Still a noob at heart
 

really you would have though id get better at this but nope

when rigging and in the paint skin weights tool, how do you stop certain joints in the skeleton from influencing the geometry (without having to paint each one individually)

So say you move the elbow and part of the chest moves?

no
i have a sash that i only want certain joints to influance but i dont know how to selct them individualy

(its my Indy elepahnt from my WIP (see my sig) and its that sash thing and the trunk is influencning it)

Sash thing???

without a picture its hard to fiture out what you want.

If I'm guessing right, then select the geo then the joint you want to bind it to then do a smooth bind.

Then select the geo and in the componant editior remove the weighting influneces on the joints you dont want, OR just make all the verts have a weighting of 1 on the joint you do want.

Its ok i got it (after a week)
cheers

i was refering to a picture in the link in my sig

For that then, I would use the copy skin weights.

Bind the object to the skeleton (the whole skeleton) then select then base mesh (the elephant thats had all the weights painted) and then the other object, then copy skin weights (off the top of my head I cant remember where it is, think its in skin, edit smooth skin)

It takes the weights from the underlying mesh and adds them to the other mesh.

So you already got what you asked for anyway????

i didnt know that, i just hand painted a shirt pants and loads of other gear for nothing:(
aw well, at least i know now
cheers

i figuered it out after your second post
a bit of a couincidance really cos ive been struggaling with it all week


:p