about it :wink:
With “seperated a part of the mesh” you mean that you have 2 objects, the (slaughtered) main mesh and the (jiggling) cut out mesh. Now how do you glue them together again? Do you set up a MeshDeform cage surrounding both of them?

Thanks i.A.,
boogie