SplineIK Solver vs PEN SplineIK?

#1

I have followed all the DVD2 of CG-Academy Intermediate Rigging with Max9-ServicePack2, made by Paul Neale. Thanks you very much for the experience!

In Chapters 1 and 2, PEN explain the creation of the standard Max SplineIK Solver, that have a twist issue of the bones (and also a Flip issue of the bones, caused by the Upnode axis), vs PEN version of modified SplineIK.

This is created by using the spline curve with applied the “Spline IK Control” Modifier, and the Helpers that drive the movements and deformations of the spline.
Another series of Helpers are constrained, with “Path Constrain”, to the spline curve; the bones finally have a “Position Constrain” linked to these last Helpers, and a “Look At Constrain” linked to the successive Helper in the hierarchy.

This is a Cartoon Style chain of Bones, because in the real world the Bones aren’t stretched or scaled over the lenght itself !
The bones, should have a fixed lenght.

Therefore:
How I can do to reproduce this behavior?
Should I use the standard Max “SplineIK Solver” instead of the “PEN SplineIK” modified version?

I have tried to made the PEN SplineIK, and select, for the bones, Bone Tool>ObjectProperties>Stretch:“None” instead of “Scale”, but, as the result, I get that one bone is detached from the other, in the hierarchy.

How can I do to avoid this detaching, and reproduce the same “PEN SplineIK” example, but with the fixed lenght of the bones?

#2

Just so you know you have asked this in the wrong place. This is where you post tips and tricks not ask for them.

Any way, here I am.

Well one method that you can use is to path conform a second path to the first. This second path is the one that drives the bones. Path constrain will allow you to decide if the path is stretched along the first path or not.

#3

Just so you know you have asked this in the wrong place. This is where you post tips and tricks not ask for them.

Excuse me this is the first time that I visited this forum.

Well one method that you can use is to path conform a second path to the first. This second path is the one that drives the bones. Path constrain will allow you to decide if the path is stretched along the first path or not.

I haven’t understood well what you mean; therefore I want explain what I have do (the number of paragraphs, refers to the attached image number 01,02,03.jpg):

1a) I have cloned the Base Line01, that have the helpers assigned to it, and the SplineIKControl Modifier assigned to it.
1b) I have created the Bone Chain by snapping the bones creation to the helpers.
1c) I have moved the entire BoneChain to the left in the viewport.
See this image:
http://forums.cgsociety.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=120105&stc=1

  1. I have applied the standard Max “SplineIK Solver” to the BoneChain, by selecting the copied “Line02” as target spline.
    The problem:
    The IKGoal of SplineIKSolver is moved little to the left, from the position of the last helper! Why?
    This is not a precise method for the following skinning operations…
    How to solve it?
    See this image:
    http://forums.cgsociety.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=120106&stc=1

3a) I have Path Constrainted the Helpers of the copied “Line02” to the Base Line01. In this manner the second Line02 is conformed to the Base Line01.
The problem:
How to set the LookAt constraint for the bones, if these bones are linked together, and them form a chain?
See this image:
http://forums.cgsociety.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=120107&stc=1

#4

Since you are using the Ogre I’m guessing that you have the rigging DVD’s. If this is the case I cover how you create a spline IK system. I don’t use the spline IK solver in Max but instead I use constraints to handle the whole set up.

#5

Since you are using the Ogre I’m guessing that you have the rigging DVD’s.

Yes, I have the rigging DVD’s and I have followed the entire tutorial.

If this is the case I cover how you create a spline IK system. I don’t use the spline IK solver in Max but instead I use constraints to handle the whole set up.

Yes you don’t use the SplineIKSolver, but instead the constraints.
But as I have writed previously and above, I want that the bones have fixed lenght, not stretched over the lenght, with cartoon style behavior.
Is it for this reason that I have used standard Max SplineIKSolver, and you have suggested me to use a second spline conformed (PathConstraint) to the first spline.

Exists another method (other than Max SplineIKSolver), to control the bone chain with a spline, without stretching it, and with fixed lenght?

Is it correct the work that I have done?

#6

You need to use the method that I use on the DVD but you will need a second path that does not stretch along the other. So the rig I set up for constrolling the spline is the same. The bones will be constrainted to a second path that is path deformed to the first. When you create the second path just create it straight as it does not need to be curved as the path deformed by the path deform for you.

Sorry I don’t have time to write a full tutorial onit for you.

#7

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