Please copy-paste the entire QC file here, and also show some screenshots of the head going crazy with a .DMX export and being fine with an .SMD export.

Just guessing until the files arrive, but if you change the reference mesh's skeleton you'll also need to export all of your animations again.

QC FILES ↓

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BxENF50YVgXoS2dIMVhXb2pZemc (SMD)
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BxENF50YVgXoMjNPME5hTnh5MFU (DMX)

PICTURES ↓

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BxENF50YVgXoLTYxeXA2WmdSWTQ (SMD)
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BxENF50YVgXobEo0MGhDUUk2VUE (DMX)

The smd and dmx files include shape keys. Also, the animation was exported in the process.

Looks like a misplaced bone. Have you tried re-exporting the animations like I suggested? In particular anims\ragdoll.dmx.

Yes, blender also exports the animations. I have tried recompiling it. It did not fix it, also smd does not have problems, why?

No idea yet. Please upload your blend.

For the $Sequence line in the SMD QC, I suggest using head.smd, not anims\ragdoll.smd.
Likewise for $Sequence in the DMX QC, I suggest using head.dmx and not anims\ragdoll.dmx.

Here is the blend file.

It is a port from Overwatch

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BxENF50YVgXob2duWmZRdS1sbG8

Also I don't understand why I should use head.smd/dmx for the sequence as it is not an animation file.

Originally posted by Lol3#IC:

- Also I don't understand why I should use head.smd / dmx for the sequence as it is not an animation file.

StudioMDL looks at the various frames of skeletal animation for sequences. A mesh file does contain 1 frame of skeletal animation. You should use it because the model is supposed to just be in the reference pose in that sequence.

This is happening because her face is weighted to too many bones. The limit is three in Source 1, and four in Source 2.

I have code in the exporter to cull the excess links and redistribute their weight across the survivors, and I'm sure you've noticed the warnings. But that isn't enough for your "head" mesh because even though the individiual vertices are within the limit, the mesh overall is stil weighted to too many bones. 11 bones, to be precise. Evidently the engine doesn't like this.

You need to convert the face bones to shape keys until the head is within the limit. You should be fine once it's just the head, neck, and possibly jaw bones.

I'll add an error message to the exporter to explain that the model is invalid.

Originally posted by Artfunkel:

- I have code in the exporter to cull the excess links and redistribute their weight across the survivors, and I'm sure you've noticed the warnings. But that isn't enough for your "head" mesh because even though the individiual vertices are within the limit, the mesh overall is stil weighted to too many bones. 11 bones, to be precise. Evidently the engine doesn't like this. -

I'm not really sure where you get that information, considering I can have a single DMX mesh that's all connected together, has lots of bones (over 20 bones), and works just fine since there's not any given vertice that uses over 3 bones. Just wanted to let you know.

From testing the compiler's behaviour, of course. I just made a test plane with 36 bones and it's mashed up too. If you want to upload your blend I'll take a look and see what's different about yours. Perhaps it's a bug that has been fixed in the version of the engine you're compiling for?

Originally posted by Artfunkel:

From testing the compiler's behaviour, of course. I just made a test plane with 36 bones and it's mashed up too. If you want to upload your blend I'll take a look and see what's different about yours. Perhaps it's a bug that has been fixed in the version of the engine you're compiling for?

Just to be clear, I'm not talking about this specific thing, so while what you said may apply to this specific project for some reason and somehow also your test plane, I don't feel it applies in general somehow.

What I'm not experiencing issues with are edited Team Fortress 2 models (which are often split up into several parts and never need to be "culled" to be exported as DMX) and edited custom My Little Pony models (which are often not split up, and is what I'm talking about in this case). I'm compiling for Source FilmMaker and ocassionally Team Fortress 2, using their respective versions of StudioMDL... but the pony models don't seem to have any vertices with over 5 or 6 linked bones (pre-"cull"), though, and are usually weighted in big regions, rather than lots of bones affecting close and neighbouring vertices (like on a face, such as in this case).

Again, I just personally don't think it affects everything in general, but if it also applies to a test plane you just made, then I'm not really sure anymore...

What I don't understand is before I renamed the head bone, if you export as DMX it will be fine. It also had shape keys. But, now if you rename it, it will become messed up. Renaming the neck bone does not affect anything so its fine.

Hmm, you're right, it's only when the bone and the mesh share the same name. This must be related to the way that DMX stores both meshes and bones in the same hierarchy.

Either way, I'm confident that this is a bug in the compiler, not the exporter.