Warning: Many pictures! May be annoying... ;)
I'm trying to build together a rig where I can animate with armature most of the times, and fix something or add some specifics with mesh modifier. There are 2 problems with that. Let me explain my setup.
To represent my complex mesh I've created a cylinder.
Then I've assigned 2 vertex groups
Then added 2 cubes to represent my mesh modifier cages.
Then added mesh deform modifier to a cylinder to modify it with cubes.
Then added armature and rigged cubes.
Works good. My result is something like this:
Not quite what I want, but now I can go to edit mode and fix whatever I don't like. I can even animate changes with animall addon, but not with an ease that I would like to. So, I've added a hook.
Ok, but now whenever I use armature, hook stays in place.
Still can modify mesh with hook, but something that stays out of place would be bad in a real complex mesh situation. Just imagine 20 hooks are out of place and you don't really know what changes what... I tried to parent, to copy transforms, etc.,etc.,etc., but to no avail.
Right now, I am manipulating a cage that is manipulating an object. So the 2nd problem comes when I want to manipulate an object directly with armature, and then fix with mesh deform modifier.
If I rig my model and not my mesh cage, then whenever I move my object with an armature the cage obviously stays in place like a hook, creating a mess and if I rig both, then it's obviously doubles all the deformations
Is there any way to do it right?
Blend File if needed: Test.blend