Supported file format

Modeling data with setting bones can be exported and imported to other software by the file format that supports bone.

Process chart of Bone edit

[Bone] has two modes, [Rigging] and [Skinning].

At first, only operations in [Rigging] mode are available.

Rigging

It is a mode to place bones.

• Set up bones
• Template

Bone setting

• Display config.
• Bone list
  • Bone Property

Skin setting

Attach the bones to the object after placing the bones. Objects attached bones are called skins.

Skinning

It is a mode to operate skin objects with bones.
You can deform skin objects by bones and adjust the weight of bone for a skin object.

• Deform by bones
• Paint
• Anchor
  • Closed region
  • Ellipsoid
• Copy

Placing bones

Select [Rigging] first, create bones, and set the position and the direction.

Add

Click on 3D display and place a node.
A node is the smallest unit used for bone editing. Connect two nodes to create one bone.
When you drag from the placed node, a bone is created.

Click and create a node		Create a bone by dragging from a node

While creating a bone, hold down the left button and right-click near another node to combine this node with another node.
Shift + click a bone to add a new node at that point. The bones are split.

Delete

Delete a clicked node.

X=0

Move a clicked node to X=0.

Move

Move a node.
While moving a node, hold down the left button and right-click near another node to combine this node with another node. And you can select all nodes from the clicked to ends together by Shift+Ctrl+click.

Rotate

Rotate selected bones.

Rotate children

When one node is selected, if the node has a child node, the child node is rotated around the parent node.
When multiple nodes are selected and rotated, the selected node rotates around the center point of the handle. Ctrl + AltDrag to move the center of the handle.

Adjust direction

Rotate the orientation of the local axes of the selected node.
Click [Reset direction] to initialize the direction of the local axes.

Fin

The direction of the bone is represented by a fin attached to the bone. The orientation of the fins is determined by the orientation of the local coordinate axes of the start node.

The bone's direction bases on Rotation limit.
For example, when the limits are following values,

	Min	Max
X	0	90
Y	0	0
Z	0	0

a range to rotate the bone varies like the following image by rotating 180 degrees around Y axis on a local coordinate.

Before rotation		After rotation

Scale

Scale a bone.
Ctrl+Alt+Drag to move the center of the handle.

Centering

A node is created at the center of a front face and a back one when [Centering] is checked.

Centering - ON

Centering - OFF

Align

Aligns the selected node to the specified position.

• With the X/Y/Z axis - Align multiple nodes along the nearest X / Y / Z axis.
• Middle bones between parent and child - For bones with multiple levels. Align the nodes between the selected parent and children on a straight line.
• Make two bones symmetric - Move two selected bones where they become symmetrical.

Template

Standard Template

MMD is suitable for MikuMikuDance, and Humanoid is used for Unity Mecanim.
Please adjust the size and position of bones to an object after putting a template.

Import

The bone structure is imported from the file.

Export

Current bone structure is exported to the file.

Display config.

Display bones

Switch to display or not bones.
Bones aren't displayed on 3D views if you don't check it.

Display bone axis

If it is checked, the local axes of each node are displayed.

Display bone names

When this item is checked, bone's names are displayed on 3D views.

Display in other commands

When this item is checked, bones are displayed on 3D views even if you switch to other commands.

Displayed bone width

You can set the width of a bone displayed on 3D views.
The setting value is in the range from 1 to 20. Larger the value, the width of a bone is thicker. The initial value is 10.

Weight Display

It is the setting for display color of weight in [Paint] or [Anchor].

Multi Color

Weight values of all bone are displayed on skin objects. Weight color can be set in [Property] of [Bone list]. A part of an object with multiple bones is displayed gradation color.

Color map

Weight values of a selected bone are displayed on skin objects. The color is applied from the selected color map in [Configuration > Display].
In the default setting, larger weight value becomes red, and less weight value becomes blue.

Multi Color	Color map

Coloring vertices and lines

When it is checked, the color display of weight values is also applied to vertices and lines.

Apply morph deformation

You can edit bone with keeping deformation of [Morph] if it is checked.
*It is supported in [Skinning] only.

Float a bone list.

[Bone list] is opened as a floating window when this item id checked.

Color

You can set the color of bones, nodes and anchors.

Bone setting mode

When you select [For PMD], you can set properties for PMD format.

Reset setting

Initialize Display config.

Skin setting

Bind a skin object to the bone by [Skin setting] button after setting up bones.

Skinning

It set the method of deformation in the [Skinning] mode.

Liner	Dual quaternion

If you select dual quaternion, the thickness of an object is less likely changed when you move a joint of bones.

Effect bone limit #

Specify a maximum number of bones that affect each vertex. It is not limited if the check is off.

In [Rigging] mode, you can add and adjust bones after binding skins.

After binding skins, newly added bone can be set weight automatically when you press [Skinning] button. If you don't select the automatic setting, you need set weight by [Paint] or [Anchor].

Bone list

Created bones are displayed in a list.

Property

Change a setting of the selected bone. (See later description)

Delete

Delete a selected node in the list.

Delete all

Delete all nodes.

Copy a bone

Copy selected nodes.

Divide a bone

Insert nodes into the selected bone and divide it into any number.

Click and select a bone		Divide by one node

Combine bones

Combine selected nodes to one.

Shift+Click and select any bones		Combine to one

Mirror all

Symmetric bones are shown along a Y axis when this is checked. When an original bone is moved, the mirroring bone is also moved together.

Freeze mirror

The mirroring bones can be added to the list as independent bones.

Set a rule for bone's name

You can set the naming rule for bones created by freezing mirror bones.

Name the bones according to the naming rule.

Frozen bones are automatically named according to the rule.

Right-click menu

When you right-click the name of bone on the list, you can open the menu.
You can set part of the item in [Bone Property] from this menu.

Move to the top of the same hierarchy

Selected node on the bone list is moved to the top in the same hierarchy.

Select bone4 and Move

List items are sorted.

Disconnect from parent

The bone will be disconnected from a parent bone.

Disconnect children

Child bones will be disconnected from this bone.

Bone Property

Settings of a bone selected in [Bone list] can be changed in [Property] dialog.

List

You can change the order of bones by up and down arrow buttons.

Information

Name

It is to set the name of the node.

Visible

If you unchecked it, the node is not displayed on the 3D view.

Lock

If you checked it, Operation for the node is disabled.

Mirror

If you checked it, the mirror of the node is displayed at the position of the Y-axis symmetry.
When you click [Freeze] in bone list, a mirror of the node is added to list as a real node.

Dummy

Ignore weights for the node, and a movement of the node does not affect a skin object.

Float node

If you unchecked it, the node is fixed. You cannot move the node in [Skinning] mode.

Parent

Set a parent node to it.

Weight Color

Change the color of weight.

Rotation limit

Limit a rotation angle along each axis with the specified range.

IK

When a node is moved after binding a skin, parent nodes are moved together.
Hierarchy of nodes can be changed by number editor in the side.

Set IK to a child node

The node is moved, a parent node is moved together

Bone setting mode

When you select [For PMD], you can set properties for PMD format.

The following items can be set only in the [For PMD] mode.

Group

It is to classify nodes for each group.
When you click [Edit], a dialog to add a new group and to delete a group is opened.
*If you do not set up a group to the node, when the PMD file is loaded in the MikuMikuDance, bone is not registered in the display frame.

Link

It is to set the link of nodes. In [Skinning] mode, when the linkage source node is operated, linked nodes are operated together.
You can specify the interlocking rate for each operation [Move], [Rotate], [Scale].

Set bone1 as the link source of bone3 and bone5.		Multiple bones link and move by moving bone1 or bone2

IK

You can set [IK name] and [IK end name] for PMD.
By selecting [IK parent] in the list, when outputting the PMD file, the parent is set for the IK bone. If IK is applied to the specified bone, you can check [Treat destination's IK bone as IK parent]. When checking it, IK Bone for the specified bone is set to the parent.

*Notes for the PMD file export

In PMD format, single parent bone cannot have more than one child bone. (Dummy bones are excluded.) If there are multiple children bones at the same level, the weight is held only the bone located at the top on the bone list. Other children bones are treated as a dummy.

Deform by bones

Move

Move a bone by dragging a node.

Select a bone		Move the endpoint

Rotate

Rotate the bone starting at the selected node.

Select a bone		Rotate by dragging a handle

Scale

Scale the bone starting from the selected node.

Select a bone		Scale by dragging

*If you set Dual quaternion to [Skinning] in [Skin setting], [Scale] is disabled.

Default

Restore a selected node to the pose at the time of binding a skin.

Default all

Restore all nodes to the poses at the time of binding a skin.

Save pose

Save a current pose. 3 poses can be stored.

Load pose

Load a saved pose.

Apply deformation

Add a deformed object of a current pose as a new object.

Paint

In [Paint], you can manually adjust a weight; the influence of a bone to a skin object.

Weight values of bones are displayed by color on a skin object. Method of the display can be changed in [Skin setting].

Multi Color	Color map

Select

Select a bone.
You can also switch selected bone by Ctrl+click in other modes.

Point

Weight operation

Select a vertex in a skin object, and input a weight by number.
Click [Select weighted points], select all vertices that assigned weight by selected bone.
Click [Delete weights from all bones], delete weights from all bones on selected vertex.

Weight list

Displays a list of weight values assigned to the selected vertex from each bone.

Brush

Adjust weights like painting the skin.

• Brush - Paint the skin by dragging and adjust the weight.

  Original		Drag by [Mix] brush

• Needle - Click to select any vertex. The weight is adjusted around it.

  Click a vertex		and assign weights around vertex.

Picker

A weight value of the clicked vertex is applied to the brush.

Normalize weights

The sum of the weight values will be corrected to 100 when the weight is set to one vertex from the multiple bones.
If [Auto normalize] is checked, the correction is done automatically. You do not have to click this button.

Reset

Restore weight in vertices with the selected bone to the initial value.

Reset all

Restore weight in all vertices to the initial values.

Anchor

If the weight assigned by auto setting is not suitable, you can set the weight to skins again by [Anchor].

Closed region

In [Closed region], objects are set as anchor to each bone. You adjust shape and position, size of them, and click [Apply weight] button. The inside of anchor object is set as region of weight.

Move / Rotate / Scale

It edits vertices of anchor objects.
You can select multiple vertices by click with pressing shift key.
And, you can select an anchor object by click a bone with pressing Ctrl key.

Click and select a vertex		Drag and move

Click a bone with pressing Ctrl key		Drag and move an anchor object

Default

To initialize the anchor of the selected bone.

Default all

To initialize anchors of all bones.

Target bone

When [All] is selected, anchors of all bones are displayed on 3D view. If you select [Select], only an anchor of a selected bone is displayed.

Highlight inside vertices

Vertices in the anchor of selected bone is highlighted when you checked this item.

Export

It creates a new object and exports each anchor to child objects. Exported objects can be edited by edit command.

Import

It imports the object with the same name as a bone to an anchor.

Apply weight

When you click [Apply weight] button, the set weight is applied. If you don't click this button, the setting is not applied.

Ellipsoid

In [Ellipsoid], a range which a bone is affected is displayed as an ellipsoid. If you click [Apply weight] after you adjusted position and size of ellipsoids, the inside of this ellipsoid is set the range of weight of the bone.

Move

Moving an ellipsoid of selected bone.

Select the bone		Drag to move

Rotate

Rotating an ellipsoid of selected bone.

Select the bone		Drag handle to rotate

Scale

Scaling size of an ellipsoid of selected bone.

Select the bone		Drag to scale

Strength

A red ellipsoid on the inside represents the strength of influence of bones.
If multiple ellipsoids overlap, the weight of bones is automatically assigned to the vertex. The total is 100. When assigned, the stronger bone of the influence is a priority.
In [Strength], adjusting the strength of the influence of bones by dragging.

Left bone is stronger	Right bone is stronger

Width

To extend and retract the width of an ellipsoid of selected bone.

Select the bone		Drag to extend the width

Default

To initialize the sphere of the selected bone.

Default all

To initialize the spheres of all bones.

Target

If you selected [All], the setting of spheres apply to all bones. [Select], the setting of selected spheres applies to selected bones only.

Preview

If you checked it, the result of setting spheres is displayed as real-time preview.

Interpolation

If you checked it, vertex outside the range of the sphere is set automatic interpolation.

Without interpolation	With interpolation

Apply weight

When you click [Apply weight] button, the set weight is applied. If you don't click this button, the setting is not applied.

Copy

Mirroring copy

Copy weight of bones of the selected object to vertices at the symmetrical position with X/Y/Z axis.
The direction copying can be selected [Positive to negative] or [Negative to positive] of axis.

Setting weight to only right		Copying weight with [Positive to negative] of [X] axis

Transcript

Copy weight of the selected object to other objects.

Set weight to left object		Transcribe it to right object

Export

Export weight information of selected objects to a file.

Import

Import weight from an exported file.
Even if positions of bones or vertices are different, weight values are set to vertices with bones has the same name as far as possible.