When I use blender armatures if I make the envelope to big the joints bends funny in a U shape but if I make them too small I get lost vertices, that is points that aren't under the control of any bone and get left behind when I move them. Is their anyway I can create a tight fitting envelope but clean up the lost vertices, I know I can do this with weight paint but was wondering if their was a automated way. Something along the line of assigning every uncontrolled vertex to the nearest bone or creating a second larger envelope with a very small weight.

Quote: Original post by Kaze
When I use blender armatures if I make the envelope to big the joints bends funny in a U shape but if I make them too small I get lost vertices, that is points that aren't under the control of any bone and get left behind when I move them. Is their anyway I can create a tight fitting envelope but clean up the lost vertices, I know I can do this with weight paint but was wondering if their was a automated way.

Something along the line of assigning every uncontrolled vertex to the nearest bone or creating a second larger envelope with a very small weight.

Never rely on influence envelopes completely. Its best to paint weighting even if you don't want to, there is no better way.
The method you describe would get very hacky very fast.

[Edited by - Jarrod1937 on April 24, 2008 7:07:20 PM]

well thanks anyway,

I'll just practice a bit more with weight paint and see if I can get good at it

A fast way to set up your armature in blender is to create vertex groups and they can be assigned to the corresponding bones. Then you can go in and smooth out the joint transitions with weight painting.