Rigging a lattice boomed crane.

#1

Hey everyone,

Apologies if this isn’t in correct thread! Basically i am trying to rig this lattice boomed crane for an animation, but i am very much a rigging noob! Here is the model im trying to rig
](http://s764.photobucket.com/user/1calum1/media/latticecrane_zps96bc6430.jpg.html)[/IMG]
and here is the simplified version i am trying to rig first
](http://s764.photobucket.com/user/1calum1/media/latticecrane_simple_zps7c514186.jpg.html)[/IMG]

and the crane IRL
I have been close a few times but i can never get it right, has anyone got any ideas? Might be a uber easy thing to rig, but i have never rigged anything in my life!

Cheers in advance.

#2

It would help if you described what you want it to do, how you want it to work, exactly.

Rigging is software specific, it is a good habit to mention the software somewhere in your post. I’m guessing this is 3ds max.

If all you need is for the hook to come down, a very simple primitive way would be to skin the spline vertices at the end of the bow to the bow and the ones near the hook to the hook (keep the verts Corner, Not bezier, no vertices in the part where you need it straight). Add a normalize spline modifier on top for the texture to not stretch if it would be visible.

#3

Yeah sorry its 3ds max. I have the hook sorted, its just trying to get the boom, cable and arm to work how i want it (the triangle you can see in the images). I just need it so that if the arm is rotated from its base, then it pulls the cable and that in turn pulls the end of the boom (the cable doesn’t shrink or grow, its always in tension). Right now im messing about with IK solvers, but i really don’t have enough time mess around in trial and error!

#4

It’s much simpler in reverse (more straightforward to animate, too) - you rotate the boom up and that rotates the arm. Make a 2 bone chain for arm-cable-boomTip (technically 3 bones, since there’s also the end bone) link it to the main tower rotation control and add an ik solver on it. Link the IK target to the boom. When you rotate the boom, the arm will rotate and the cable stay same length. But if the bases of the boom and arm are at the same point (your simplified model), you will not see an angle difference from as if they all being linked to the boom. In your model, they’re slightly apart, so you better test it that way.

#5

Cheers, i shall give that a try! Yeah i realised that earlier, working with separate pivot point for the boom and arm now. One more thing, what IK solver would you suggest i use? Thanks.

#6

IK Limb, or if you want to set limits - HI Solver. They’re almost identical, both are History independent. Don’t use HD Solver.

#7

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