Stretch and Fingers « Rigging101

AntManley
Member
Posted 9 months ago
#

Evening all, I'm a 3rd year UK animation student, so yes you can moan about me asking for help, I would. Anywho I'm currently rigging a biped, I've got a 3 chain IK/FK switch on the arms and legs, but I have two problems:

How can I integrate a stretchy limb feature into the IK and FK chains on the legs and the arms so they will affect the binding CTRL joint chain.

Also a second point, I have a simple ctrl for my fingers, with direct connections leading from custom attr's to the finger jnt's RotX and RotZ. But I would also like to add an autocurl and auto fist feature in the ctrls, but as the joints are already connected to my hand ctrl attr's, SDK's wont work.

Any information is greatly appreciated I know you guys are the bigwigs of rigging so any time you send my way for suggestions would be godlike to say the least.

Thanks again guys
AntManley
Member
Posted 9 months ago
#

Ok sorry for those two questions up there, they were awful and stupid, my apologies, been swatting up the past couple of days and I've figured it all out. BUT I think I have a question that could be answered, that isn't entirely a newbie student question.

Is it possible to use a SDK to drive the locking of a custom attribute?

For example

(These attr's are on the same hand controller)
Mode = 0 (0=stretch off)
ShouldStretch -lock -non keyable
elbowstretch -lock -non keyable
Forearmstretch -lock -non keyable

Mode = 1
ShouldStretch -unlocked -keyable
elbowstretch -unlocked -keyable
Forearmstretch -unlocked -keyable
Javier "Goosh" Solsona (admin)
Key Master
Posted 9 months ago
#

You could always do it via a scriptJob

I don't think you can link it via an SDK or a direct link.. but I could be wrong? :D
AntManley
Member
Posted 9 months ago
#

How could I go about doing it via a script? I know the values that make the Attr's lock and unlock, keyeable unkeyable etc, but I'm a very big novice when it comes to switch statements and if else commands in MEL. Any examples?
Javier "Goosh" Solsona (admin)
Key Master
Posted 9 months ago
#

I don't have an actual example in front of me but it's something like

scriptJob -attributeChange "mySlider" doLock;

doLock()
{
setAttr -lock true "cube.myAttribute";
}

No exactly that, but something similar
Adam
Member
Posted 9 months ago
#

scriptJobs are dangerous. I wouldn't do them for this.
As for your first issue, "How can I integrate a stretchy limb feature...?"

Depending on how you have the 3 chains connected to each other, you have to have translation somewhere in there. I personally like to use blendColors nodes to hook them up. one set for translations, one set for rotations. That way no matter what you do to the fk or ik, the result arm will follow. Using an attribute to drive the blender attribute.

Second question, "..autocurl and auto fist feature in the ctrls...?"

Best way to do this is to use SDK on all the finger controls. Maya automatically implements a blendWeighted node to mesh both individual finger controls and whole hand controls. If you need a 1 to 1 connection with SDK. set attr to 1 and rotation to 1. then go to graph editor and set pre and post infinity to linear.

Hope this helps,
Adam

edit: sorry, just went back and read the second post. o well :)

Reply

You must log in to post.

Rigging101 I didn't know you could do THAT?!?!?

Rigging

Stretch and Fingers (6 posts)

About This Topic

Tags

Reply