BoneLatticeGN LScript version 2.5.1)
(Tested with 2.5.1 but may work with versions 2.3 and above.)
written by faulknermano, Lernie Ang

 

BRIEF

A thread in the Newtek forums got me to writing this lattice creator.

Lattices can take the form of bones, in LightWave, placed in a particular formation around the mesh. This script takes this further by allowing you to model your own cage in Modeler, and the script uses that as a reference to create an array of bones.

 

HOW TO USE THE LSCRIPT

Before running the script, make a model cage that you want the lattice to take the form of. Load that cage and the model your wish to apply the lattice to into Layout. Select the cage (you must do this), then run the script.

 

BoneLatticeGN INTERFACE

The interface controls include:

1.) Mesh To Apply Lattice: this specifies which mesh in Layout the cage will be applied to.

2.) Activate Lattice Bones: BLGN will activate the bones once they have been created.

3.) Use Weight Values as Bone Strength: when you create your cage in Modeler you can assign weight values that determine the strength of the resulting bones in a per-point basis. Note that this option does not care which weight map it belongs to; it just reads the first weight map value and applies that.

4.) Assign Lattice Bones to Weight Maps: if you had assigned weight maps to your points that the real mesh you were to apply the lattice cage had, then here you have the option of assigning the lattice bones directly to their weight maps in Layout. If the target mesh does not have some specific weight maps, then obviously those will be ignored.

5.) Use Weight Map Names: this will rename the newly created bones to the first weight map that belongs to the point.

6.) Bone Names: this is active only when the Use Weight Map Names is unchecked.

7.) Rest Length: this is the default rest length of the newly created bones.

 

OTHER NOTES

If you use a mesh's own points as a lattice, you can effectively control its vertices as you would in Modeler, albeit the controls are much clunkier in Layout.

 

Contact me at: faulknermano1@yahoo.com