Need help with CAT rig swivel joints.

#1

I am trying to setup my CAT rig to have swivel helpers with lookatcontraints on the upperarm, so that i can have swivel joints on my elbows. When i create these swivel contraints i am doing so in a Abs layer. When i have the contraints looking all nice and ready, i will start to add mocap into the equation. So now i capture animation from using a biped that has the mocap data on it and when i capture it will add a another Abs collasped layer on top of the Abs constraint layer that i just made with my swivels. After this happen i can’t maninpulate my swivels anymore.

I want to be able to have these swivels on my rig so that i can use them as i edit my mocap data. So i am either going about it the wrong way or i’m doing it wrong.

I think i am just missing some little detail with using CAT since im new to it.

#2

This is a mistake that is often done when new users are dealing with CAT. CAT not only allows you to create setup controllers that influence all layers in the stack, you can also create custom controllers for each animation layer that lays on top of the setup.

How to do it:

Create your custom setup controllers in Setup Mode. Go to Hierarchy Panel -> Link Info and choose “Animation Controller” instead of “Static Matrix”. This will add another layer to your controller system called “Setup”. In order to make this controller effect all layers in the stack, no matter how many you add, make sure to activate “Relative to Setup Pose” also.

In this new Setup layer that has been created, you can go in and add custom controllers and create your own complex setup. The cool thing is that you can still create setups in Animation Mode that can be turned on or off as you wish, for example when you want to use a specific setup just for a specific animation. A relative layer that is listed at the very end of your layer stack is a good choice for putting in another custom setup.

#3

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