Animation in XSI

There are many XSI animation tutorials on the web, most of them probably far too complex for beginners. This free Noesis video tutorial strikes a good balance, however.

Enveloping to multiple bones

Noesis' video tutorial does not cover enveloping a single mesh to multiple bones. There are a few solutions, but the only one that the SMD exporter understands is the weightmap.

To create a weightmap, first envelope your whole mesh to your whole skeleton. Then look again at the XSI's Skin menu: beneath the Envelope button (assuming the Mod Tool layout) are two icon buttons.

Weight Editor (left)

A spreadsheet of each selected vertex against its envelope. Good for precise adjustments.

Weight Paint Panel (right)

A selection of tools to paint weights with an resizeable brush. Good for general weighting of high-poly models.

Check XSI's internal help documentation for help using these tools.

Note:You must Freeze your weightmap before exporting any changes to it.

Tip:Use the Mirror command! You will be able to weight half of your model, then mirror your work across to the other.