MasterFunk Posted May 6, 2008 Share Posted May 6, 2008 In my animation my character pulls out a sword. I am using the translate to, and orient like, constraints to keep the hand on the sword. However, only the hand follows the sword. The forearm and the bicept don't move with it. Is there a particular constraint i should use to keep the arm facing the hand? Also, is there a limit to how many constraints one can have in a choreography? Thanks, MasterFunk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rusty Posted May 6, 2008 Share Posted May 6, 2008 In my animation my character pulls out a sword. I am using the translate to, and orient like, constraints to keep the hand on the sword. However, only the hand follows the sword. The forearm and the bicept don't move with it. Is there a particular constraint i should use to keep the arm facing the hand? Also, is there a limit to how many constraints one can have in a choreography? Thanks, MasterFunk Dear MasterFunk, It sounds like you wish to move the sword and have the hand as well as the shoulder and upper/lower arm move following the sword motion using IK. Well first this isn't how its normally done (at least for myself). Secondly, I guarantee you the upper/lower arm movement will look terrible. Normally you constrain 'the sword on the hand' (not the hand on the sword) and you use FK to manually move and key frame the shoulder/upper/lower arm and hand correctly using layering (the shoulder moves first then upper arm and so on), anticipation, arcs, follow through, secondary action, proper lines of action, balance and etc. to swing or jab el sword. If you move the sword and have the arm/hand follow it, the computer will not know how to add anticipation, secondary actions, arcs... and so on and it will look very bad. Comprenda? Hope that helps you out, Rusty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtpeak2 Posted May 6, 2008 Share Posted May 6, 2008 If you use IK, constrain the IK hand target null to the sword, not the hand. Then have the hand orient like the sword. Position the hand on the sword, then use compensate mode to constraint the hand target (translate to) and hand (orient like) to the sword. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Bigboote Posted May 6, 2008 Share Posted May 6, 2008 to keep the hand on the sword. You might want to rethink your basic approach... I would word it 'to keep the sword on the hand...' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MasterFunk Posted May 6, 2008 Author Share Posted May 6, 2008 Thanks everyone, I was originally going to constrain the hand to the sword but someone else said the other way around would be better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thefreshestever Posted May 6, 2008 Share Posted May 6, 2008 that was me! i have to say that i´ve never animated a fight-scene with a sword... but i´ve read that you should constrain the hand to a long thing like a sword in an e-book by sean kelley, the guy who animated yodas fight-scenes in star wars... i think he should know...!? it made sense to me as he wrote it would be very difficult to animate such a long thing like a sword in nice arcs if it´s controlled by a little thing like a hand since every degree you´ll rotate the wrist means a big movement of the tip of the sword... sounds reasonable to me... but rustys explanation makes sense too i have to admit... maybe just try what works better for you... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MasterFunk Posted May 8, 2008 Author Share Posted May 8, 2008 I ended up constraining the sword to the hand. I didn't bother constraining the other hand because i had trouble with that in the past, so i just made a lot of key frames. Here is what i came up with. ninjastarandswordfinal.mov Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hash Fellow robcat2075 Posted May 8, 2008 Hash Fellow Share Posted May 8, 2008 Good looking character. I don't think you said you wanted both hands to hold the sword. To do that you need to set the arms to IK and constrain both hands to the sword. Then animate just the sword. That would greatly simplify your work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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