Using drivers with multiple object instances

I’ve recently learned about drivers in Blender, and started using them on my characters to make bones on the armature control shape keys on the mesh. It works pretty well… but there’s one problem: Drivers cannot be used if more than one instance of the armature + mesh exist in the scene, because one armature will control the property for all meshes. This is a problem if you make your character a group, link the group from another blend file, duplicate the group definition multiple times across the world, use Make Proxy on each copy to make the armature possible to select and animate individually, and expect each armature to properly control each character.

Is there a way around this? Can drivers be configured to recognize only the objects inside their group instance, so they work well when multiple copies of the objects involved exist? Sadly it feels like Blender needs to fix this in the code, since I couldn’t find any possible solution.

Im interested in this solution too!!

I wouldn’t count on it, but let’s keep this thread open, in case any wizard knows a definite answer.

Well ive worked out one thing if you link a group instance in one scene - make proxy. Then create an other scene link the same object there and make proxy, they can both work independently. But when i try to link in back to original scene it relinks to the first proxy and ignors the other!

Ancient wiki doc (from 2.49) but good info still hides in there (bottom of page)…

“… a proxy object controls all instances of a group. It is not yet possible to have one proxy per group instance. In particular, it is not yet possible to have one proxy armature per group instance.”

http://wiki.blender.org/index.php/Doc:2.6/Manual/Data_System/Linked_Libraries

One workaround (besides multiple named copies of file) involves using multiple symbolic links to a single file which tricks Blender into thinking it is making proxies for separate files. I remember seeing comments about Tears of Steel open movie using this workaround. Also the open movie Tube. All are old comments only mentioning this in passing. Not much info even if you do manage to dig them up.

I’ve never tested this method so I have no how-to or pros/cons about it to share.

-LP

LarryPhillips: Ah, at least the problem is known and documented, although not fixed since 2.49 :frowning:

However that workaround sounds really good! Will it also work with drivers, and is it guaranteed to stay (not be broken too by planned future changes)? If so I can use that, and this should no longer be a problem.