Parenting to Character

[tibes]

If you parent the box to the hand goal (assuming you're using IK) it should move with the goal. Keeping it "in the hand" is an illusion that you need to pull off with the animation.

You might be interested in this plugin - http://www.butterflynetrender.com/attractor.html

It allows you to dynamically "attract" objects together (kinda like parenting, but animatable).

[joshcxa]

Thanks tibes. Nice to see another melb lw user

I have had a perfect working setup but this time with a different IK setup (hands pinned) it just doesnt have the desired effect.

With this plugin will i have to do much tweaking to each frame?

[tibes]

The plugin just allows dynamic parenting, so it works pretty much like normal parenting in terms of how it affects the objects.

Depending on your setup, usually you can parent the object to the hand goal and position it so the object sits in the hand in local space, wrap the fingers around it etc. Usually the rig will be set up so that rotations of the hand goal will be passed on to the hand, so it should look like the object is "stuck" in the hand without having it tweak it at all (i.e. it shouldn't move out of the hand on it's own accord, unless you move the goal out of reach of the bone or something).

Post up a quick render anim of what's happening if you can't get it going...

Cheers :beer:

[joshcxa]

Yeah no worries, I'll do that tomorrow. I'm just using the motion modifier, parenter at the moment. What does the plugin you suggested do that parenter cant?

[tibes]

You can set attraction to more than one object, and the object remains in world space. (That said, I haven't bothered buying that plugin yet, it's been in my bookmark list for ages though :D)

[joshcxa]

http://joshcxa.plastiqueweb.com/anim/parentProb.wmv

There is a little test. Horrible isnt it?

[Bonzodogboy]

Hi Josh,
I had a look at your animation, and I don't think the problem is actually with the linking,
it is with the 'weight' of the monitor.
When the character hits the monitor it has nice weight to it and bounces nicely, but when the hand lifts it, it appears light...
and also the monitor flips around to face the same way as the null it is parented to i am guessing..
I would get the character to use both hands to lift the object, and then keyframe to give the illusion of weight... so i guess i am saying animate the monitor to get the desired motion, and then if needed target/parent the hands to t he monitor, rather than the monitor to the hands... :)

[tibes]

The flipping looks like a local space issue, so you may have to keyframe the monitor on the parenting frame so that the switch over is seamless, in the scene you have now.

But I agree with Bonzodogboy, you probably will want to parent both hand goals to the monitor, since the character would need both hands to lift it off the desk. Once you have more than one point of control (i.e. two hands lifting together), it is easier to animate the common point (the monitor) and adjust the others to suit.

HTH

*Edit* 3 lightwavers from Mlebourne in one thread, what are the odds?? :D

[dines]

what about this...

ftp://ftp.newtek.com/pub/LightWave/Tutorials/Vidz/p2_web.mov


or...

but that is just a thought...

or you can add a dynamics to the hand and make a collision object stick to it... I never tried this approach but if you find the time let me know if it works...

[joshcxa]

Bonzodogboy - That actually wasnt to show animation skills, that was to show the problem i'm having with parenting the monitor to the char. But thanks anyways. I'll post the the rest of the animation up to that point when i render it out later then you can crit to your hearts content :D

tibes - yeah i've also had issues using the screen as the goal. Must have a shitty IK set up. I'll have to play around some more but I gotta get it!!!

dines - Thanks i'll check that out a little later. dynamics could be an option but i'll try an steer clear if possible 'cause im bound to get some probs with that too heh

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