Simplest Player Rigging Tutorial

[coin-god]

1. Reqerimients

 

In order to Rig a Model you will need a copy of 3D Studio MAX, in this tutorial i will use version 2010. And in order to import/export Skeleton Data and models you will need the KAM Max Scripts.

 

You can get an useless free 30-Trial version of 3D Studio Max from here:

http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/index...3112&id=5659302

 

And you may download the KAM scripts from here:

http://www.gtaforums.com/index.php?showtopic=218318

Or here:

http://www.geocities.com/kam_b_lai/GTA/scriptslist.htm

 

Note: If this is your first attempt with 3D Studio Max, i recommend you to read some tutorials in the Net to cover the basics of the program. Or read the Help and mini tutos that came with the program Itself.

 

IMPORTANT: In this tutorial I will use a rigging method I already explained in another tutorial. So I wont go in detail with it, I highly recommend you to read this tutorial before even starting with this.

 

Some Tutorials you may find usefull too::

 

My Simplest Rigging Tutorial EVER:

http://www.gtaforums.com/index.php?showtopic=397248

 

Creative_Madman's Simplest Rigging Tutorial in the Univese:

http://www.gtaforums.com/index.php?showtopic=265657

 

Or Kam's Rigging tutorial (Pretty OLD):

http://www.gtaforums.com/index.php?showtopic=177702

 

What we are going to do:

 

We will Rig a Head and replace CJ's head with it. It will work for Fat, Ripped and Normal CJ.

 

I will only cover the head rigging, other bodyparts should be rigged in the same way.

 

SA Body parts:

Head, Torso, Hands and Legs.

 

All of them are stored in Player.img in the MODELS folder.

 

2. Preparing the Model

 

Ok, now you are ready to start. Open 3D Studio Max and you will see something like this:

 

 

When you start 3ds Max, the main screen contains four equal-sized viewports. The one in the bottom right is a perspective view, and the others correspond to the three views: top, front, left. By default, the perspective view is Smooth and Highlights.

 

You can choose different views to display in these four viewports as well as different layouts from the viewport right-click menu. I will change it so i can work with only 1 Viewport, but you can work with all of them if you want. I will Maximize the Perspective Viewport, to do so Select the viewport you want to maximize (In my case the Perspective one) and click Alt+W.

 

Ok, now its time to Load the model you want to rig. In my case its an already saved MAX file, so i'll just go to the MAX green icon in the top left and open it.

 

Comrade Stalin for the win!

 

You can Rotate the camera and move it by pressing Mouse Scroller + Alt to Rotate and only the Mouse Scroller to move, and scroll for Zooming.

Now you have to Import a SA Skeleton, but we need more than it, we also need a BodyPart with it.

 

So, go to Utilities Panel and Click on MAX Scripts if Kam's GTA Scripts arent listed go to MAXScript->Run Script... and Select IFP IO.

 

 

Click on Import DFF and import head.dff (This file can be found inside Player.img)

 

 

See that yellow thing below my Stalin head? Thats CJ head, we have to change this model size and stuff to make it fit CJ!

 

You will have to Scale and rotate Your model untill it fits the SA one.

 

 

Once done you have to put it in the same place as the SA one untill they look like the same. You can help yourself by switching views (Top, Left, Rigth, Front, etc), Rigth Click on where it says the Viewport name (Ex: Perspective) and choose another view.

 

 

3. Rigging the Model

 

Ok, now the model is ready to be rigged. Now you can use my method or use Creative_Madman's one. But in this tuto I'll use my method, so check out this tuto if you still havn't.

Lets get started

 

Select the Skined Character (The one you imported from SA) and go to Editable Mesh in Modifier Tab, Hit ok. Go to Vertex Mode and select the whole mesh. All the "Dots" will be Red now.

 

 

Under "Edit Geometry" click on "Attach" and select your model, hit OK in the dialog. Now Press Delete key and the old Skinned PED will be erased. Now you only will see your model with the skeleton on it.

Leave Attach by clicking on it again and leave Vertex Mode.

 

 

You are done. The model is rigged.

 

Note: Ok, If you have read my previous rigging tutorial, you will know that this method will cause bugs. In a head model this bugs can be really big. So, if you wanna fix them. Go and read Creative_Madman's tuto on rigging. And use that to fix the bugs. If you don't want to do it, and you don't want an ugly mouth and eyes rig you can unrig them!

 

How to unrig them Mr. Coin?

 

Easy! Just follow this simple steps:

 

 

1. In the modifiers list select the Skin modifier.

2. Hit Edit Envelopes.

3. Tick Verticles.

4. Select Head from the Bones List.

5. Select the whole model Head verticles.

6. Scroll down a bit.

7. Change the Abs.Effect to 1

8. Hit Paint Weigths TWICE.

 

Now the only problem left is the neck. Some heads may have a long neck, like mine. We can't just make the neck be part of the head bone. So lets attach the model neck to the Neck bone.

 

 

1. Select the Neck from the Bones list.

2. Select some verticles you want to form part of the neck.

3. Set the Abs. Effect.

4. Hit Paint Wheights Twice.

 

If you tihnk you are a Pro you can make it more detailed by adding diferent levels of Weight:

 

 

It will make the neck look smooth when the player rotates its head.

 

5. Exporting the Model

 

If everything is ok, textured and rigged. You can now Export it. In order to do it open the DFF IO from Kam's Scripts.

 

Player models are made of 3 Clumps. Wich are 3 versions of each bodypart. A version for CJ Fat, another one for CJ Ripped and another for Normal CJ.

A cool CJ replacement would have a new model for each of this. And each model would have to be rigged as I said. But when exporting we have to combine them in one single DFF.

 

Note: It is not nessesary to make 3 diferent models, if you want the player to look the same in each version, just use the same model for each export (export it for ripped, fat and normal).

 

Export in this order:

 

 

Exporting the Ripped version:

1. Click on the Model only and in the DFF IO dialog Check "Skip COL", "as SA Body Part", "Rename Root Bone as" and then click on "Bones/Skin Export"

Select the destination folder and name and let Max do its job.

 

Exporting Fat version:

2. Same, Check "Skip COL", "as SA Body Part", "Rename Root Bone as" but now also click on "Append export to DFF" and then select FAT. Once done click on "Bones/Skin Export"

And select the file you exported before and save on top of it (Replacing).

 

Exporting Normal version:

3. Same again, Check "Skip COL", "as SA Body Part", "Rename Root Bone as" also click on "Append export to DFF" and then select Normal. Once done click on "Bones/Skin Export"

And select the file you exported before and save on top of it (Replacing).

 

Now everything is done, replace the head back in the Player.IMG. Make the TXD and play.

 

Result:

Comrade Stalin ingame!

 

In order to rig the rest of the bodyparts you need to do the same we did with the Head. If you happen to have any problems with the rest of the bodyparts feel free to ask any questions in this topic.

 

Hope it helped.

 

Coin-goD

Edited July 13, 2010 by goin-god

[lpgunit]

Nice! Might try that for some celebrity skin mod.

[coin-god]

reserved

[_Rob_]

nice work, I'm hoping this will also stop the stream of pms in my inbox every day ,

[coin-god]

nice work, I'm hoping this will also stop the stream of pms in myyour inbox every day ,

Hopefully.

[SkyFlames]

You made the things look so simple lol

Nice tutorial.

[Xby01]

Wow, i was looking for this like a year ago, and my Max 2010 can't open because i can't install Framework 3.5, but that's another thing...

 

Amazing tutorial, i gonna try it.

 

But a question, how i can cut a ped model in parts? (I mean head, torso, legs and hands).

[IthinkImbright]

Very nice expression Shaolin

 

Edited July 14, 2010 by BrotherCena

[69_black_69]

Really nice tutorial.

Now i can improve my rigging skill (hopefully)

[Aft3rM4th]

Ye your tutorial is usefull. I could do this but i didn't know how to fix bugs. Thanks

But i've question is possible to change place of hands texture from cloth texture or torso texture to other file?

[coin-god]

Ye your tutorial is usefull. I could do this but i didn't know how to fix bugs. Thanks

But i've question is possible to change place of hands texture from cloth texture or torso texture to other file?

I don't know what you mean.

[Aft3rM4th]

Meh, when you converting for example a tuxedo. You must attach hands texture in one texture with Tuxedo Texture. Is possible to seperate them?

[coin-god]

Meh, when you converting for example a tuxedo. You must attach hands texture in one texture with Tuxedo Texture. Is possible to seperate them?

Yes its possible. But it has nothing do be with Rigging.

[The-Prince]

is the same for VC ?

[coin-god]

is the same for VC ?

VC Dosn't have separated player models. Tommy its just a Ped.

[The-Prince]

 

is the same for VC ?

VC Dosn't have separated player models. Tommy its just a Ped.

so, there is any tutorial to model/modify peds in VC ?

 

thanks for your help ^^ i know you are awsome in these stuff

[coin-god]

is the same for VC ?

VC Dosn't have separated player models. Tommy its just a Ped.

so, there is any tutorial to model/modify peds in VC ?

 

thanks for your help ^^ i know you are awsome in these stuff

This tutorial is not for modeling. Only for rigging.

 

This rigging tuto works in SA and VC:

http://www.gtaforums.com/index.php?showtopic=397248

[The-Prince]

is the same for VC ?

VC Dosn't have separated player models. Tommy its just a Ped.

so, there is any tutorial to model/modify peds in VC ?

 

thanks for your help ^^ i know you are awsome in these stuff

This tutorial is not for modeling. Only for rigging.

 

This rigging tuto works in SA and VC:

http://www.gtaforums.com/index.php?showtopic=397248

Thanks but, sorry for this dumb question what's Rigging ? i know what modeling is, but rigging?

[coin-god]

 

is the same for VC ?

VC Dosn't have separated player models. Tommy its just a Ped.

so, there is any tutorial to model/modify peds in VC ?

 

thanks for your help ^^ i know you are awsome in these stuff

This tutorial is not for modeling. Only for rigging.

 

This rigging tuto works in SA and VC:

http://www.gtaforums.com/index.php?showtopic=397248

Thanks but, sorry for this dumb question what's Rigging ? i know what modeling is, but rigging?

 

Do you mind reading the first page? Have you read this topic Title?

 

Tip: It has to do with bones.

[The-Prince]

thanks man i understand now

[macog]

okay, how to fix this?

 

[arteriostudios]

how do you skin the character

[coin-god]

how do you skin the character

Read Creative_Madman's tutorial. But you can follow thisone, you don't need to skin it.

[arteriostudios]

but when i click export it says it needs skin

[coin-god]

but when i click export it says it needs skin

Because you obviously did not follow the tutorial correctly.

[sbhtknkl101]

thanks man

it will help me to do cj

[User_Fox]

Hey, is there a full version of 3D Studio Max?

Anyway, thx for this tutorial!

[LeatherJacketSoldier]

Hey, I followed this tutorial just to move many vertices of the cowboy hat from Binco, in GTA San Andreas. I didn't need to replace any model, neither fix bugs (it was the original model, after all). Just to be safe, I extracted the hat's texture into a .tga file, and dragged and dropped it on the model, as I usually do when working with weapons (but let's stick with the hat, for now). I export it exactly like you say, and using the same model (it's a hat, it shouldn't change with CJ's fat) for ripped, fat, and normal (I must note that at this point I have only the hat selected, not the skeleton and the hat). When I load the .dff into player.img and then run the game, I choose a save in which CJ has the cowboy hat put on, and when the loading bar it's full, the screen fades to black but after a few seconds the game crashes, never showing the playing screen. Can someone tell me what am I doing wrong?

[ZAZ]

 

Click here to study the classical Riggin tut

I recreated "The Simplest Rigging Tutorial In The Universe", originally by Creative Madman, at my website

It focuses the preparation of character models for export as dff

Edited February 16, 2021 by ZAZ