Trying to copy/paste poses between very similar rigs

So I’m following the documentation on this page (http://wiki.blender.org/index.php/Doc:2.4/Manual/Rigging/Posing/Editing @ Copy/Paste Pose) and it states that you can use this copy buffer between files.

This would be perfect for me, since I have a rather complex rig which has 17 precise poses set up, which I would like to transfer to another, very similar rig. I tried doing this through the pose library, but since I made some changes to the structure of rig#2 it doesn’t seem to be working with that method. (I linked the file with rig#1 and imported the rigAction pose library, it imports but I can’t click the pose button)

From what I’ve understood from the documentation, this difference shouldn’t really matter for copy/paste, since it basically just looks for bones with the same names, and I’m only selecting & copying the control-bones from rig#1 in Pose Mode, which are the same in rig#2. I opened both files and tried to do it, but I keep getting a Copy buffer is empty error and the following error in the info panel.
Traceback (most recent call last):
File “…_WORKSPACE\MH+pitchipoy\FACESHAPES_CUSTOM_RIG_weighted2.blend\rig_ui.py”, line 714, in draw
KeyError: ‘bpy_prop_collection[key]: key “eyes” not found’

location: <unknown location>:-1
Soo… I’m guessing it needs to be exactly the same rig? Any way to copy/paste parts of a rig that are the same even if the whole isn’t identical?

The armature has to the be same. Even if you build one from scratch looking exactly the same, the data is different. Also you posted your question in the wrong area.

Oh that explains why I couldn’t find this, I could’ve sworn I posted this in the rigging & animation forum T_T

Anyway that’s a huge bummer. Guess I’ll have to write my own script or do it all manually?

You will most likely have to do it manually. If the armature is not the same, you will have to create it again.

Have you tried using the mocap tools to re-target the poses from the first one to the 2nd? I have had a bit of luck doing it that way.

In my opinion Blender’s armature system is a little more complicated than it needs to be without enough objects that can be used to get relevant data about poses, so if you’re not familiar with the API or well versed in Python then I would agree with XeroShadow. If you are, and especially if you’re fluent in rotation math involving matrices and quaternions, then it shouldn’t be too hard for you.

That being said from the way you’re speaking I’m not sure what your idea of “similar rig” is but poses are pretty delicate in Blender due to a variety of factors.