rigging

[guilded]

I have no idea what to do when it comes to rigging, and i think it's really holding me back because I can do some ok modeling but I have no idea where to start when i want to animate anything. I really need to learn how to use constraints and stuff, and I know there's probably some obvious place to start learning but I looked around and I must have missed it. Where should I start? I think i'd like to rig some mechanical models.

[Stuart Rogers]

There does seem to be quite a void between the "Show Some Backbone" tutorial and the actual mechanics of constraints. The only thing I can suggest is to experiment!

 

Create a simple object with a couple of bones, add just one constraint in a pose, create a new action (remembering to turn the pose on in the action) and move targets around to see how they react. Most costraints are as simple as their names suggest. The most important IMO are "translate to", "orient like", "aim at" and "aim roll at". (A lot of the others can be synthesised through a combination of these basics, along with perhaps a few more bones).

 

I've never needed the spherical/translation constraints, and only recently (having used A:M on and of for five years) found a use (albeit obscure) for "Aim Like Two".

 

Once you have an idea about how these work, take the basic Hash rig (from, say, the Shaggy model), strip out everything that doesn't pertain to one leg, and study the bone layout and constraints used to make that knee joint work. That's how I did it - it took me ages to pluck up the courage to make a start, but it's worth the effort.

[rbjohnsn]

Sturat, have you used the spherical constraints in ver 13c? I tried to implement the sample showed in the help file only to have the calf bone go crazy?

[itsjustme]

I cover some basics and some advanced stuff in the A Face Rigging Method tutorial...the basic constraints stuff is in the first few minutes.

 

Here is a simple piston rigging tutorial.

 

You could also look through the Tutorials section of this forum and the ARM. Patason Brooks has some good tutorials located here. An IK/FK tutorial is located here, a good leg tutorial is located here and Matthew Krick has some tutorials located here.

 

There are plenty more...that's off the top of my head. Hope that helps.

[rbjohnsn]

I cover some basics and some advanced stuff in the A Face Rigging Method tutorial...the basic constraints stuff is in the first few minutes.

 

Here is a simple piston rigging tutorial.

 

You could also look through the Tutorials section of this forum and the ARM. Patason Brooks has some good tutorials located here. An IK/FK tutorial is located here, a good leg tutorial is located here and Matthew Krick has some tutorials located here.

 

There are plenty more...that's off the top of my head. Hope that helps.

 

Thanks for your response. You provide me with two new links I was not aware of. Unforthantly none of the addresses the issuse of the constraint I am trying to use.