How would you add vertex animation on top of bone based animation? For an example, a character with bones smiling. Manually shifting the shape of the mouth using vertex animation is simple enough. But when the head has been offset by the bone animation then all of the vertex animation values would need to be offset as well.
The only solution I've thought of so far is having clones of the mouth (each with their own expression) attached to the mesh but not rendered. That way the various expressions would also be affected by the bones and travel with the head so the mouth could be morphed to the included shapes. The problem with this idea is the added burden to the bones. For example, 4 seperate hand models (closed, open, neutral, flattened); 5 seperate mouth models (closed, open, smile, frown, smirk); etc, etc, etc. That's a lot of extra polys to pile on top of the skeleton. Right?
Tell me there's another, better solution out there. Please!
The only solution I've thought of so far is having clones of the mouth (each with their own expression) attached to the mesh but not rendered. That way the various expressions would also be affected by the bones and travel with the head so the mouth could be morphed to the included shapes. The problem with this idea is the added burden to the bones. For example, 4 seperate hand models (closed, open, neutral, flattened); 5 seperate mouth models (closed, open, smile, frown, smirk); etc, etc, etc. That's a lot of extra polys to pile on top of the skeleton. Right?
Tell me there's another, better solution out there. Please!