I’m working on trying to make a custom character, Actively trying to push the limits of Roblox development to a new level.
The Issue:
The main issue I am having is being able to work around importing shape key animations for facial expressions. Roblox studio currently doesn’t have support for shape keys/vertex deformation, Only armature deformation. There IS a work around though! This clip from Dampalius has proof that there is a way. I tried asking directly but their response didn’t give enough information to be able to replicate it in my own work
Dampalius Example:
I was able to conclude this work was produced in Cinema 4D
What I’m trying to Achieve:
I’m open to any work around for this issue, whether its downloading a whole new 3D program, Plugins, Constraints, Baking weights somehow. Whatever can be done in order for Roblox Studio to detect this as a animation.
My Work:
I knew I would run into this problem while making shape keys but I thought adding drivers would fix the problem. Turns out drivers only change the value of the shape key and don’t actually animate it using the armature. So far there is nothing I can physically do in blender to test out different theories. I have mainly been doing online research about ways to convert shape keys to Weighted bones, Ways to bake vertex deformation into armature deformation and even asked the same question in the blender forum but have had no luck.
I would happy if anyone could provide any kind of tips, or leads to something along the lines.
Hopefully I’m understanding this right, the main goal of your inquiry being to be able to import facial expression animations from Blender to Roblox.
My best suggestion would be to remake the rig to have facial bones. Bones for the bottom/top eyelids, eyebrows, cheeks, mouth etc. Anything you want to be able to control for facial movement. Nothing controlled by Shape keys or vertex deformation.
That’s how I believe Dampalius accomplished their mesh deformation blinking animation.
You’ll have to weight paint everything properly, and most likely remake all of the animations, but I think it’s a work around.
This was one of my first thoughts, I was really hoping It wouldn’t have to come down to this and that there might’ve been some otherworldly solution
I eventually ended up having to do this, I wasn’t super confident in my ability to weight paint and rig flat oval eyes but it worked out. I did ask Dampalius directly about their method which they replied telling me it was shape keys but it took them months to figure out and I don’t have the same kind of time they have to figure it out unfortunately.
For anyone trying to achieve the same look with shapekeys I do think that manually weighting them might be the only way to get this to work without wasting a long time figuring it out, just until roblox studio adds vertex deformation.
The easiest way to make blinking eyes of this same shape/style I do recommend having bottom and top eye lid bones. Weight paint the bottom and top lid 1.0 and make sure they are posed in close position. Then from there you can slowly begind subtracting weight from the sides of the eye until they are in your desired shape.
