Second Life Weighting Collision Bones

While we wait for the Mesh Deformer people are looking for ways to make mesh clothes fit. There are some alternate methods for making clothes that change with the avatar shape. One of those is the use of Collision Bones. Some call it Collision Volumes. We have heard that method called liquid mesh in promotional stuff. It works to a point. But, how does one use Collision Volumes?

Collision Bones/Volumes

Collision Bones/Volumes

Using the Collision Bones in the default SL avatar one can achieve some measure of sizing tied to the avatar shape. The problem is getting that information from the modeling program to Second Life™.

The default Collada exporter used with most modeling programs has no idea how to write the file for Second Life. So, those using the plain vanilla programs have to edit the Collada file (dae). Learning how to edit the file for SL is no simple task. Effectively most of us are blocked from using collision bones for our mesh clothing creations.

Avastar is a retail program that provides a pathway from Blender into Second Life. AFAIK, this is the ONLY tool that enables use of the collision volumes. So, if you want to try it you will have to spring for the cost of the program, I did.

To see how it is done check out this 17 minute video from Machinimatrix.org the maker of Avastar:

…and that is how you do it.

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