Rig Referencing and Exporting DSQ problems
by Jeff Baker · in Artist Corner · 03/04/2009 (10:46 pm) · 3 replies
Is it possible to use Rig Referencing when working on animations and then using that file to export your DSQ's? Currently Maya crashes on me when I try this. When I just use a non referenced file I can export just fine.
Thinking about it just now, it may be that I need to make a new .cfg file with the referenced names. I may try that and see what happens.
Thinking about it just now, it may be that I need to make a new .cfg file with the referenced names. I may try that and see what happens.
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#2
Also as a general rule: don't reference animations/rigs. As long as your rig shares the same hierarchy, you can simply import/export animations. The only reason to reference animations is to get working quick and dirty and work on multiple things at once (skinning, texturing, modeling). While this seems like a viable pipeline, it will cause you great anguish later on. Do your work in passes and if you have to go back, export whatever things you can then apply them later on in the pipeline.
If you want to use references, just make sure that before you export you import the files (so that they no longer reference). You can always save that as another file so you don't destroy all the referencing. To do this, go to file->Reference Editor, then in that box, click on your rig, go to File->Import Objects from Reference. Export, then don't save (or save to a temp file to delete later.)
I still recommend not using references, but if you must, the above is a workaround.
03/06/2009 (10:33 am)
As a general rule, you want to make sure to delete non-skinning and non-deformer history on objects before exporting. The exporter probably doesn't go looking outside the immediate mb or gets lost with all the external links.Also as a general rule: don't reference animations/rigs. As long as your rig shares the same hierarchy, you can simply import/export animations. The only reason to reference animations is to get working quick and dirty and work on multiple things at once (skinning, texturing, modeling). While this seems like a viable pipeline, it will cause you great anguish later on. Do your work in passes and if you have to go back, export whatever things you can then apply them later on in the pipeline.
If you want to use references, just make sure that before you export you import the files (so that they no longer reference). You can always save that as another file so you don't destroy all the referencing. To do this, go to file->Reference Editor, then in that box, click on your rig, go to File->Import Objects from Reference. Export, then don't save (or save to a temp file to delete later.)
I still recommend not using references, but if you must, the above is a workaround.
#3
But, as Mary pointed out, at the end of your workflow, simply save an additional version of your file as a temp file to be exported from, and not actually one you would work from. In this temp export file, simply import all of your referenced objects, and resolve all of their respective namespaces.
Odds are good you could make a mel script to do all of this for you in a few min.
12/07/2009 (6:21 pm)
Unfortunately, referencing is one of those necessary evils in a production environment. Working on things linearly is often just not a viable option.But, as Mary pointed out, at the end of your workflow, simply save an additional version of your file as a temp file to be exported from, and not actually one you would work from. In this temp export file, simply import all of your referenced objects, and resolve all of their respective namespaces.
Odds are good you could make a mel script to do all of this for you in a few min.
Jeff Baker
I really like to use Rig Referencing as it allows me to tweak my rigs as I'm still animating. Helps the workflow greatly.
Any insight on this would be greatly appreciated.