Content Dev:CC Clothing Rigging Guidelines
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CC Clothing Rigging Guidelines
Maya Rigging Guidelines
Standard Rigging Procedure
- Command: In Maya, use the Skin > Bind Skin command to perform the rigging operation.
- Process: Ensure the clothing is correctly aligned with the Base Mesh before executing the bind command.
- Refinement: The initial binding result typically requires fine-tuning. You must ensure weights are distributed evenly to prevent mesh inter-penetration (clipping) during animation.
Preliminary Rigging Workflow
- Verify that the clothing corresponds to the character's Base Mesh and is positioned correctly.
- Select the clothing mesh, navigate to Skin > Bind Skin, and configure the binding parameters.
- Use the Paint Skin Weights Tool to manually refine the weights, specifically optimizing areas with deformation artifacts.
3ds Max Rigging Guidelines
Basic Operation
- Execute the Modify > Skin command in 3ds Max to apply the rigging modifier.
Using the "Skin Warp" Workflow
The Skin Warp modifier is used to transfer weights from the Base Mesh to the clothing as a preliminary binding method.
Important: Skin Warp is only a starting point. It is not the final quality standard. You must manually refine any imperfections after the conversion.
Skin Warp Steps
- Position the clothing correctly over the Base Mesh.
- Add the Modify > Skin Warp modifier to the clothing.
- Assign the CC Base as the Target.
- Adjust relevant parameters.
- Click "Convert To Skin" at the bottom of the panel. The Skin modifier will automatically be added to the Modify List.
Notes for Max
- Crash Prevention: After adding Skin Warp and adjusting parameters, save a backup before clicking "Convert To Skin". Wait a moment before executing the conversion to prevent 3ds Max from crashing.
- Manual Refinement Areas: Particular attention is needed for shirt collars, hood geometry (hoodies), suit lapels, cords/strings, and buttons.
Chest Spring Dynamics
The character's chest often has Spring dynamics enabled. To prevent bouncing that leads to clipping, the weight of the clothing on the chest must match the Base Mesh exactly (or strictly follow the Skin Warp result).
- Testing: Always test Spring effects in iClone; iterative corrections may be necessary.
Sleeveless/One-Shoulder Garments
(e.g., vests, camisoles, bras, off-shoulder tops). Ensure strict weight checking to prevent the underlying skin from clipping through.
Weight Consistency Adjustment (Thickness)
For garments modeled with thickness:
- Vertex Matching: The weights of the vertices on the edge of the thickness (Vertex A on the surface and Vertex B on the inner/thickness edge) must be identical.
- Tolerance: The weight difference should not exceed 0.1.
- Purpose: This prevents the mesh from tearing apart or intersecting with itself during movement.
Bone Binding Specifications
Skeleton Restriction: Clothing must only be bound to the character's standard skeleton. The clothing mesh itself must not contain any additional bones.
Head Bone Restriction:
- Rule: Unless there is a specific requirement (e.g., a hoodie with the hood worn up), do not bind clothing to the Head bone.
- Reasoning: When the character's Body Morph is changed independently, the Head bone does not scale with the body. If clothing is bound to the Head bone, those parts will not scale correctly, requiring the user to manually adjust the Head Morph to correct the visual proportions.
Motion Bone Locking Protocol (Prevention of Weight Bleeding)
Prior to executing the Skin Weight process, it is critical to prevent weight bleeding onto Motion Bones (often referred to as "Big Bones"). Assigning weights to these bones is strictly prohibited in the standard CC cloth pipeline.
Context & Risk Factors
- Maya Workflow: When working in Maya, automated tools such as Smooth Skin Weights or Copy Skin Weights have a high probability of erroneously calculating and distributing weights onto Motion Bones if they are left unlocked.
- Character Creator Workflow: While system calculation errors are rare in CC, the most common issue is user error. Users unfamiliar with the CC Bone Specification may accidentally select a Motion Bone during manual painting, resulting in incorrect weight assignment.
Strong Recommendation: For users performing Skin Weighting in Maya, first-time CC users, or those unfamiliar with the CC Bone Specification, we strongly recommend locking the Motion Bones before starting.
Action Required: Please refer to the schematic below. You must lock the bones highlighted with the "Padlock" icon in your 3D software (Maya or CC) to ensure that skin weights are physically restricted to the correct deformation bones.
Maya Implementation Procedure
- Activate Tool: Right-click on the target mesh and select the Paint Skin Weights Tool from the context menu.
- Lock Influences: Open the Tool Settings window. Under the Influences list, locate the Motion Bones (referencing the locked bones shown in the Character Creator schematic below) and click the Lock icon next to each one.
- Result: This action physically prevents the tool from assigning values to these bones, effectively eliminating the weight bleeding issue inherent to Maya's auto-normalization process.
Motion Bones
The following bones are classified as motion bones in Character Creator 4.
| Left Side Bones | Center Bones | Right Side Bones |
|---|---|---|
|
|
|
Shoe Rigging and Precautions
Preparation (DCC Tool)
- Foot Pose Adjustment: In 3ds Max or Maya, adjust the character's foot angle to match the exact slope or incline of the shoes.
- Export: Export both the character and the shoes together as a single FBX file.
Import Workflow (Character Creator)
There are two distinct workflows for importing shoes into CC:
Method 1: Comparison Import (Recommended for Heel Calculation)
- Step 1: Open a nude (neutral) base character in Character Creator.
- Step 2: Import the iAvatar or FBX (containing the shoes and the adjusted foot pose).
- Reasoning: This method allows the system to compare the height difference between the original flat foot (base) and the adjusted foot position (high heel). This comparison is required to automatically calculate the correct high heel offset.
- Important Note: If you modified the body shape before exporting to external software to create the shoes, you must use that modified body shape as the "un-shoed base" reference instead of the default neutral base.
Method 2: Direct Import
- Procedure: Directly load the file into Character Creator without pre-loading a nude base.
- Note: This method skips the comparative calculation step.
Accessories Rigging and Precautions
Accessory Production Guidelines
Rigging and Bone Constraints
- Custom Bones: Accessories may contain their own internal bones. However, when binding/skinning, the accessory must be bound only to its own custom bones. It cannot be bound to both the character skeleton and its own bones simultaneously.
- Format Limitation (.iAcc): The Accessory format (*.iAcc) does not support skin weights bound to the character. Therefore, accessories cannot deform or bend with character movement. For deformable items, use the Cloth format instead.
Importing Accessories into Character Creator (CC)
Method 1: Direct OBJ Import (Static/Rigid Accessories)
- This method is suitable for rigid items that do not require skinning.
- Step 1: Create the object in external 3D software and export it as an OBJ file.
- Step 2: In CC, navigate to Create > Accessory and select the exported OBJ.
- Step 3: Set up the pivot and parent:
- Adjust the pivot position based on the item's function (e.g., set the pivot at the handle for a handbag).
- Adjust the scale and size.
- Use the Attach function to link the accessory to a specific bone (e.g., R_Hand) and position it correctly.
- Step 4: Select the item and save it individually as an Accessory file (*.iAcc).
Method 2: Skinned FBX Import (Converted to Accessory)
- This method allows positioning relative to the character in external software prior to import.
- Step 1: Create the object in external 3D software and position it correctly relative to the character.
- Step 2: Skin (bind) the object to the CC base skeleton.
- Step 3: Select the character (including the accessory) and export as an FBX file.
- Import Check: When importing into Character Creator, a status panel will appear.
- Green text indicates the source file is valid.
- If red text appears, correct the source file according to the error message.
- Technical Note: Accessory vs. Cloth Classification
- Classification Logic: When importing into Character Creator, the distinction between Accessory and Cloth is determined by the presence of skin weights:
- Requires skinning → Treated as Cloth.
- No skinning (rigid) → Treated as Accessory.
- Cloth Settings (Conform): If the item is categorized as Cloth (e.g., buttons, necklaces, belts that need to move with the body), you must configure the Conform / Non-Conform status.
- RL Made Standards: For official "RL Made" content, ensure the item is correctly assigned to the appropriate Embed / Cloth / Layer category to guarantee proper collision and layering behavior.
