Can't link symbols after making them EDAPTable [Multiple user errors]

Question

Freestyle rig tool simply doesn't work on random symbols after making them EDAPTable. I can't figure it out as to why. I've started over several times but can't get a simple rig to work. I'm going through as many tutorials as I can but struggling more than I thought I could. I'm starting to think maybe there are bugs with the current versions of EDAPT and Animate CC?

Answer 1

Hey Chris,

Bugs are always possible, but it's most likely user error.
How about recording a video what you're doing from the very start or sending me (via email) the messed up rig to have a look at?

Comments

Thanks Nick.
I think I'm frustrated because I've tried everything from watching video tutorials, reading, searching forums and starting over from scratch. Sometimes some symbols link up, other times they don't. I can manage to get most symbols to link using the Freestyle Rigging tool but then some symbols refuse to become part of the rig almost randomly. I had the legs rigged in an earlier attempt but not the hair. I start over and the hair is rigged but not the legs. I try removing the metadata for rigging and starting over but it seems not all the dta gets removed. I'm sure it's user error - I'm usually good at working out my own mistakes but it seems the more I try and use the tools, the worse I get.

Here's a video of my latest experience

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Hi Chris,
 
Thanks for the video!
From what I see, my guess is that the arm and the leg are a part of another rig, ie. have messed up SMR info and that is why are not available for rigging.
Select the 3 elements - the arm and the 2 bits of the leg and press the Remove SMR info button (X) in SMR Helpers panel. This should make them available for rigging again.

Also those Magnet Targets you placed manually in the upper leg and arm were placed incorrectly. They have to actually be in the pelvis/torso. So remove them.
Go inside the torso and remove any Magnet Targets there may be in place for the arm and the leg that don't want to rig.
And then try again.

One more question: Are these shapes in the arm and the leg only lines?
If so, put temporarily some rectangle on a temp layer inside. There may be issues with the rigging tool not able to define the bounding box of a line-only symbol. This is actially an Animate problem not returning a bounding box coordinates.

To inspect your rig, load it in the Smart Magnet Rig panel.

If you still experience issues, please, send me the rig via email.

Either way, let me know how you go.

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Thanks Nick! Appreciate the speedy reply! The arms are strokes yes. I wanted to animate them as bendable strokes - so I'll add a rectangle as you said. I had tried removing SMR Info several times but I must be doing something wrong. I'll heed your advice and try again later tonight or tomorrow. Thank you.

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Hi again, Chris,

I tried with curved lines in symbols like in your design in AA 21.0.9, but could not reproduce that bounding box issue from a long time ago, so will leave it for now until the reasons for your troubles get clear.

 

The more I think about it, the more I'm convinced that the elements that refuse to be rigged are orphans from another rig / failed attempt.

 

First thing to try is this:

 

1. Shift-click to select left arm, the two parts of the left leg and the lower part of the right leg.

2. Press the Remove SMR info button (X). This should make them responsive to the rigging tool again.

3. With the FreeStyle Rigging tool drag from the torso toward the left upper leg. It should light up and be possible to rig it now. Then from it drag toward the left lower leg and so on.

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Thanks Nick. I managed to use the Remove SMR (X) tool successfully and get the rig to work. But then I created a 2nd set of keyframes, posed the character differently, applied a Classic tween, the legs drift apart mid-tween. Also, when I go to the 2nd keyframe and click to pose the character, the playhead snaps to frame 1. Never seen this before. I'm going to strt all over from scratch on a Mac.

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Hi Chris,

Glad to know the rigging trouble is over!

The drifting can be due to Transformation points not being over Reg points on the two sides of the tween.

Jumping of the playhead could be due to not having keyframes for all elements of the rig at the current frame.

Please, wacth some of this video to see how I work with the tools:

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Yeah, I'm very familiar with what causes drifting - I literally did a live stream last night and showed the importance of setting registration points on frame before insterting any additional keyframes. Playhead jumping I've never experienced before. I only have 10 elements and they are all keyframed. Just weird. I won't bug you anymore with this file. Going to start all over on a different computer.

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You're not bugging me, Chris!

I want to help you get going with this. It's probably a combination of a few small things that have snowballed and cause strange behaviour.

It should all be very straight-forward, easy and logical.

To be able to pose with KineFlex you need to be on a keyframe, so if you are not, it will jump to the first key on the left to allow you to pose. But if you are on a keyframe no jumping should occur.

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I reproduced that drifing. Same file on same windows machine. Reg points are consistent. It's like the legs come apart mid tween as if they aren't rigged together. 
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1iuVLxWbYDNgQysXCMVvEzj6E2cAVl47L/view?usp=sharing

 

EDIT: My bad! I just noticed I tweened the Magnet Target layer! Ugh!

EDIT 2: I removed the tween from the Magnet Target layer but the drifting still happens.

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Hi Chris,

That is how Classic Tweens have always worked.

The rig assists posing in keyframes.

Please, look here for solutions to the drifting part: https://flash-powertools.com/layer-parenting-toggle/

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I  totally forgot the EDAPT rigs don't solve the issue with objects not traveling on an arc. Sorry again. I'll get there eventually.

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You are most welcome, Chris!

Tweens are tweens. We can't change their behaviour, only use the available methods to circumvent the issue of elements moving directly from A to B.

Just something I meant to say: since the legs consist of only two elements (there are no feet symbols), you will need to put a Magnet Target inside the lower leg symbols near the bottom edge to be able to attach IK effectors to them and pin them to the ground.

Good luck!