Error on adding blendshape target?

Rigging
,
#1

I have a bridge shape with a blendshape attached to it with a series of blendshape targets underneath it.
I have been fiddling with targets all day, adding and removing.
Now when I add a target, I am getting an error
// Error: line 0: Target at given index already exists. //

“select -tgl -sym model:Head_Bridge ;
AddBlendShape;
blendShape -e -t model:Head_Bridge 13 Brows_Release1 1 model:Head_Bridge;”

I discovered I could just change the number 13 to another number and it will allow me to add a target, which leads me to believe that somewhere behind the scenes Maya is goofing a spreadsheet, that the GUI is not going to work for me.
Is there a way around this to clean up whatever is organizing my blendshape targets on the back end so that I can use the Maya GUI for adding blendshape targets or is modifying the mel command my best bet?

-Thanks!

#2

Are you using the Shape Editor, or have you been removing and adding targets with the menu commands? ie. Deform > Blendshape > Remove

I’m not surprised to see dumb bugs like this. But the Shape Editor might have some ways for you to fix this. For example, you can remove and add targets from there, and you can also export and import shapes. So if things get buggy, you could try exporting your shapes, delete the blendshape, make a new blendshape, and import the shapes again.

(The Shape Editor has bugs too of course… If you delete a target with a certain name, when you make a new target, you can’t use that name again, at least in some versions of Maya. My dumb workaround was to name the target “gsajfhgafjsagfajfhsgaf” before I delete it. :expressionless: )

#3

I am using the
Deform > Blendshape > Remove
Workflow.
I am building the rig in 2016. The Shape Editor was added in 2016.5, right?
I just updated and got a copy of 2018 on my machine right now and I am eager to try it but nervous about bringing the rig into 2018 until we have our farm and other PC’s on 2018 also.

Awesome, yeah I may just delete the blendshape node and reimport my shapes.
Thanks!

Nice, lol thanks for the tip on naming too!

#4

Yeah the Shape Editor was added in 2016.5, and improved in 2017. Yeah and luckily exporting blendshapes backwards is usually pretty safe, compared to a rig. As long as you aren’t using anything fancy like combination shapes.

I still haven’t even installed 2018. A lot of studios and clients seem to have not upgraded yet.

#5

I’m itching to use the shape editor. Just being able to swap shapes around to organize them while setting up set driven keys looks great, and combination shapes! I got the shapes plugin from brave rabbit, but it always seems a bit buggy. However the error could just be between my chair and my keyboard.

Thanks for the help!