How to avoid losing all the rigging data when updating the artwork?

[Tao263889126jcs]

Hello everyone! I'm wondering if there's a way to avoid losing all of the rigging data when updating the puppet's artwork.

What is the proper way to add new layers to the rigged puppet's PSD file without losing all of the rigging data? Adding more stuff after the character is rigged is usually needed during the character development process. It's very painful to have to redo the rigging after new artwork updates.

I'm hoping someone can give me some guidance. Thank you in advance!

[TheOriginalGC]

Normally, the rigging does not normally go away. In many cases, There is mis-alignment occuring when the art is edited, but not a complete wiping of the rigging. This seems like a major bug if it is indeed happening that way. Could you provide some more information? What happens when you edit the original and open it back up in CH? Take us through your steps.

[Tao263889126jcs]

Hi, Thank you for your reply.

Finally I found the cause of the problem.

The cause is that I use Affinity Designer to design my character, and then export it to PSD format. If I'm modifying some existing layers without changing the layer structure or adding new layers, after exporting again to PSD format and replacing the old PSD file, Character Animator will sync automatically, and everything updates normally.

But if I add some new layers and I export again in PSD format, replacing the old PSD file, after the syncing process, all the rigging data I did previously is gone. I lost everything I did manually and I have to start over again with tagging and settings.

The only way to avoid this problem is to open the exported PSD file in Photoshop and adding new updates from there.

[TheOriginalGC]

That's helpful information. I also use Affinity Design as Illustrator still can't be installed on my Surface tablet. Fortunately, Photoshop functions great on the tablet. Not sure why one can overcome the issue and the other cannot. 

[Tao263889126jcs]

I think this is due to the layer identification system.

Every time Affinity Designer exports a PSD file with new layers, each layer will have a new unique identification, both for newly added layers and old layers. That's why Character Animator will recognize all of them as brand new layers, losing all the rigging data done to the old layers with their old unique identifications.

My workaround solution is to open the old PSD file in Photoshop. I continue to modify everything in Affinity Designer because it's easier to work with vector tools than Photoshop. After adding new artworks and layers in Affinity Designer, export it to a new PSD file, open the new PSD file in Photoshop too, add a new fill layer to it, select the newly added fill layer and the layers with updates, copy them, and go back to the old PSD file, paste the copied layers, and then delete the fill layer created before. Save the file, go back to Character Animator, and it will sync automatically with updates without losing all the rigging done before to the untouched layers.

The fill layer is just for keeping the other layers' positions when copying and pasting. Without the fill layer, all the other layers' artwork will be pasted in the center of the canvas. That is the wrong position, and I will have to move it manually to the correct position. Copy and paste with the fill layer together with other layers, the position of the other layers won't change; they will be at the correct position after pasting. This is the solution that I know to keep position when pasting. If there is a better way, please let me know and I will appreciate it.

[Daniel McKittrick Ramirez]

I'll need a little more information, but can offer a few pieces of advice. 

- We have a bug that affects updating the PS/AI document on a puppet that had layers crowned in Character Animator. On update, there will be an artwork shift. The workaround is to put the "+" in front of the layer in PS/AI. 
- If you're concerned you have an update that might lose rigging, duplicate your PS/AI file, then link your puppet to the new file. Then save a history panel snapshot. Now you have the ability to get back to where you were before in case something goes wrong on update. I wish we could do this automatically, but some people have multi-gigabyte PS files and making many copies of those could introduce a new problem. 

[Tao263889126jcs]

Thank you for your advice. I didn't know about this usage with snapshots. I will try it.

I discovered the cause of my problem. It has something to do with layer identification, and I found a workaround solution as I explained in the answer to another reply above. Maybe it's useful to someone else with my same problem.