

Volumetric heat diffusion skinning - jeff18
http://blog.wolfire.com/2009/11/volumetric-heat-diffusion-skinning/

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bilbo0s
This algorithm is implemented for free in Blender 2.46+.

When you parent a mesh to a skeleton (armature), select "Create From Bone
Heat" from the available options.

Or,

After parenting a mesh to a skeleton (armature) or adding a skeleton
(armature) modifier, go to the combined weight paint and pose mode, use the W
key, and choose "Apply Bone Heat to Vertex Groups".

Export the mesh to any file format or game engine that supports multiple
vertex bone weights. ie - COLLADA, or to Ogre, FBX, or if you really just want
to get a game written in a couple of weeks, export it to JME.

EDIT: BTW, In Blender, skeletons are called Armatures. That is why the word
Armature is in parentheses in this comment.

~~~
carbocation
I am not all that familiar with this topic, but I was under the impression
that the article's author distinguished what he did from what you are
describing because his is volumetric diffusion while the method you named uses
surface diffusion.

~~~
bilbo0s
Doh!

You're right. I should have read the whole article. This method uses
volumetric instead of surface heat. While Blender uses surface heat. Actually,
strictly speaking, Blender is closer to using surface glow instead of surface
heat, or at least the version used internally at one of the companies I work
with does.

I think this algorithm could probably use glow instead of heat as well. Then
again, the article does not mention the method they use for calculating their
weights, so it may effectively be glow and not heat. Which would make this
algorithm probably the best out there in terms of results.

Or maybe they have a weighting factor that is better than glow or heat!
Without more info we can't say. But I think we should definitely implement
this volume diffusion architecture in Blender with a replaceable weighting
factor so that people can experiment with which weight factor is best. I think
that would be useful. Too bad 2.5 is so big. Maybe for 2.49-?

