Failed to Find Solution Bones Blender
Give Life to Your 3D Model!
Blender Guide Rigging and Weight Painting
*Updated: Apr 24th 2020* Check Change Log at the bottom of the guide for important updates.
Before we start, please take a quick look at the following resources: Blender 2.7X Fundamentals: - Introduction to Rigging - Character Rigging
Blender 2.8X Fundamentals: - Armature - Character Rigging - Vertex Groups [More info later in the guide] - Bone Layers - Copy Limit Constraint [OPTIONAL] - Inverse Kinematics (IK) [OPTIONAL]
If the Gfycat demos are too fast, you can right click them to change speed.
You can still learn from this guide, even if you don't use Rigify.
* IMPORTANT *
There is a known bug in Blender that occurs when attempting to Undo (CTRL+Z) in Weight Paint mode or Sculpt mode.
- Demo: Undo Bug
- Bug Reported
Workaround: After adjusting the brush values (Weight, Radius, or Strength), switch to a different paint brush (Add, Subtract, Mix, etc.), and then switch back to your previous paint brush.
- Undo should now work as expected.
If you plan on rigging with the Rigify add-on, make sure you are familiar with the Bone Positioning Guide here:
- Rigify (Archive)
- It's a little old, but the tips are still applicable to the current version of Rigify.
- More details will be available below.
If you have MMD Tools add-on active, it will conflict with Rigify's Generate Rig functionality.
- MMD Tools Reported Bug
- If you plan to use Rigify's Generate Rig function, make sure to disable the MMD Tools add-on before using the Rigify armature.
For beginners, I recommend starting with rigging character models that don't have face bones, like a masked character:
After you've mastered the basic body rigging, you can then move on to Face Rigging.
[Explained later in SECTION 8]
Bone Naming Conventions [INFO]Click to Show
Naming conventions in Blender are not only useful for you in finding the right bone, but also to tell Blender when any two of them are counterparts. If you have a bone that has a copy on the other side (a pair), like a hand, give it one of the following separators:If there is a lower or upper case "L", "R", "left" or "right", Blender handles the counterpart correctly. Pick one and stick to it as close as possible when rigging; it will pay off. Note: - Placing the left/right part before the bone name is also valid. - The short "L"/"R" code can only be used with a separator (e.g. "handL"/ "handR" will not work!).
Separators LEFT RIGHT handLeft handRight underscore _ hand_L hand_R dot . hand.l hand.r dash - hand-l hand-r space hand LEFT hand RIGHT
[SECTION 1]
Here are different types of Objects you may encounter in Blender:
We will focus on only 2 Object Types:
- Armature Object
- Mesh Object
[SECTION 2]
A rigged 3D character model contains 2 essential things:
- Skeleton (Armature Object)
- 3D Model (Mesh Object)
The 3D model is the Child.
The Skeleton is the Parent.
Wherever the Skeleton moves, the 3D model follows.
In Blender, you parent the Mesh Object to the Armature Object, then you can continue with the Weighting or Weight Painting process (explained later).
Select children first, then select the parent last.
Hotkey: CTRL + P [Opens the Parent Menu]
[SECTION 3]
A 3D model can be a single Mesh Object
- this is common with low-poly character models.
A 3D model can be composed of multiple Mesh Objects
- this is common with high-poly models with optional clothing, weapons, etc.
You can parent multiple Mesh Objects (Head, Arms, Legs, Clothing, etc.) to a single Armature Object.
[SECTION 4]
What is the purpose of Vertex Groups?
Vertex Groups are extremely useful for different things:
Rigging, Organizing, Physics Simulation, etc.
Click Here to Show
How to Create, Assign, Select, Deselect and Remove a vertex group in Blender 2.79?
[SECTION 5]
How to Prepare/Clean the 3D model before rigging?
Example 1: [Symmetry]
Click to Show
If you have a symmetrical Mesh Object that has a few non-symmetrical vertices, use Snap to Symmetry. - The Snap to Symmetry tool lets you snap a mesh vertices to their mirrored neighbors. - Useful when dealing with meshes which are mostly symmetrical, but have vertices which have been moved enough that Blender does not detect them as mirrored (when X Mirror option is enabled for example). - This can be caused by accident when editing without X Mirror enabled. Sometimes models imported from other applications are asymmetrical enough that mirror fails too. - This is also a good option to use after removing overlapping/double vertices with Remove Doubles or Merge by Distance. WARNING: The Symmetrize tool is not as safe as Snap to Symmetry, and it may destroy mesh or UV data. Related Question Having a symmetrical Mesh Object will make assigning weights easier when mirroring across the X -axis.
Example 2: [Alignment]
Click to Show
Scale and position your Armature (skeleton) to fit inside the character Mesh Object.
Before rigging a character, make sure both the Armature (Skeleton) and the Mesh Object(s) (Character Meshes) have their Transforms applied.
- Hotkey: CTRL+A [Object Mode]
- Object --> Apply --> Location | Rotation | ScaleYou can also tell if an Object's transform hasn't been applied by looking at the location of the Object Origin (Origin Point).According to some reports, Mesh Objects with dimensions smaller than 1m (1 Meter = 1 Blender Unit) may fail with Automatic Weights.
Make sure the bones are inside the mesh, otherwise you will get the following error with Automatic Weights: - Bone Heat Weighting: failed to find solution for one or more bones Don't forget to adjust your bone rolls:
Related: - Blender 3D / rigging: How to adjust the roll of bones in a bones chain the proper way / HD - Orientation of Bones-Blender Tip - Rigify (Archived)
Example 3 [Bad Seams]
Click to Show
In Example 3, you will want to join all the Mesh Objects together before rigging, to avoid the seams.
Select all the Mesh Objects and join them together CTRL+J.
Afterwards, in [Edit Mode], select the seams (overlapping vertices) and Remove Doubles or Merge by Distance.
Later in the guide, you will learn how to separate the Mesh Objects.
![[Demo: Non-Manifolds 1]](https://i.imgur.com/Vur01s6s.jpg "Demo: Non-Manifolds 1")
![[Demo: Non-Manifolds 2]](https://i.imgur.com/By31B6ht.gif "Demo: Non-Manifolds 2")
Example 4 [Bone Heat Weighting: failed to find solution for one or more bones]
Click to Show
Make sure the bones are inside the mesh, otherwise you will get the following error with Automatic Weights: - Bone Heat Weighting: failed to find solution for one or more bones
Check for Loose Geometry or Non-Manifolds (loose vertices/edges/faces) - [Demo1] [Demo2] [Demo3] - Remove Doubles or Merge By Distance - Recalculate Normals [Show Normal Direction] [Set Normals from Faces]
Check if your character Mesh Object has:
- Overlapping mesh parts:
- armor, clothing, hair, tactical gear, ammo pockets, holstered sword- Internal mesh parts:
- eye balls and teethThen try separating them into separate Mesh Objects which will be excluded from Automatic Weights, for now.
- Hotkey: L [Edit Mode] Select Linked (Vertices, Edges, Faces)
- Hotkey: P [Edit Mode] Separate Mesh
If you don't want to clean your 3D model, you will need to manually assign weights or weight paint the uncleaned areas.
[Explained in SECTION 7]
[SECTION 6]
How to properly switch to Weight Paint mode?
[SECTION 7]
Methods for Assigning Weights
Click to Show
[SECTION 8]
Rigging a Face
Click to Show
If you want something even easier, see [SECTION 9].
[SECTION 9]
Shape Keys
An Easier Alternative to Rigging
Click to Show
Rigging and Weight Painting Videos:
- [Blender 2.80] Blender 2.8 3D Female Bone Positioning (Hips, Breasts, Shoulders, Hands, Feet, Spine)
- [Blender 2.80] Blender 2.8 Weight Painting mini-tutorial (and how to undo a "neck fix")
- Mostly Weight Painting - [Blender 2.78] Blender Human Meta-Rig. Clear HD tutorial
- Excellent tips for preparing the mesh and setting up bones and rolls - [Blender 2.77] Blender: Weight Painting (Part 1 of 2)
- Vertex Group tips, Weight Painting tips - [Blender 2.76] How To Rig A Simple Female Character In Blender 2 .76
- Rigging with metarig, fixing bone rolls, custom IK controls, custom foot roll controls, Automatic Weights, breast physics - [Blender 2.69] Simple rigging of a character in Blender
- Setting up a custom rig from scratch with IK controls, custom bone shapes, and Automatic Weights Work In Progress...
Extra Resources:
- Controlling Armature Deformation
- Fundamentals of bones, deformation, vertex groups, weight painting - Auto Rig Pro Showcase
- Blender Armature Tutorial Bending a Tube Using Bone Envelopes, Vertex Groups and Weight Painting
- Simple methods to smooth out weight paints?
- (Rigging) Why are some of my vertex groups affecting blue areas?
Troubleshooting:
- And how to add a bone to centre of eyeball?
- Demo - Setup Eye Bone - Can you show me how to add eye bones for supergirl model (SFM)?
- Demo: [Part 1] [Part 2] - After fix legs (SFM DazV4), how to save "fixed version"? And how to fix this? [Image]
- Demo: [Part 1] [Part 2] - Do you know how to weight paint RE2R model? I want to fix legs but don't know how to do this right. [Image]
- Demo - Troubleshooting a rigged Resident Evil model - I don't know why I can't Mirror Vertex Group. I ticked at X Mirror in Option tab from Context, still can't work. [Image]
- Some 3D meshes are asymmetrical in order to mimic natural appearances. In these cases, Mirror Vertex Group may not always work.
- You will have to either make the 3D mesh symmetrical or manually weight paint both sides. - Can you make a demo that you clean and fix that eyelid (SFM)?
- Demo: [Part 1] [Part 2] - How to copy bone weights to another bone, or how to merge weights from different vertex groups?
- Demo: [Part 1] [Part 2]
Work In Progress...
Want to rig some free models?
Try these...
- Pack 3D Models
- Models Resource
- Free3D
- Sweet-Berrie
- GR-85
- KittyInHiding
- Sketchfab
Don't throw away any of these valuable texture maps!
They are extremely helpful!
Submit 3D Models and Resources:
Common Mistakes Made in Blender
Rip Your Favorite 3D Game Character Models FREE
Contact: https://www.deviantart.com/xcurtainx
Click for Change Log
Apr 24 2020 Updated: [SECTION 7] Methods for Assigning Weights Added a demo for troubleshooting Transfer Weights - https://gfycat.com/highlevelsombercaracal Apr 22 2020 Updated: [SECTION 8] Rigging a Face Added 2 demos showcasing the real pivot location of the jaw bone. This should reduce some confusion about jaw bone placement. - https://gfycat.com/likelyillbullmastiff - https://gfycat.com/presentdarkbluejay-cursing-the-gif-tree-border-movements Jan 17 2020 Updated Troubleshooting Section Added: How to copy bone weights to another bone, or how to merge weights from different vertex groups? - Demo: [Part 1] [Part 2] Jan 7 2020 Updated: [SECTION 7] Methods for Assigning Weights: [Transfer Weights] - https://gfycat.com/badhighlevelkissingbug - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCpXiz-8bjY - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7lKIFfHffY Jan 2 2020 Updated: [SECTION 7] Methods for Assigning Weights - Added Method: [Vertex Weights Panel] - https://i.imgur.com/YvcRVyR.png - https://gfycat.com/clutteredbiodegradablehectorsdolphin - https://i.imgur.com/XN9oxsB.jpg Dec 28 2019 Important: There is a known bug in Blender that occurs when attempting to Undo (CTRL + Z) in Weight Paint mode or Sculpt mode. - https://gfycat.com/completeskinnycougar - https://developer.blender.org/T71759 - Workaround: After adjusting the brush values (Weight, Radius, or Strength), switch to a different brush (Add, Subtract, Mix, etc.), and then switch back. Undo should work as expected. Dec 19 2019 Updated: [SECTION 5] How to Prepare/Clean the 3D model before rigging? [Alignment] - Recalculate Bone Rolls to Active Bone: - https://gfycat.com/maleidolizedcrow Dec 16 2019 Updated: [SECTION 7] Methods for Assigning Weights Forgot to add demos for [Assign Automatic from Bones] and [Set Parent to Bone] - https://gfycat.com/fatherlyindolentborderterrier - https://gfycat.com/appropriateadmiredgrosbeak Dec 13 2019 Added info about Bone Naming Conventions - https://docs.blender.org/manual/en/latest/animation/armatures/bones/editing/naming.html Updated [SECTION 8] Rigging a Face - Added demo for setting up eye bone - https://gfycat.com/femalepowerlesslamb Dec 4 2019 Swapped [Section 6] and [Section 7] - Added how to properly select bones in Weight Paint Mode. - Added how to select faces or vertices in Weight Paint Mode. Nov 26 2019 Added a demo showcasing how to use the metarig to generate a rig, and then apply Automatic Weights. - https://gfycat.com/exhaustedgoodnaturedcuttlefish Nov 1 2019 Added: View Clipping Region tip - Use View Clipping Region to easily work in difficult areas in a 3D model. - https://gfycat.com/occasionalillinformedeland - [Starts at 04:10] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-iFNaiQHIk - https://docs.blender.org/manual/en/dev/editors/3dview/navigate/regions.html - Blender 2.8 Shortcut: Alt + B Added: more Rigging and Weight Painting Videos Oct 25 2019 Updated: How to Prepare/Clean the 3D model before Rigging? - added info about Snap to Symmetry Important: If you plan to use Rigify, check this page for the Bone Positioning Guide: - https://wiki.blender.jp/Extensions:2.6/Py/Scripts/Rigging/Rigify According to some reports, Automatic Weights may not work properly for Mesh Objects with dimensions smaller than 1m (1 Meter = 1 Blender Unit) Sep 4 2019 Minor Update: Blender 2.80 Fundamentals: Vertex Groups - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKZrzG5r13g Blender 2.80 Fundamentals: Bone Layers - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVl7FQw-x6M Sep 3 2019 Update: Added Fixing Automatic Weights Demo - https://gfycat.com/formalemptyichneumonfly - https://gfycat.com/mixedjauntyhochstettersfrog - https://gfycat.com/barrenshamelesskingbird Aug 30 2019 Update: Added Set Normals from Faces: https://gfycat.com/elegantlastingcrayfish Added new Methods for Assigning Weights - Weight Paint - Vertex Selection Masking: https://gfycat.com/oddaromaticbangeltiger - Weight Paint - Face Selection Masking: https://gfycat.com/wellinformedsomberchihuahua May 19 2019 Update: Added Transfer Weights demo for Blender 2.7. May 17 2019 Update: Added Normalize Weights Tip & Troubleshoot for those struggling with weight influence. - Normalize Weights - Tip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6_m3xFSlIU - Normalize Weights - Troubleshoot: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_y8mOQBOHxA I'm still researching this topic, let me know if anything is still unclear. Mar 28 2019 Update: Added an easier alternative to rigging: Shape Keys - Shape Keys are also known as Flexes or Morph Targets. Mar 9 2019 Minor Update: Added another example of Non-Manifold/Loose Geometry that may cause rigging failure" - https://gfycat.com/ecstaticnegativedachshund Make sure those overlapping vertices (double vertices) are merged together: Remove Doubles Mar 8 2019 Update: Added resources for Rigging a Face. Added another example of Non-Manifolds for cleaning your mesh. [Important] - https://i.imgur.com/By31B6h.gif Mar 1 2019 Minor Update: Added tip about Lock Object Modes. - You can disable Lock Object Modes in Blender 2.8, if you want weight paint workflow similar to Blender 2.7. - https://i.imgur.com/FBdpPoR.png Feb 21 2019 Update: Added Demonstration for Armature Deform with Empty Groups Feb 15 2019 Update: Added links to free models for rigging practice. Added little examples for overlapping and interior mesh. PSA: Please don't throw away any of these valuable texture maps. - https://i.imgur.com/pCxrBBn.jpg They are extremely helpful! Feb 14 2019 Update: Added details of the different Parenting options and Rigging options - Armature Deform, Empty Groups, Automatic Weights, etc. Added explanation and Demo for Vertex Groups Added explanation and Demo for Assign Automatic from Bones Feb 13 2019 Update: Added tip for [Bone Heat Weighting: failed to find solution for one or more bones] - If your character has overlapping armor, clothing, weapons, etc., then try separating them into separate Mesh Objects. - https://gfycat.com/thickwavycormorant
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Failed to Find Solution Bones Blender
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