transferSkinCluster

All files of the toolset are combined as a module. This allows for an easy installation and keeps all necessary files in one location.

To install unzip the download and drag the provided dragDropInstaller.py in the main Maya window. Depending on the type of chosen installation all files will be created and placed automatically. Also a log file will be created documenting the installation.

If you need help during the installation see the included installation guide which can also be opened from the installer window.

After the installation restart Maya. Load the transferSkinCluster plug-in from the plug-in manager.

icTransferSkinCluster 0 0

Writes the skin cluster of the selected mesh to a file.

icTransferSkinCluster 1 0

Opens a window to let you select the skin cluster weights to import.

If you are interested in using the actual extraction command from the plug-in in your own scripts you can use the following command for help and usage:

transferSkinCluster -h

Export
Select your skinned mesh and execute the export command.
After a successful export the export path is written to the script editor output.
The weight file is stored in the data folder of the current project as a regular text file with a custom extension (.scw).

Import
After executing the import command a window will list all stored skin weights in the data folder of the current project.
Select the data set and click the import button. The weights file contains the name of the bound geometry and the influencing joints, so it is not necessary to select anything.

When selecting a weights file and the node names stored in the file do not match the content of the current scene a second list will show all the unmatched names from the file.
The window will also display various renaming options:

• rename existing nodes in the scene by applying the selected node name from the list to the selected node in the scene
• use a search and replace to rename the file content according to the existing scene nodes; this creates a new weights file with modified names which can then be used for import
• add a prefix or suffix to rename the file content according to the existing scene nodes; this creates a new weights file with modified names which can then be used for import

For more information about the renaming options go to Menu > Help > Rename Help of the import window.

Because different Maya versions handle the order of skin influences differently it is possible that previously saved weights will be applied in reverse order with a different version of Maya.

If you encounter such problems when loading a weights file set the second argument of the command to either 0 or 1, depending on which version the weights were saved with and what the current version of Maya is.

Speed can be an important factor when writing and reading skin data and every tool is different in this aspect.

transferSkinCluster writes the skin weights of 14500 vertices in 1.82 seconds and needs 5.87 seconds to re-apply these.

The next fastest solution I came across wrote the data in 2.67 seconds and read it in 7.86 seconds.

Of course all this depends on the speed of the computer.