Topic awaiting preservation: Action Figure Shoulder Rig

This one has been bothering me for quite some time. Getting to know IK in 3DS Max has been a lot of fun. You know, this and that and all of the other.

While I do enjoy the challenge of organic mesh skinning, I am fascinated with getting Max to emulate toys. You know, the rigid stuff. Bunches of objects, a hierarchy, and some solvers. Nice and tidy with no envelopes. Sounds easy enough.

Well, not exactly for my first self-challenge.

I decided to tackle and action figure. I could have very easily faked a lot of it and made my life easier, but I wanted bits and pieces. I ran into some serious problems trying to get the shoulder to work like a real action figure.

The shoulder joint in an action figure is basically two pivots in a ball and cylinder. The cylinder sticks into the body and the ball is attatched to the arm. At least for the ones that I used to have.

The problem is that IK doesn't exactly swivel. Know what I mean? The shoulder piece would rotate in all sorts of directions and manners that it wasn't supposed to. :yech:

It took some lateral thinking for an IK newbie like me, but I finally got it. The trick was in the hierarchy and with an extra dummy object.

Normally the hierarchy would go Body > Shoulder > Humerous > Forearm > Hand. Doesn't exactly work for what I was going for.

So I tossed in a dummy object to act as the movable shoulder joint, then linked the visible shoulder joint to the arm (Humerous). So, the first IK chain goes from the hand to the dummy/movable shoulder, and the second IK chain goes from the dummy/movable shoulder to the body. The visible shoulder is in the hierarchy under the Humerous, but it's not a part of either IK chain.

After that it was just a matter of locking things down. Works like a charm.



Now that I have it figured out, I'll do the same for the elbow.

I'm learning how to get IK to do what I want it to do. Better watch out -- I'm coming for ya.

play.fiddle.learn

I'm really sorry I can't help out. My 3D work has not even come close to using some motion like that. If you can't get an answer here... try over at Max Forum http://www.maxforums.org/ as those guys are REALLY DAMN GOOD!!!

Dude, I had it figured out when I made the post. I was just so please with myself that I just had to let you folks know. Thanks for the indirect help, though.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm working on my first totally complete 3d piece. Coming soon to an Asylum near you. Waha!

me bad... me bad... I misread your post. sorry... and Cheers!!!

No prob.

Now, rather than start a new thread, I'm going to show what I've been working on.

Inspired by the serial killer Ed Gein. It's not as macabre as the things he did, but it is rather suggestive.

myroom2.jpg

um.... you never say if you actually ever finished modling his 'bits and peices'...


heheheheh


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