Quick question, how would I go about rigging a monster like this?
I can’t go to my default rigging method because of it, so how do I go about doing something like this?
Not sure what you mean, how to go about doing this-- you put bones where you need them to be, then you weight the mesh to those bones. What’s your default rigging method, and where does it fail you here?
Weighting a mesh like this is likely to be done via the “assign” button on properties/object data/vertex groups.
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I usually do the Rigacar route, which works for things without a complicated suspension setup with multiple moving parts like this. I post the model (or at least the suspension of it) I’m trying to get rigged if you want to take a closer look at the issue.
Then you start by lacing bones. For every piece that should move independently of some other piece, you give it a bone.
I would strongly recommend either working with a lower poly, or dividing this into parts so that you can bone parent. It will be difficult to work with closet to a million armature deformed vertices.
Once you have deforming bones, you can start deciding how they work. The first step of that is deciding on a hierarchy-- what is the root that you want other things to be measured relative to?
Then it’s a matter of setting up each individual bone with appropriate constraints. This is a structure-by-structure decision. For example, a shock is two bones, parented to different bones, each damped tracking a marker so they remain in line.
To rig this, you’ll have to have a good understanding of bone constraints, and you should start researching those right now if you’re not yet familiar with them.
Unfortunately, I’m a visual learner, not a textual one. Whenever I read something without visual aid, I tend to screw things up. Mind posting an example and I can go from there?
Because I have some familiarity with bone constraints, but not enough to do multiple groups.
If you can be specific about where you’re getting stuck and what you’re trying to do, I can go into detail with pics. But if you’re just showing us a bunch of parts, without any evidence that you’ve done anything at all, then I can’t show you anything without showing you everything, and I’m not going to do everything for you.
If all you’ve ever done in regards to rigging is to set up rigacar, then you should be looking at basic rigging tutorials, like Introduction to Rigging! — Blender Guru, and then you should be experimenting with bone constraints to learn what they do.
That’s the thing, I’m shoring you the parts because I don’t know where to start with this. Do I start with the drive train? suspension? steering? Where do I begin with this?
The problem I also have with rigging manually is that whenever I attempt such a process, either something breaks or I can’t find the feature (be it hidden out of plain sight, or my copy of Blender not seeming to have it. I’ve tried tutorials and yet it still happens.
Start by making bones for every part that you want to move.
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You could look for a tutorial on rigging any kind of mechanical/hydraulic system.
Start by deciding which parts will have to move and how they move…
Take a look at this Series it should have everything you need…
There is also this which might help you if you wish to get a 5$ add-on…
I’m looking through that 2.81 rigging series, and what I am trying to do involves bones (I’m rigging the whole model - interior, doors, and suspension. It’d be great if I wanted to rig with empties, or if the model wasn’t super complicated with how it was made (details like the entire steering assembly are modeled, and I’m not sure how I’d be able to rig them without bones).
And I do have all the parts that need separating separated as far as the suspension is concerned, but one of the things that bugs me the most are these pieces (the main problem of this project) I have no idea how these can be rigged.
Currently, this is the setup I have for the rig as a whole (includes all bones for driver controls, doors, mirrors, and the undercarriage itself):
Right now the biggest issues are those metal bars (no idea what suspension type it’s actually called) and the front steering components:
I don’t expect answers to both issues right away – still need to place bones where they need to – but for future reference, I wouldn’t mind the assistance.
Here are a couple different sources for rigging a “Leaf Spring” both use a lattice modifier…
https://blender.stackexchange.com/questions/238216/how-to-rig-a-leaf-spring
Cool, I’ll give it a try, thanks.
Update: I got the leaf springs rigged using the tutorial linked by @RSEhlers, but how do I add them to the rest of the rig I made? I tried parenting the lattice to both the body and the armature, but neither are working.
Should I ditch the armature outright? Or is parenting a lattice to a rig possible and I just don’t know what I’m doing?
You can just select the Lattice and shift click on the rig and use CTRL+P > Armature Deform…
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