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I'm losing smoothing group data after using a skin modifier

by Kyrah Abattoir · in Artist Corner · 10/14/2011 (7:04 pm) · 2 replies

3dsmax 2012 here.

Here is the thing, i made a small object and used the skin modifier to rig it to a skeleton and posed the skeleton a specific way.

Now i would like to keep working on this mesh as it is in this position, but if i add any modifier over the skin modifier, even if i collapse the modifier stack, the object lose all the smoothing groups.

Could someone tell me what is the "proper" way to freeze a rigged mesh once it has been posed? because if MAX does this it feels like i'm doing something i shouldn't...
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Associate Matt Ostgard
#1
10/21/2011 (1:30 pm)
Hmm... weird. It's hard to say without having the actual asset or scene that has the same problem, but try this:
1) Make a skin data object by going to the utilities tab (hammer icon) >"More.." > "Skin Utilities" > "Extract Skin Data To Mesh"
2) Snapshot your mesh by going through the max menu: "Tools" > "Snapshot..." then Single frame and mesh
3) Add a skin modifier to the new snapshot mesh and add all the bones you were using before.
4) With the SkinData object and the mesh snapshot, go back to the utilities tab and do "Import Skin Data From Mesh" make sure that the bone names match up properly and press ok.

That should completely clean your old mesh and fix your smoothing group problem.. If it doesn't.. Maybe something to do with vertex normals.

Torque Owner Kyrah Abattoir
KDC
#2
10/21/2011 (4:37 pm)
Great that's probably why mine fucked up, i redid the normals by hand but next time i will use your methode.

Thanks!