Does anyone know of a solid, reliable workflow for skin weighting using an external software? I find CC4’s skin weighting tools extremely inefficient and inaccurate compared to, let’s say, 3ds Max with the Bones Pro plugin or Maya’s native skinning tools. I would much rather prefer to work on the skin weighting there than waste a lot of time with CC4’s skin weighting tools.
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I have the same issue. The default template gives very poor results on the armpits, and CC4’s skin weighting tool feels inefficient and frustrating. I’m also looking for a workflow to handle this in an external software but haven’t found anything useful so far 
Have you tested Blender Link Plugin to skin the weight and send it back to CC?!. It is very sad that skinning in CC is painful and so difficult.
Yes it works, and I finally figured out how to do it even without the plugin if you want to use another software. In the Create menu, select “Cloth, Hair, Acc (with FBXKey)” to ensure your FBX is recognized as clothing rather than an accessory. This way, you won’t need to convert it, and all skinning data will be preserved.
It only took me a few minutes to do in Maya what I couldn’t achieve in hours using CC4. 
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Could you tell me how you were able to export the cloth, weight paint and take it back to cc4 while preserving the new skin weights? I have been trying with blender and it doesn’t seem to work.
Hi dude,
Sorry for the very late reply. I hadn’t checked the topic since my last response.
The process is actually very easy with Blender.
First install this plugin : Character Creator Auto Setup for Blender | Free Download
Scroll down a bit, and you’ll find a tutorial where Kai explains how to use it.
Export your character from CC4 using the new export option that appears after installing the plugin. Make sure to export only the mesh, not the animation. You will get a couple of files, including your FBX and FBXKey. Keep everything together it’s crucial.
In Blender import your character using the plugin you installed. Do not use the standard import method, follow the steps in the tuto. Do your painting, then export your character again using the plugin. You will get a new FBX, FBXKey, and some other files.
Finally import those new files into CC4 using the import button from the plugin, and voilà, it should work.
If your character loses some textures in CC4, open your original project, then select Replace Character (Keep Outfit).
Let me know if you still need help.