How to use Blender Muscle Tools

This add on converts meshes to muscle objects with Blenders internal modifiers, properties and operators.

Converting objects to muscles:

First install the add on in your blender user preferences. As you can see, a new tab gets added to the tools window (reachable with the shortcut "T" in the 3D View). Now you can add an object to your scene and modify it how you want (for example to a muscle shape or you could use the muscle creator) When you are finished, go to the label "MUSCLE OPTIONS" and enter a name for the muscle. Now click on "CONVERT TO MUSCLE". Congratulations You've added your first muscle. The object becomes a muscle with an armature and a stretch controller. If you move the stretch controller you can see the effect of the muscle.

Muscle Options:

Perhaps you noticed that also after the convertion there are some new options availabel under the "MUSCLE SHAPE" and "MUSCLE JIGGLE" labels (If you want to know what they do you can hover over the properties and read the description)

Binding Muscles to bones:

It's very easy to bind muscles to bones. To do this it would be easier to change your outliner in the top right of your window to "Groups" (by default its called "All Scenes") If you want to move your muscle to your bones just select the desired muscle group and move the entire group to the place where you want the muscle to be Then select first the muscle armature (the armature which was created for the muscle) and parent it to your characters first bone by selecting first the armature and then the bone and pressing Ctrl + P(Best option is bone parent) Then grab the stretch controller of the muscle (the empty with the wireframe cube shape) now parent this empty to the  second bone of your character. Now you can see that the muscle deforms if you move your characters armature bones.

Binding Muscles to skin:

If you want to bind your muscles to your characters skin this is very easy. First select the muscle, then the desired character and press under the "MUSCLE OPTIONS" label under "Bind to Skin" Slide Bind. This option adds a shrinkwrap modifier to your character and the muscle gets pinned to some specified vertices with a vertex group and as you can see you are in the weight paint mode. Now its the time to paint muscle weights to set the influence of the muscle to your skin. 

Update Drivers and Update Properties Button:

The Update Drivers and Update Properties Buttons are only needed if you for example saved your file, closed it and reopened it later. In this case you possibly recognized that the muscles didn't show up their options in muscle tools window and all made options like jiggle or volume are disappeared. In earlier versions you hadn't the opportunity to automatically update the drivers which are responsible for this problem and do this manually. But thanks god I finally figured out how to solve this and built in these two exciting live saving buttons.

Its very simple to use: Just reopen your file and press first the update properties button and you will see that all properties are again visible now. Then select all your muscle objects and press the update drivers button and voilà! Everything works perfecty fine 

If you have some additional questions or improvement proposals just send me a message: [email protected]