How use several times the same rig in one scene

Support Animation and Rigging
1

I have a problem that I’m unable to solve. (2.70 RC2 Windows)

I have a simple rig ( a squash ball) and I want put several of them in the same scene.

These are the steps:

  1. Link group “Squash” ball blend file in my scene.
  2. Add Group instace of several ball group (001, 002, etc…).
  3. Ctrl+Alt+P to create proxy001, proxy002, etc.
  4. Select one control of ball001 in pose mode and change Z location.
  5. Press I for inserting Location keyframe.

Problem: If I animate ball001, for example in location Z, all the balls follow the same Z value.

How can avoid that all balls follow the same animation?

My first idea was to create several blend files with different copies of the same ball, but I think there must be a better solution.

2

Dont duplicate linked, just duplicate, and each needs its own action track.

3

Linking and instancing the same Rig multiple times in the same blend is sadly not possible, its a known limitation of the linking/proxy system. You ether have to append and duplicate you rig inside the blend, create duplicate blend files or have multiple versions of the same rig in the same blend under a different name and link them separately.

4

Yes, I think is the unique way to do it. I have created several copies of the same blend and change the group name. Append is not a good solution, because if you change the rig, you have only to duplicate again and rename file. I’ve heard Beorn Leonard about one script they used in Sintel movie for copying chicken rigs.

I think this could be an area to improve in the Gooseberry project and maybe add silhouette support as Maya.

5

This doesn’t work. If you deform the object using the bones, the deformation is replicated in all copies.

6

hi all,

you may find useful the tips I posted in my other thread http://blenderartists.org/forum/showthread.php?329989
this gives a method to get multiple instances of a linked character in a scene

the method has limits but inside those limits it works quite well

bye :slight_smile: