Hey, this is a long video so please feel free to browse through it depending on what section you would like to see.I’ll outline the different concepts in parts so you can see if there’s anything you like or don’t like.
1.) The first part is explaining the basic 3 layer tail system. It begins with set driven key options on a standard single control that will curl the tail up and down uniformly. The second level is a full FK control system that updates with the set driven keys. These 2 systems also drive a bendy rubber hose system for extra posing.
2.) The 3 layer system can drive a dynamic Ik spline that will adjust it’s start position to the last 3 layer control pose. It also has the option to blend between the 3layerFK and the dynamic solve. In the dynamics themselves you can animate the curve attract of the dynamic curve to adjust how closely the dynamic curve of the Ik spline is influenced by the FK controls for finite tweaking and collision fixing.
3.) I wanted a universal tail setup and after browsing though some forums I found some ppl were stumped as to how to create a monkey tail rig.
The basic problem is that the standard FK motion of the tail starts out in the base an moves outwards. In order to hang and swing from a branch like a monkey, the tail’s rotation must invert and start from the tip. I created a monkey system that would invert the rotation without cycling and still make full use Of the FK and Bendy options.
I’d really appreciate your feedback on any or all of these setups and let me know what you think of it. I’m still starting out as a rigger but I’m learning more and more everyday.
I apologize for the long post but the video is 15min long so I wanted to give an overview so if you only wanted to see one aspect you could skip to it.