Milkshape animating amateur question.

Background: So I decided to give animating in Milkshape a try (I normally animate in XSI). I decided the best way to start is with a Blizzard model, so I imported the rifleman model.

Now, I've imported and modeled, skinned, etc. models in milkshape before, but I've never animated in it. I created bones etc., and attached the groups to the bones. So far so good. But then I get a series of problems:

1. After I tick the "animate" button, when I move, rotate, etc the model the limbs get lopped off the model. So it looks like disjointed arms and head, etc are moving around. I thought that I might need to weld the vertices together, so I did, and then comes...
2. When I animate the welded model, the figure becomes twisted and distorted when I animate it. A point in his arm would remain in the back while his shoulder twists to the front. What on earth is going on.

So,... can anyone shed some light into this? Thanks.

It means you've rigged it wrong.

Use "select assigned" to check what vertices are assigned to what bones, and make sure that the vertices you think should be assigned to a bone are assigned to that bone.

Hello master Rao. So welding it shouldn't be a problem right?

Let me try to re-rig this piece of bollocks.

Welding is sometimes a problem, but it tends to be that when you're assigning them, you'd assign the whole group of unwelded vertices anyway. Besides, if you're getting deformation in the back when you're moving the arms...

A screenshot or two might help.

Anyway, good practice is that everything is welded anyway; if you want jagged edges, use smoothing groups (ohohoh, I remember the days when I went ctrl+A ctrl+shift+W for my mechs... :'( ).