WIP delay Girrrl Bike, need someone who's got some rigging props in Blender or DS with OBJ

StratDragonStratDragon Posts: 3,167
edited December 1969 in Freebies

Summer's here and I'm working on a lo-polly girls bike but having troubles with the front handlebars and front forks to line up with the front tube of the bike frame when you turn.
The model is in Blender and I asked at the Blender forums but have not had much luck so if anyone can help theres a neat bike freebie thats waiting to be posted. Hopefully there will be a higher polly version but I wanted to put out one that in a distance looked like the real thing.
Any volunteers post here and I'll send the model so you can try fixing it.

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Comments

  • mjc1016mjc1016 Posts: 15,001
    edited December 1969

    Summer's here and I'm working on a lo-polly girls bike but having troubles with the front handlebars and front forks to line up with the front tube of the bike frame when you turn.
    The model is in Blender and I asked at the Blender forums but have not had much luck so if anyone can help theres a neat bike freebie thats waiting to be posted. Hopefully there will be a higher polly version but I wanted to put out one that in a distance looked like the real thing.
    Any volunteers post here and I'll send the model so you can try fixing it.

    What the hell...it's like I'm living in a rainforest, so I can't get anything done outside...I'll take a look, but no promises as when/if I can straighten anything out.

  • StratDragonStratDragon Posts: 3,167
    edited July 2015
    Post edited by StratDragon on
  • SpottedKittySpottedKitty Posts: 7,232
    edited December 1969

    Sounds like a problem I've had at various times in the past with bike models. The vertical rotation axis of the handlebars-and-fork assembly needs to be tilted back so it aligns with the axis of the frame tube.

    I've never managed to get into Blender (scary UI is scary) so I couldn't say how to do it, but Blender does pretty much everything else so this ought to be straightforward. If you know how... :ahhh:

  • Richard HaseltineRichard Haseltine Posts: 100,778
    edited December 1969

    Essentially, place the origin and end point at different heights within the cylinder that rotates, then right-click and choose to align the bone so that it will twist about the length of the cylinder.

  • StratDragonStratDragon Posts: 3,167
    edited July 2015

    00:04:30 test render in Lux and the normals look good so it's the rigging that's stopping me.

    Sounds like a problem I've had at various times in the past with bike models. The vertical rotation axis of the handlebars-and-fork assembly needs to be tilted back so it aligns with the axis of the frame tube.

    I've never managed to get into Blender (scary UI is scary) so I couldn't say how to do it, but Blender does pretty much everything else so this ought to be straightforward. If you know how... :ahhh:
    I had asked over there, and tried some of the things they suggested but didn't get anywhere. I seriously like Blender but after two years of noodling with it it's still a very intimidating piece of software at times.

    Essentially, place the origin and end point at different heights within the cylinder that rotates, then right-click and choose to align the bone so that it will twist about the length of the cylinder.


    that's what I had attempted but I'm not getting that sweet spot if there is one. I know it can be done so I'm hoping someone here can either point me in the right direction or perform some mercy modeling so I can add this to the freebeies.

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  • 3WC3WC Posts: 1,107
    edited July 2015

    I don't know if this helps, but if you change the manipulator from Global to Normal, you can rotate the handlebars and front forks along the right axis. I don't know if that affects the rigging, though, I know next to nothing about Blender rigging, I generally just model in Blender, export, and rig in DS.

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  • mCasualmCasual Posts: 4,607
    edited July 2015

    for my bmx and for my VW Mirrors i wrote and used the script here

    https://sites.google.com/site/mcasualsdazscripts3/mcjchangeorientation

    another time for the wurzkeil keyboard that had inclined sliders

    i used parent null nodes, though it's less evident for the end user

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  • StratDragonStratDragon Posts: 3,167
    edited July 2015

    wwes said:
    I don't know if this helps, but if you change the manipulator from Global to Normal, you can rotate the handlebars and front forks along the right axis. I don't know if that affects the rigging, though, I know next to nothing about Blender rigging, I generally just model in Blender, export, and rig in DS.


    ok, trying this but not getting what you're getting (and btw, I know less than you do about Blender rigging, and about the same as DS rigging)
    Ultimately I want this to be a DS prop, if it's a bunch of obj's parented or and actual DS rigged figure either works if anyone wants to collaborate.

    In the mean time I'm going to take a break from this project and make a quick accessory prop.

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  • WendyLuvsCatzWendyLuvsCatz Posts: 38,202
    edited December 1969

    I could most likely do it in carrara but that is no help

  • 3WC3WC Posts: 1,107
    edited December 1969

    wwes said:
    I don't know if this helps, but if you change the manipulator from Global to Normal, you can rotate the handlebars and front forks along the right axis. I don't know if that affects the rigging, though, I know next to nothing about Blender rigging, I generally just model in Blender, export, and rig in DS.


    ok, trying this but not getting what you're getting (and btw, I know less than you do about Blender rigging, and about the same as DS rigging)
    Ultimately I want this to be a DS prop, if it's a bunch of obj's parented or and actual DS rigged figure either works if anyone wants to collaborate.

    In the mean time I'm going to take a break from this project and make a quick accessory prop.

    That's odd. Did you use the "R" rotate command, or did you just grab the blue ring and rotate using the manipulator? It looks like it was rotated around the red (X?) axis.

  • StratDragonStratDragon Posts: 3,167
    edited December 1969

    let me finsh my project and try agian.

    thanks everyone who posted btw, I'm here, in blender making cat eye glasses and posting on the mac support forums at the same time just in time for my 12:00 caffeine fix on the East Coast.

  • WendyLuvsCatzWendyLuvsCatz Posts: 38,202
    edited December 1969

    I actually ventured into DS rigging and got the handlebar and fork nicely boned with the mudguard but wheel will not turn with it anymore, it did, was a child bone but I did something no idea what still weighted to that bone but it does not affect it.
    gave up, studio hates me

  • WendyLuvsCatzWendyLuvsCatz Posts: 38,202
    edited July 2015

    odd reopened saved scene, working again

    OK not done pedals yet as puzzled how to keep the foot bits flat while it turns, in carrara I would create an NLA clip with it posed and keyframed but rigging with bones a whole new ballgame and how can I move the back wheel with the pedals in DAZ studio?
    again in Carrara I would use a track modifier and target helpers.

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  • StratDragonStratDragon Posts: 3,167
    edited December 1969

    Looks cool!
    in retrospect the basket needs to be a removable prop and should not be part of the main model.

  • 3WC3WC Posts: 1,107
    edited December 1969

    Looks cool!
    in retrospect the basket needs to be a removable prop and should not be part of the main model.

    Why not just make it a material zone that can be hidden?

  • Richard HaseltineRichard Haseltine Posts: 100,778
    edited December 1969

    OK not done pedals yet as puzzled how to keep the foot bits flat while it turns, in carrara I would create an NLA clip with it posed and keyframed but rigging with bones a whole new ballgame and how can I move the back wheel with the pedals in DAZ studio?
    again in Carrara I would use a track modifier and target helpers.

    ERC - rotate the pedals once, rotate the wheel as much as one rotation of the pedals should produce, counter rotate the pedal blocks to match, right-click on the Parameters pane, select Edit Mode, right click on the pedals' rotate property, select ERC Freeze, Accept and it should be done.

  • Richard HaseltineRichard Haseltine Posts: 100,778
    edited December 1969

    wwes said:
    Looks cool!
    in retrospect the basket needs to be a removable prop and should not be part of the main model.

    Why not just make it a material zone that can be hidden?

    Or select and assign to a new face group (using the Geometry Edit tool and Tool settings pane - with luck just click the + next to its Surfaces, then right click>Geometry Assignment> Create face Group from Selected),create a new bone (right-click with the Joint Editor tool) and assign the new group as its selection group, then you can switch the visibility off as needed 9and if desired you can enable its translation controls).

  • mjc1016mjc1016 Posts: 15,001
    edited July 2015

    wwes said:
    Looks cool!
    in retrospect the basket needs to be a removable prop and should not be part of the main model.

    Why not just make it a material zone that can be hidden?

    Or select and assign to a new face group (using the Geometry Edit tool and Tool settings pane - with luck just click the + next to its Surfaces, then right click>Geometry Assignment> Create face Group from Selected),create a new bone (right-click with the Joint Editor tool) and assign the new group as its selection group, then you can switch the visibility off as needed 9and if desired you can enable its translation controls).

    That's what I was doing with it, to keep the basket separate, in fact I just got done assigning it before I looked at Richard's post.

    I'm not quite as far along as Wendy is.

    I spent some time setting the origins in Blender and exporting the bits and pieces, but when I brought them into Studio, the origins were not kept...

    Post edited by mjc1016 on
  • StratDragonStratDragon Posts: 3,167
    edited July 2015

    wwes said:
    Looks cool!
    in retrospect the basket needs to be a removable prop and should not be part of the main model.

    Why not just make it a material zone that can be hidden?
    I was thinking making it a prop for the end user. They can add it or delete it, I could prop out other parts of the bike as well, like a bell. 3Delight is great in DS when you make a prop invisible so it doesn't render but I do most of everything in Lux and if I forget to NULL it I get a ghost of the object in my render.
    .

    Post edited by StratDragon on
  • mjc1016mjc1016 Posts: 15,001
    edited July 2015

    I've pretty much got it rigged...

    A few things, to consider.

    1. There needs to be a couple more surfaces. The seat, tires, pedals and handgrips are now all the same surface. It would be better if at least the tires were their own.
    2. The front and rear axles are constructed differently. It would be nice if they were both the same...
    3. There needs to be bevels or edge loops added to the gears...smoothing just makes them look worn out.

    The key to rigging the fork/handle bars is to get the bone centered and angled correctly...which requires a lot of fiddling around in Studio...I wish there was a way to select edge loops or a centering command based on the geometry selection. In Blender you can select a loop or some geometry and snap the origin to that...and it will center it. I don't have it perfectly centered, but it's pretty darn close.

    Also I didn't break the pedals down to spin them separately. I did create a property to link both the axes to make the seat go up/down...just didn't do the pedals. And I forgot to do something with the chain...

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  • StratDragonStratDragon Posts: 3,167
    edited December 1969

    mjc1016 said:
    I've pretty much got it rigged...

    A few things, to consider.

    1. There needs to be a couple more surfaces. The seat, tires, pedals and handgrips are now all the same surface. It would be better if at least the tires were their own.
    2. The front and rear axles are constructed differently. It would be nice if they were both the same...
    3. There needs to be bevels or edge loops added to the gears...smoothing just makes them look worn out.

    The key to rigging the fork/handle bars is to get the bone centered and angled correctly...which requires a lot of fiddling around in Studio...I wish there was a way to select edge loops or a centering command based on the geometry selection. In Blender you can select a loop or some geometry and snap the origin to that...and it will center it. I don't have it perfectly centered, but it's pretty darn close.

    Also I didn't break the pedals down to spin them separately. I did create a property to link both the axes to make the seat go up/down...just didn't do the pedals. And I forgot to do something with the chain...

    1) I need to revisit that, they were put there so I could model. Fine tuning and detail needs to happen but everything was put on hold when I got to the handlebar quandary.

    2) The front and rear axles on a bike are different (before I built PC's I built bikes!) I was going for the classic rear axel with the brake mechanisms in the hub (I still need to build the arm), the cable breaks are great but modeling them so you can turn the front forks was out of the question.

    3) I was trying to go as low polly as I could without making it look like the bike in the Atari classic arcade "Paper Boy" but another layer of sub-D would improve things. I'm noticing if I keep my sub-d down I can make the proper cuts and loops to define the edges and I'm less likely to lag in the project as I experiment. I generally keep a "live" copy of my work before I make the flattened copy.

  • mjc1016mjc1016 Posts: 15,001
    edited December 1969

    Anyway...the axle thing, the rear having a separate 'axle' makes it easier to animate/rotate than the front which has the stubs. It hides slight alignment problems...and in Studio it isn't easy getting the centers perfectly aligned, so there will be a little movement when you spin it around the axle.

    I did go and split out the pedals, just haven't rigged them yet. Also added a couple more surfaces...

    Also the shaft of the front fork is a bit oval...that makes it a little harder to articulate/rotate without looking odd. You just have to be more exact/careful when trying to center the pivot point/bone...

  • StratDragonStratDragon Posts: 3,167
    edited December 1969

    mjc1016 said:
    Anyway...the axle thing, the rear having a separate 'axle' makes it easier to animate/rotate than the front which has the stubs. It hides slight alignment problems...and in Studio it isn't easy getting the centers perfectly aligned, so there will be a little movement when you spin it around the axle.

    I did go and split out the pedals, just haven't rigged them yet. Also added a couple more surfaces...

    Also the shaft of the front fork is a bit oval...that makes it a little harder to articulate/rotate without looking odd. You just have to be more exact/careful when trying to center the pivot point/bone...

    good looking out. I'm in the process of modding this model too.
    I think the circles constrict to ovals when I rotate them. The more I learn about the Blender interface the more I learn that I don't know more about it than I do.

    http://www.pasteall.org/blend/36859

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  • WendyLuvsCatzWendyLuvsCatz Posts: 38,202
    edited December 1969

    I will try Richards suggestions later, am on holiday so after a sleep may tackle

  • mjc1016mjc1016 Posts: 15,001
    edited December 1969

    mjc1016 said:
    Anyway...the axle thing, the rear having a separate 'axle' makes it easier to animate/rotate than the front which has the stubs. It hides slight alignment problems...and in Studio it isn't easy getting the centers perfectly aligned, so there will be a little movement when you spin it around the axle.

    I did go and split out the pedals, just haven't rigged them yet. Also added a couple more surfaces...

    Also the shaft of the front fork is a bit oval...that makes it a little harder to articulate/rotate without looking odd. You just have to be more exact/careful when trying to center the pivot point/bone...

    good looking out. I'm in the process of modding this model too.
    I think the circles constrict to ovals when I rotate them. The more I learn about the Blender interface the more I learn that I don't know more about it than I do.

    http://www.pasteall.org/blend/36859

    I went and looked at my kid's bike...and yes the shaft does sort of flatten out but the part that goes up through, is round. Makes that transition look good. There is a way to do that in Blender.

    Select the top one or two edge loops, and scale them along the 'wide' axis' of the oval...you won't get a perfect circle eye-balling it, but it will be 'more round' and make that transition when it rotates smoother...

  • sapatsapat Posts: 1,735

    This is looking great.  Can't wait for the finished model!

  • StratDragonStratDragon Posts: 3,167

    I can release it but it wont articulate with my attempts. What i'd like to do with the help of the community is work on cleaning up some of the meshes and then have someone articulate the model and release it. I'm frustrated this is out of my wheelhouse with my skill set but my ambitions often get the best of me and I can't do it alone. Possibly by tonight or tomorrow I will be done with the clean up work and will post the finished blender file for someone to mess with.

  • StratDragonStratDragon Posts: 3,167
    edited July 2015

    I've modeled all this I'm going to model and I seperated some of the pieces for independence but I still cant get the front stem/forks/bars and whell to rotate (the saddle and saddle post need this too.) 

    If anyone want to rig (in DS) from the Blender final, (this final as far as my limits in Blender)
    Please let me know and I will credit yall when it becomes a freebie (a laurel and hardy handshake) 

     

    Image:

    http://www.pasteall.org/pic/show.php?id=90442

    Blender file enclosed:
    http://www.pasteall.org/blend/36984

     

    Post edited by Richard Haseltine on
  • mjc1016mjc1016 Posts: 15,001

    I should be able to work on it over the weekend...

  • StratDragonStratDragon Posts: 3,167
    mjc1016 said:

    I should be able to work on it over the weekend...

    cool! Cant wait to see it.

    I can't edit the title of this thread for some reason.

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