EP04 — Body Skinning

1. Workflow

• If the data is already in .sls from a Pick, you don't need to open the DCC.
• Only reconnect to the DCC when you need to Apply to Skin / Push.
• Press Ctrl+S (File → Save) regularly to update the .sls file.

2. Thigh

1. Create a Thigh layer in the Layers panel.
2. Influence: Search for Thigh in the Hierarchy → select Thigh_Seg (use the Seg bone, not the main Thigh bone).
3. Flood 1.0 → paint the Mask → check the boundary with Used.
4. For overlapping areas: Vertex mode → select region → Multiply 0.9 + Set Weight.
5. Smooth — press Shift+S to enter Smooth mode and refine the boundary.
6. Remove a bone from Influence: Right-click → Cut Weight.

Mirror: Weight Mirror → Mask Mirror (two separate operations).

Weight (deformation strength) and Mask (affected region) are entirely separate data. Weight Mirror does not affect the Mask, so always Mirror them independently.

3. Mirror Settings (Left/Right Naming Convention)

In the Mirror dialog, specify the bone name pattern:
- Example: *_L / *_R or Left* / Right*
- Bones that don't match are treated as Center.

4. Calf

• Calf_Seg layer — same pattern: Flood → Mask → Smooth → Mirror.
• Screen mode recommended: easy to paint both front and back of limbs at once.

5. Knee and Armpit Details

• Use Lasso / Vertex selection to grab edge loops.
• Eyedropper to match a row of weights → Set Weight.
• Use Surface mode to Smooth only adjacent faces.

6. Foot · Toe

Fallback Bone concept:
- When weights are reduced to 0, it becomes unclear which bone receives the remainder.
- Set the fallback bone (usually Root or Pelvis) in Option panel → Tools tab → Fallback Bone.
- You can also click [Fallback: BoneName] at the bottom of the Influence panel.
- Toe bone: Keep the Mask narrow to match the natural ground-contact region. Mirror, then manually correct as needed.

7. Neck

• Neck_Seg layer — Flood 1.0.
• A dedicated twist layer will be added in a later step.

8. Layer Stack Example