simple constraint problem

[Ls3D]

Let me see if I get this,.. Your guy is stabbed in through one of the spine bones with a sword and now you want him to get up and keep fighting or something?

It is not totally clear what you are up to so you may need to post a screen dump or two and provide a more detailed description of how you setup and planned this to work, what went wrong etc.

Simple linking should work unless you have set things up as a prop or something.

-S

[capone_adam]

I got it to work, it was just a case of linking sword to spine which didn't work at first so I started going through every other method....no idea why it suddenly worked. Anyway as expected I'm still not sure it was the best solution, I'm trying to have the sword stick in chest and the the character pulls it out with his hand and uses it. I'm trying to go by the 'briefcase' tutorial in max but having problems. When I assign a link onto the sword in the frame the character starts to pull it out it makes the sword go on the floor...?!

[marktsang]

I'm trying to have the sword stick in chest and the the character pulls it out with his hand and uses it.

dont use linking if you want to animate the parent - use a position and orientation constraint and add the characters spine and the charactes hand as targets for both and then animate the weights to change from one to the other

mark

[capone_adam]

ok thanks, used orientation and position constraints to stick it to spine x, then used 'affect object only' in the hierarchy menu to place it correctly. Scrubbed to 0 in timeline, assigned controller link to spine x (with sword selected) and then scrubbed to frame 60 and linked to hand. I then go to 60+ and try moving the hand but its not moving the sword with it. Heres a pic incase it helps...

http://www.caponeart.com/delete2.jpg

[marktsang]

i woudln't use the link constraint transform - it is so much more work and hassle - use a normal transform controller with a position controller and orientation constraint like i said earlier

[capone_adam]

Argh, sorry but really not sure what you mean by 'using a normal transform controller'...don't think I have used that before?

[marktsang]

what i mean by a normal transform is a position rotation scale transform controller as opposed to a link constraint transform controller -
go into the dope sheet - curve editior or mortion panel and click on the transform --> go to assign controller and pick position rotation scale .

you have a link constraint controller assigned in the image above.

mark

[Ls3D]

Also don't be so tunneled in on making it work if you can just do a object swap and move on.

-S

[capone_adam]

Never used this controller before, trying to look it up and find a tutorial but with no luck. But as Ls3D says I need to move on so I'm just putting up with keying visability and having 2 swords. Maybe I'm being daft trying to do it with controllers. Thanks for your help anyway.

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