# Ep.5 — Skin Tab · Bind Pose · Quick Skin

https://youtu.be/-r3oBTyDU4Q?si=7i3d5JB_Rkehrlku

![Skin panel (All Mesh / Disable / Quick Skin / Save Load)](image.png)

## Overview

This episode was **reshot** because the earlier Skin video received an **update**.

The **Skin tab** is not a screen for **painting** weights. It is a **management** screen: **select, disable, reset, delete, assign bones, save / load**.

Before you start:

- Joints are already placed from Ep.1–4
- The demo scene is **already skinned**
- Weight painting is **SkinLayer Studio** or another skinning tool ([Ep.6](/guide/biped-plus/ep05-skinning-prep?lang=en))

## Prerequisites

- BipedPlus **Build** has created `Skin_*` bones
- **Disable / Enable / Reset / Save Load**: meshes that **already have** a Skin Modifier
- **Quick Skin**: meshes to **skin for the first time**, or to add missing bones

## All Mesh · All Skinned

These are Layer-window buttons.

| Button | What it does |
|--------|----------------|
| **All Mesh** | Select **every Mesh** in the Scene |
| **All Skinned** | Select only meshes that **have a Skin Modifier** |

**Dummy** is not selected. It exists to group the Modeling Group.

## Bind Pose check — Disable / Enable

**Bind Pose** is the start pose **before** bones move. Confirming it is **critical**.

1. Select the mesh, then **Disable** — the Skin Modifier turns off. The biped can move; the Mesh stays.
2. Turn it back on with **Enable**.
3. If the Mesh **pops** when you toggle, Bind Pose is **wrong**.

Common causes:

- Joints are not **exactly** on the original pose
- You added a Skin Modifier on an **animated** pose

If the pose is correct, Enable/Disable will **not pop**.

## Reset

Figure Mode joint placement is human work, so it is never perfect. If you move joints **after skinning**, Bind Pose drifts.

1. **Disable** on the Skin tab so joints are easier to see.
2. Fix the joints, then **Enable**.
3. If the Mesh is off, **Reset** in **All Pose**.

Reset sends the Mesh back to its **original place**.  
Check: **All Mesh**, then Enable/Disable again — no pop means it is aligned.

## Delete

To start over, **All Mesh → Delete** removes **every** Skin Modifier. The Mesh no longer follows.

> **Caution:** This is hard to undo. **Save** first.

After Delete you are in a state similar to first entering the Figure tab.

## Where to define skinning

A frequent question.

- Define **all Skin Layer** items in the Layer window
- Or under Hierarchy **Root Bone** — the **engine-ready** tree. Put **all Skin Bones here**.

Then assign bones and add Skin.

You *can* add every bone, but using the documented set is better for **optimization**.

[B.1 — Skin Bones Base Reference](/guide/biped-plus/ep19-skin-bones-reference?lang=en): **Is Skinned** = bones that should be on the Mesh.

**Spine** goes on **Spine Seg**, not the main bone. Running Scale Squash on the main bone can **explode** the Mesh in-engine, so Scale lives on **Seg**. Circled items on the Bone List are the targets.

![Quick Skin Apply dialog](image_1.png)

## Quick Skin

Use this when checking the Bone List one by one is too slow. The circled recommended bones are **already in the list**.

1. Open **Quick Skin** and put meshes into **All Skin** (Target Meshes). (`+ Add`)
2. Press **Apply Skin** (**Apply to Skin**). It takes a moment.
3. The recommended Bone List is **assigned automatically**.

This is a **first pass**. The older video **tore a lot** on playback. **Voxel Algorithm** now keeps the first pass more stable. Detail still needs hand work. → [Ep.5.1](/guide/biped-plus/ep06-skin-quick-upgrade?lang=en)

Then clean Weight toward 1. Classic 3ds Max Weight, Envelope, or another Skinning Tool are all fine.

![Skin Save / Load dialog](image_2.png)

## Save

When skinning is done, save it. Open **Skin Save / Load**.

1. Add meshes (**+ Add Selected Meshes**) and pick a folder.
2. **Save Skin Data** (**Save**)

What gets written:

| Format | Contents |
|--------|----------|
| **ENV** | Classic 3ds Max Skin Data Format |
| **BP Skin** (`.bpskin`) | Links and bone info, including **where to add** a missing bone |

The **Save Bone Info (for auto-creating missing bones)** option is that extra data.

## Load

The video deletes Weight, then restores it.

1. **All Mesh**, then **Skin Save / Load** (no need to re-select meshes)
2. Open the saved BP folder (**Pick .bpskin files...**)
3. **Found** / Scene column = **it is in this Scene**
4. **Load Selected** (**Load Select**) — Skinning comes back with the **same Weight**

## 3ds Max default skinning and SkinLayer Studio

Even after the Voxel patch, **the first pass is not production-ready** — you still **edit by hand**. Algorithm · One Volume · Bind/Add: [Ep.5.1](/guide/biped-plus/ep06-skin-quick-upgrade?lang=en).

You *can* do that with classic 3ds Max Weight tools. Even for a professional rigger it feels **vague**, and there is no Maya-style **Weight Lock**. The video’s recommendation: **do not rely on Classic Weight alone**.

The workaround is **[SkinLayer Studio](/guide/skin-layer-studio/ep00-intro?lang=en)**.  
Buying BipedPlus includes a **3-month** SkinLayer Studio subscription. **Events may change this.**

This is not a bundle upsell. While building BipedPlus it became clear that 3ds Max skinning is **too hard**, so a separate plugin was made. The full “why” continues in [Ep.6](/guide/biped-plus/ep05-skinning-prep?lang=en).

## Related

- **Ep.1–4** — Build · Figure · Controller
- [**B.1**](/guide/biped-plus/ep19-skin-bones-reference?lang=en) — Is Skinned · Spine Seg
- [**Ep.5.1**](/guide/biped-plus/ep06-skin-quick-upgrade?lang=en) — Quick Skin · Voxel
- [**Ep.6**](/guide/biped-plus/ep05-skinning-prep?lang=en) — Problems with Max Skinning / Why You Need SkinLayer Studio
- [**SkinLayer Studio**](/guide/skin-layer-studio/ep00-intro?lang=en)