Atkelar

Thanks again! I was able to reproduce the rig and it works like a charm! well... now for the left strap... I think it's time to try out that mirror-bones plug in. Greetings, Atkelar

I deleted the quiver from the model shown in the video because it is Steve Shelton's model for a project he's working on...I don't mind posting the rig though. I left the strap so that you can see how the rig works, but modified it to be more generic. Hope that helps, Atkelar. Thank you! I had trouble setting up te "ease" setting - but it might be that I created the bones as hierarchy instead of independent ones... I'll try this again in the evening! Greetings, Atkelar

Of course - - the basic design decision for "Frucosiadas" was: very simplified yet well animated. So besides the key character(s) of a sequence there will always only be the key prop(s) and no "set decoration". So: the "backpack" in question IS the key prop in my next sequence and it should look smooth. Thanks for the input - I can actually picture this working in another sequence (where the backpack is only worn and not put on/off) but for the current one I'll try to duplicate the rigging in the other video! Greetings, Atkelar

I'm not sure how a path constraint would help, because the path constraint I'm familiar with is used to constrain one bone along a path. I'll take a look at the constraints in the evening, maybe you are referring to something else or the path constraint has a different option. Or - maybe - I'm still not making myself clear enough (sorry, English is my second language only ) - I'm not looking for a constraint to "stick" the strap to the hand of my character, that's something only relevant for a few frames and could be "hand animated" without much efford. BUT the straps need to move during the interaction and I woul like to avoid muscle mode and moving dozens of bones for this... Greetings, Atkelar This video shows a similar strap rigged with a path constraint (actually, a single path with a bunch of path constraints), Atkelar. Hope that helps. Wow! That would be exactly what I was looking for - except it doesn't say how to actually set the constraints and I still can't imagine how the path constraint would work togetern with the nulls... Greetings, Atkelar

I'm not sure how a path constraint would help, because the path constraint I'm familiar with is used to constrain one bone along a path. I'll take a look at the constraints in the evening, maybe you are referring to something else or the path constraint has a different option. Or - maybe - I'm still not making myself clear enough (sorry, English is my second language only ) - I'm not looking for a constraint to "stick" the strap to the hand of my character, that's something only relevant for a few frames and could be "hand animated" without much efford. BUT the straps need to move during the interaction and I woul like to avoid muscle mode and moving dozens of bones for this... Greetings, Atkelar

Hello! Sorry for the dely - RL keeps interfering I used that many CPs for a reason: Splines bend, but only between CPs - in case of the "semi-solid" objects that means: less CPs, more rigid. Or: more CPs, more "dangly straps" (IF I manage to rig it right ) Thanks, Atkelar

Hello! Here's a wireframe of the straps/belts or whatever you might call them. I didn't include the "backpack" because it's part of the main joke in the animation and I don't want to give away anything. I'd like my character to pick up the backpack - either AT the straps or at a handle and then put it on. Either way the straps have to act like leather belts - i.e. somewhat stiff yet still bending in all directions - and I'd like to spare myself the time of hand-animating them in muscle-mode. Hope that clears things up a bit and again, thanks for all the input! Atkelar

Hello there! I'm working on modelling/rigging props for my next short animation and I ran into a snag: What would be a reasonably well done way of rigging a backpack strap - i.e. the ones my character will pick that backpack up and put around his shoulders..? I have a model tha has a belt (i.e. flatened cylinder) creating a loop there and have created some cross sections for it to bend a bit. Bit I need a few pointers as to how to set up bones to suppor the animaion. I don't want the straps to look like they are "cast iron"... Anything that saves me from hand-animating every control point is helping. Thanks in advance, Atkelar