Bones (Please help)

[TheRacoonRangler]

I'm having a hard time figuring out how to put bones on, i read the booklet thing but i still don't understand it. When i click the bones tab thing it comes up and theres a bone there, but when i got to test it out it doesn't work. And i wont let me add another bone. So if you could help me that'd be great

[Caroline]

It sounds as if you are creating the bone, but not telling A:M what control points (CPs) are attached to that bone.

 

There is a video tutorial for Exercise 9 - Flower Power that takes you through making a very simple model, then attaching bones to that model and making the flower move:

 

http://www.hash.com/VM/

 

This page has all the video tutorials that go with The Art Of Animation Master booklet, and Exercise 9 is the introductory bone one.

[Ganthofer]

First, let me state for the record, I am not a rigging expert and I don't pretend to be. OK.

 

Link to Useful Links in the Forum

 

The "Show some backbone" tutorial can be some what daunting but doable. The problem I found, was that after doing it, I still didn't really know much about rigging. Of course that is because it's not really intended to teach you about rigging or bones, only how to install the pre-existing rig.

 

The one bone that you see when you switch to bones mode on a newly created model is the root bone. It is there by default and all CP's and bones will move with it (but not in the modeling window!!!).

 

To add bones, you must select the little icon (upper right by default I believe- arrow with the +) similar to the one you use to add CP's to a model. place cursor and click right button down to place the start of the bone and move to where the end of the bone should be and release the button.

 

In the PWS you will see the named bone appear and it is here that you control the hierarchy of the bones (which bones are parented to which bone).

 

Now, you may have bones, but one of the CP's are attached to any of the bones (all CP's are attached to the root bone be default). If you click on a bone (it highlites and flashes) and the select a CP (or CP's left click and drag the box around one or more CP's) you will notice that the color of the CP changes to the color of the selected bone.

 

These are just the VERY BASICS.

 

If you then open a new action with this model or drop the model in a Chor, you will see the CP's move as you move the bones

 

Good luck and if you get stuck, please be as specif as possible with your question (this question was really broad) and you will get more precise answers. There are also a lot of resources on the forum if you do a little searching.

 

Glenn

[Dhar]

You cannot move "limbs" in the modeling window. Open an Action and there you'll see the bones work as expected.

[the_black_mage]

You cannot move "limbs" in the modeling window. Open an Action and there you'll see the bones work as expected.

 

or a choreography might be what you want as well....

[phatso]

What Dhar said. A lot of new users (who, me?) get confused at first because they don't keep in mind that the different modes have specific uses, and you have to be in the right one for things to work. I find that it helps to remember that A:M was once four separate programs, back in the days when computers weren't powerful enough to handle the whole thing.

 

Like practicing scales on the piano, this all becomes second nature in time.