sinIcide
08-19-2007, 10:01 AM
Ok so I have this robot character that I am using for an animation final and I am trying to rig the leg with controls and such so animating will be a bit easier. Anyhow my robot has this unique knee joint thing going on, very much like the legs of a Gundam toy model. See the attached images.
Anyhow I am having a tough time figuring out how to go about using IK handles and curve controllers for this. I have setup an IK handle RP solver going from the top joint to the bottom knee joint but then I moved the pivot point of the end effector for the IK handle to joint below the bottom knee joint. So when I move that IK it bends part of the leg the top joint basically. Now I couldn't figure out how to have it effect the bottom one equally so I came up with the idea of using a bottom knee controlling curve. I used a parent constratnt and only applied it on rotate x. So now when I rotate my curve in the x direction it'll rotate that bottom knee joint for me.
Now I run into a problem. I either want to figure out how to have the knee controller curve move with that bottom knee joint so when I move the foot controller it'll move the knee controller too. But I want the knee controller's pivot to always remain where the bottom knee joint is so I don't have it flying off away from that bottom knee when I move/rotate the foot controller.
Ok now there has to be an easier way of rigging this foot. So any help would be much apperciated. I've been racking my brain on this one for a long while.
Anyhow I am having a tough time figuring out how to go about using IK handles and curve controllers for this. I have setup an IK handle RP solver going from the top joint to the bottom knee joint but then I moved the pivot point of the end effector for the IK handle to joint below the bottom knee joint. So when I move that IK it bends part of the leg the top joint basically. Now I couldn't figure out how to have it effect the bottom one equally so I came up with the idea of using a bottom knee controlling curve. I used a parent constratnt and only applied it on rotate x. So now when I rotate my curve in the x direction it'll rotate that bottom knee joint for me.
Now I run into a problem. I either want to figure out how to have the knee controller curve move with that bottom knee joint so when I move the foot controller it'll move the knee controller too. But I want the knee controller's pivot to always remain where the bottom knee joint is so I don't have it flying off away from that bottom knee when I move/rotate the foot controller.
Ok now there has to be an easier way of rigging this foot. So any help would be much apperciated. I've been racking my brain on this one for a long while.