SET DRIVEN KEY

Set Driven Key Video Tutorial: part 1
Set Driven Key Video Tutorial: part 2
Sent Driven Key Video Tuorial: part 3

Maya has a special type of key called a driven key that links one attribute value to another. When you create a driven key, you specify a driver attribute value and a driven attribute value. The value of the driven attribute is locked to a corresponding value of the driver attribute.

By linking several values of the driven and driver attributes, you create a predictable relationship between the attributes. A change in the driving attribute alters the value of the driven attribute. For instance, you can set driven keys to make a door open when a person walks in front of the door.

An attribute can be driven by multiple attributes. For instance, you can make a muscle bulge when an elbow rotates, and bulge even more when the wrist rotates. The muscle bulge is the driven attribute, and the elbow and wrist rotation are the driving attributes.

In standard animation keys, an attribute has values keyed to frames in the Time Slider. For a driven key, an attribute has values keyed to the value of a driving attribute.

The Time Slider is not involved in a driven key relationship and displays no red markers for the keys. Playing or scrubbing the animation alters the value of a driven attribute only if you animate the value of the driving attribute over time.

When you set driven keys, Maya creates a Graph Editor curve that shows the relationship between the linked attributes.

Set Driven key info

set driven keys have a DRIVER and a DRIVEN. for our purposes, the DRIVER is the CONTROL/attribute- we’ve made. the DRIVEN is GROUP that we have placed the series of bones under and the transform nodes (rotations/translations most often)

adding ATTRIBUTES to your rig

To add and edit more attributes of object than Channel Box- and to link new attributes to you character set up:

Window->Attribute Editor>add attributes
or
Modify->Add Attribute

POLE VECTORS

what are they??

A pole vector constraint causes the end of a pole vector to move to and follow the position of an object, or the average position of several objects.In character setup, the pole vectors of IK rotate plane handles for arm joint chains are often constrained to locators placed behind the character.

In general, you will want to constrain a pole vector so that the joint chain does not unexpectedly flip when you manipulate the IK rotate plane handle. Because flipping can occur when the handle vector approaches or intersects the pole vector, you should constrain the pole vector so that the handle vector is unlikely to cross it.

For more information about pole vectors and IK rotate plane handles, see Chapter 20, “Using IK Rotate Plane Handles.”

CONSTRAINTS and DYNAMIC PARENTING

Dynamic Parenting refers to a situation where the inheritance of an object’s transform channels can be turned on and off, either by keyframes or other means, during the course of an animation. Commonly this is used to allow an animated character to pick up and put down objects. It is also very useful when controlling the binding and interaction of two molecular structures in a scientific animation. In Maya, the easiest way to achieve dynamic parenting is through the use of constraints.

Point Constraint: One or more other objects control any or all of one object’s translation channels.

Orient Constraint: One or more other objects control any or all of one object’s rotation channels.

Parent Constraint: One or more other objects control any or all of one object’s translation and rotation (but not scale) channels.

Note that the Maintain Offset option will allow you to maintain the controlled object’s current position at the time these constraints are applied.

Other constraints include Geometry, Normal, Tangent, Pole Vector(see posting), Aim, and Scale.

Reverse Foot Tutorial

For gaming and simulation most characters (especially bipeds) have multiple animation cycles involving their legs – walking , running, creeping, …etc. This kind of movement requires a lot of animation devoted to moving the feet. To make this process simple for the animator we will create a reverse foot setup. Keep in mind, there are a myriad of ways to rig a character’s feet for animation.

The premise for the reverse foot lies in that there are essentially four pivot points of the foot – the ankle, heel, ball and toe. We need to have a setup where the animator can have access to al the pivot points. We will construct this setup so the animator will only select one controller and have full access to the pivots.

TUTORIALS:

http://www.highend3d.com/maya/tutorials/character/Character-Setup-for-Real-Time-in-Maya-3-0-223.html

http://student.vfs.com/~m07goosh/Tutorials/reversefootlock/reversefootlock.htm

Using IK Handles

In Maya using with inverse kinematics involves using tools called “IK handles” that pose joint chains. The effect of the IK handle on the joint chain depends on the type of IK solver the IK handle is using.

Maya provides three types of IK handles: Single Chain handle, Rotate Plane handle, and Spline handle. Each type of IK handle uses a different type of IK solver.

A little more explanation about IK handles and Pole Vectors
(http://accad.osu.edu/~midori/03_750/handouts/IK_solvers.html)

Rigging a Biped Character- Written tutorial: pdf.

Click the title below to view the tutorial. its clearly written with photos and is an excellent beginning to character setup. Maya Skeleton Setup- one

Rigging a Biped Character- Video tutorials

Basic Character Setup video tutorials Web site.http://www.swinburne.edu.au/design/tutorials/P-maya/T-Maya-Rigging-Rigging-a-biped-character-for-animation/ID-125/

19 part video based tutorial/ swinburne.edu

found animation 1:

 BLACK LAKE

Two of my favorite Animators/Motionographers: David O’Reilly & Jon Klassen’s, newest collaboration….(at the If You Could Collaborate show at A Foundation Gallery (London) through January 23.) Really interesting idea that breaks the facade/crosses the line between object and setup- to become part of the story.

3D Bones- aka: Joints- and how to use them.

Arrrrrgh, Rigging- or adding bones to 3D characters/objects.

(not to be confused with rigging)

VIDEO TUTORIALS:
1) HOW TO CREATE BONES:
part 1
part 2
part 3
part 4

2) HOW TO INSERT BONES:
insert joints in chain here

3)HOW TO REMOVE JOINTS:
remove joints here

4) HOW TO CONTROL JOINT SIZE:
joint scale here

orienting joints of a skeleton after positioning them in a character’s mesh is extremely important. without double checking them you’ll experience a lot of troubles as soon as you are playing around with your rig. theoretically if you don’t edit a skeleton at all, you don’t have to orient the joints since the rotation is set automatically when creating them, but this practically never happens: you’ll always edit your skeleton somehow, so fixing or checking the local orientations of all joints is a must. die-hards can still orient all the joints manually by selecting all joints, displaying the local rotation axis (display > transform display > local rotation axis), accessing component mode (f8), switching the miscellaneous selection mask in the status bar to local rotation axes (right-click on the ‘?’ icon) and then rotate each joint step by step. nowadays maya offers a little helper: skeleton > orient joints.