CGTalk - Joint local axis rotation

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JustChris

01-08-2007, 05:38 PM

I'm trying to rig a character to import into a game, and as I added the IK handles to the limbs of the skeleton I tested it out and notice that the bends in the knees and elbows are facing the wrong way! They bend sideways instead of forwards. Now I remember that this has to do with how the local axes of the joints are oriented, but don't know how to manually rotate those axes. The bend happens around the local Z axis of the joints. If I rotate those axes around will the knees bend the right way?

KarlErlandsen

01-09-2007, 01:45 PM

Hi Chris,
I think the easiest way to get the behaviour you want is first to delete the existing IK handle. Then grab the "middle joint" (eg the knee if you're working on the leg, or the elbow if you're working on the arm), rotate it in the direction you want the IK to bend it in, and then hold down your right mouse button over the joint and choose "Set Preferred Angle". If you then rotate the joint back to how it was and create your IK handle again, it should bend in the direction you specified :)

Hope this helps!
Karl

TechnicallyArtistic

01-15-2007, 11:28 AM

Part of this is probably due to what angle you had bent into your joints when you started, and I'm guessing you never oriented the joints at all before skinning.

Rather than explain this again...
http://home.comcast.net/~evil_the_cat/SGR5.html (http://home.comcast.net/%7Eevil_the_cat/SGR5.html)

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