Leg Pole Vector Position Issue

#1

Hey guys,

So the short version of my question is: Is there a way to change an ikHandles’s pole vector end position without moving the joint chain?

I’ve been having some pole vector issues for quite some time in most of my rigs. In most of the tutorials I follow, the instructions say to place the PV control where the Knee is, move it forward on the Z axis, and then PV constrain the ikHandle of the leg to the control.

This method hasn’t worked for me in most of my rigs, so a friend of mine sent me a script that snaps a locator so where your PV Control should be placed.

Which helps with some of my rigs, but in the most current rig I’m working on, the pole vectors for my character’s legs are in front of her chest. The control still works, however any other animator who uses this rig hates that they are so high up from the knee’s actual position.

I’ve uploaded an image to this post if you guys want to see what I’m talking about. Thanks!

-Alex

#2

Hi
Create a curve with linear degree from Hip, Knee, Ankle (IK Joints). Select the ceter cv. Set the move tool Axis orientation to normal. Pull the selected cv in N direction to a desired position where you want to keep the PV ctrl. Now snap the PV ctrl to this cv and apply poleVector constraint to the ikHandle.
This should be the appropriate position with no flips or jump.
Regards,

#3

Howdy,

Take a look at the no flip leg setup on this character:
http://www.cactus3d.com/Basketball_Character_ma.zip

In that setup, the pole vector has a parent object at the top of the leg joint chain that has an aim constraint on it that targets the foot controller.

Adios,
Cactus Dan