how to use local mesh to test your rigged mesh

posted: november 07 2024
last updated: november 07 2024

i've been getting into rigging stuff lately, and my first sentiment is, "wow, i kind of had a hard time figuring out how to test it in local mesh!"
it wasn't hard to find tutorials, but often times, for idiots like me, there are terms thrown around that i don't even know the meaning of.
so i decided to give a shot at describing it in my own words... i hope this helps!

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first and foremost, you're going to want to make sure you have something called a "surrogate mesh."
to explain simply, a "surrogate mesh" is an already uploaded, rigged mesh, that you have full permissions to. this mesh can be anything, in any shape, attached to anything, as long as it's rigged to your body, and you have full permissions. this means copy, modify, and transfer!!

me, personally, i have this random shirt with full perms that i got a long time ago.

when you've chosen your surrogate mesh, go ahead and put that on.
then, you can go up to the top of your screen, and go through build > local mesh

that will open up the local mesh window.
you'll want to "locally"/temporarily upload the rigged mesh you want to test here. make sure it is a collada (.dae) file.
keep in mind, "local mesh" works similarly to "local" textures, it is temporary and client-side only.

once you upload it, it'll show up in the window like this.

then, keeping the local mesh window open, go ahead and right click > edit your surrogate mesh (in this case, my shirt) to open the build menu.

then, once you have both the build/edit menu for your surrogate mesh, and the local mesh menu still open, make sure the rigged mesh you want to test is selected.
then press "apply."

once you press that, it should change to the rigged mesh you want to test, fully rigged to your body.
wow! it's like magic!

you can even now apply textures and whatnot with the regular build menu settings with your local mesh. again, just for testing.

and there you have it!
keep in mind, again, this is local mesh, and functions similarly to "local" textures. it is completely client-side and only visible to you. other people will probably just see whatever you chose for your surrogate mesh.
happy testing!