MakeClothes model not deforming correctly.

[EPDGaffney]

Hi, everyone. I need some help. I'm relatively new to Blender, and especially MakeHuman and MakeClothes, but although I'm no professional modeller, I'm doing it since 2015 in Maya, so I have a pretty good foundation.

I've made a waistcoat in Blender using MakeClothes and following this VscorpianC tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eskfzfU4NsI

That tutorial is extremely long and a lot of it explains modelling or Blender basics, so I did skip some bits, and I'm wondering have I missed something crucial. The trouble is the waistcoat looks great on the default model in MakeHuman, or at least looks good enough, but if I raise the age, it gets distorted, as if it were a crumpled paper bag or something.

I don't know what targets are, but I'm beginning to think that could be my problem. Are there any tutorials for this sort of thing besides the one I've watched and this here: http://www.makehumancommunity.org/wiki/Documentation:MHBlenderTools:MakeClothes

Here's the waistcoat on the default model, looking fine:
http://prnt.sc/e4to2h

Here it is on an older man, looking like a sack that lost an argument:
http://prntscr.com/e4ton9

[Aranuvir]

As a first step to solve your issue: select the red and only the red vertices on the basemesh before hitting the "create vgs from selection" button.

[EPDGaffney]

Thanks a million, really appreciate it. I'm not sure how you meant that, though. After looking about, I'm assuming you meant only the vertices that have the red material assigned to them, as in the Tights? Meaning I select my waistcoat and then the tights, and then hit the 'Create Vertex groups From Selection' button, correct? I'm about to try it none the less, but in case i can't get it to work, perhaps your clarification will help me when I check back (not to mention others that find this years from now).

[EPDGaffney]

The results are much better now but there's still a lot that's wrong with this:
http://prntscr.com/e4wm2j

I'm not sure I've done it correctly, but in Edit Mode I selected the Tights vertices and clicked the 'Create Vertex groups From Selection' button, then in Object Mode I clicked my waistcoat first and then the loaded human (which was Average Male with Helpers), and then I clicked Make Clothes.

[Aranuvir]

Sorry, I wasn't precise enough here. Indeed I was talking about the vertices with the red material = tights. You to do the vertex group creation twice. First you create them on the clothing, you just modeled. In most cases you can use the automated process which will create 3 groups for the left, mid and right side. Every vertex of your clothing must(!) belong to a vertex group (theoretically you can create vgs by hand, too).

Than you need to create the same vgs on the human base mesh ( i.e. vgs with the same names). You can use the automated process again. The base mesh does not necessarily have all vertices in vgs. To limit vertices assigned to vertex groups preselect the vertices, e.g. the tights helper, then hit the 'create vgs' again. This will assign the tights vertices to corresponding left, mid and right vgs. Starting the makeclothes process will link the vertices of each vg on clothing to the corresponding vg on the human mesh. That's why the vgs with the same name must exist on both meshes. The Delete group is only for the base mesh and will feed a mask to hide base mesh vertices under the clothing. The helper geometry has two functions. Unofficially they can be used as clothing templates. But originally they were meant as a layer, were clothing can be assigned to, this is for less tight fitting clothes e.g. like your vest. For tight fitting clothes you will create your vgs on the body itself (= white vertices). But you should have your vgs either on the body or on the helper.

BTW, I forgot to mention. You should take a look at the mesh in MakeHuman with wire frame mode activated. When you move the slider you will see how the edge loops deform. Your clothing will have to follow these deformations. This can be a source for distortion, too.

[Aranuvir]

Just saw your last post. Technically this was done right now.

[Aranuvir]

And MC has its limits, especially around the shoulders/armpit and the breasts. Perhaps moving or deleting the one or other edge loop can solve your problem.

[EPDGaffney]

I'm really confused. Maybe it's to do with what the Create Vertex Groups button does. I'm not sure what it makes them on or where it gets them from and what the selected vertices have to do with it. I did use and then apply a Solidify modifier on the waistcoat (which took me weeks to get right and not produce artefacts) and then put edge loops there to soften the angle, followed by a Subdivide Smooth operation, and I'm starting to think the dense arrangement of edge loops near the rims of the object (which is an open mesh at the armpits, neckline, and bottom) is causing the problem. And having written that, my new theory is in fact that the open mesh may well be the problem, perhaps exacerbated by the edge loops where the mesh is open and the fact that that's in areas like the armpits (which are the worst offenders in the incorrect deformation).

I would like very much not to close the mesh, but if that's a requirement, it would be good to know that that's the problem.

Here's the wireframe of the default MakeHuman mesh with the gender set to Male:
http://prnt.sc/e52deu

It looks great because that's the mesh I used in Blender.

Here's the way it deforms if I set either the gender to female or the age to old:
http://prnt.sc/e52e0g
http://prnt.sc/e52e46

Now, although I wish to solve this problem completely and start using MakeHuman to produce somewhat modular characters for a computer game I'm developing, I would settle in the short term for being able to make the main character of the game, who wears a waistcoat and is old. Is it possible to preserve the GameEngine rig MakeHuman provides and put a different (as in maximum age) head on the body that this waistcoat does in fact work with? I imagine I'm on about something I'd have to do in Blender, which is grand once I know what that is.

Thanks again.

[Aranuvir]

Add as much geometry as you need, but try to keep it as low as possible. You can use the subdiv modifier on modeling, but remove it before exporting. MH has its own subdiv modifier (= smooth button). Apply all other modifiers (mirror, solidify...). Then delete all geometry created by the solidify modifier, that would be invisible anyway, or check the 'only rim' option before applying the modifier. The purpose of MakeHuman is to quickly form a human model and equip it with some basic clothing and then epxort it for another 3D program. Fine tuning, like bringing back the subdiv modifier, should be done in the 3D program. Depending on the export/import method this can be done automatically, too (MHX2).
Based on your last images: yet, there seems to be a problem at the armpit. Vertices that should belong to the torso are assigned to the arm. Maybe you didn't create clean vgs.

Some suggestions to solve this:

1) make sure again the vertex groups of the human mesh only contain vertices of the tights helper:
Delete all vgs on the human mesh. Then in edit mode, make sure all vertices are unhidden (alt + h) and press 'a' until all vertices are deselected. Next go to the material tab and select the tights and click the select button beneath. This will select the tights vertices only (of course, there are other selection methods to achieve the same result) . Now hit the 'create vertex groups from selection' button and MakeCloth.

2) If this didn't solve the armpit problem:
Repeat step 1 until you selected the tights helper, then deselect all vertices belonging to the arms and hit 'Create vgs ...' and MakeClothes again.

3) still a problem?:
You will have to rework the vest a little. Try to bring the armpit vertices closer to the torso or/and move them down. Checking proportional editing and the x-mirror option in Blender could be helpful.