I have only recently used weight painting with the use of a tutorial. However, I have trouble realizing how it can be used properly. How do I select each bone without ruining my previous paint? To do this I’ve had to go back to Pose mode and select another bone there, then go to Object mode and back to Weight Paint mode, all to select another bone so I can paint it. How do I change the bone in Weight Paint without having to switch between modes? There’s surely something I’ve missed.
I also have another question. What keyboard shortcut does Undo in Object and Pose mode? The reason I ask this is because there’s a huge amount of commands and simply looking at them makes my head dizzy(as common with Blender).
if you used automatic vertex assignment to bones, then there is a Vertex Group (see wiki on how to use) for each Bone. Selecting that group, and going into weight paint, will show you how that bone affects those vertices. I think you can stay in weight paint and simply unselect ArmBone and then swtich vertex group to LegBone and Select, and the weights for those will be shown.
I think Undo is a universal thing. Ctrl-Z undoes whatever command was issued, even commands that like switch modes and stuff.
First select the armature and change it to pose mode,while the armature is in pose mode right click on the mesh and change it straight to weight paint mode.
You will now be able to right click a bone to select it while in weight paint mode.
You must do the selection it that order or it wont work.
not to hi-jack the thread too much, but is there a more precise way of linking bones to groups of vertices. Its a little worrying to me to just spray some red here and there and hope everything works out ok. (as you can see i’ve not really grasped its use very well - did first rigging today and it was rather bodgy)
Yes . Vertex groups . Just name vertex groups (say for the upper arm) . Select it in the links and materials panel and go into weightpaint mode and select the bone you want . Or alternatively name your vertex group the same name as the bone you want it to be controlled by -i.e. vertex group “upper arm_L” for bone “upper arm_L” etc . I prefer this method because it is more precise and you don’t have “loose” vertices in the end . You can always use weight paint just to adjust the infulence .
No problem RogerWickes, I also noticed on the wiki it says ‘If the mesh skins the bones, you will not be able to see the bones because the mesh is painted’.
You can get around this by switching on the x-ray button for the armature, also i find it easiest with the draw bone type set to stick.