Automatic skinning weights

August 4th, 2014

Spine 1.9.15+ now has automatic skinning weight computation! It uses extremely sophisticated algorithms to determine the best weights for smooth skinning deformation. This provides a good foundation for your weights and greatly reduces the amount of weights that need to be adjusted manually.

Special thanks to Alec Jacobson and Thomas Åhlén! Without their help, Spine wouldn't have such cool features.

Weights are computed automatically for the first set of bones bound to a mesh. You can also apply auto weights any time by clicking Auto on the Weights dialog:

Another feature we'll most likely have coming in the future is the ability to automatically generate a mesh that deforms well. For example:

Of course you are unlikely to need as many triangles as shown here unless you are exporting images or video. Generating the mesh and computing the weights automatically removes a lot of manual labor and makes the workflow quite efficient: add your image as a mesh, bind bones to it, animate your bones. This lets you focus more on animation and less on setup.

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