Inverse Kinematics Tutorial

Open the file Uniped2.max from T:\School Courses\ComputerCourses\dmd12\uniped

You should see……

A. Setting up an IK Solver

Select the thigh

Choose

Click on the foot

Click on it and drag it around using the move tool

You should be able to move it around like the following tools

Isn’t that cool???

B. Attaching the IK Chain to a pointer….

Create a point helper and place it in front of the foot

We will then link the ikchain to the pointer using the button

You should be able to drag the pointer around and move the unipeds leg

Rename Point1 to say Point_legcontrol

C. Adding a Pointer to move the body

Let’s add a second point that we will use to move the body. Call it point_movebody

Link the body to point_movebody

Link point_legcontrol to point_movebody

Moving point_movebody around should now move the entire body

D. Adding a Slider Manipulator to control the head.

Choose slider and click in the upper right corner of the front view to get…

Go to the properties of the slider and change the following

We now need to make the slider actually control the head turn…. Okay here we go

You should see this now

Choose

Yikes it looks scary

Just like on the track view we can click on the “+” signs to on the left side to get…

this tells the computer we are concerned with the value of the slider

Now on the right side use the tool and look under Medit Materials. Click on objects and follow this path

Look at the numbered arrows and click on the selections in a 1.2.3 order

Make sure the button is down in the tool bar

Now go to the slider and drag this point

the head should turn but way too fast.

We need to limit the minimun and maximun values for the slider

Select the slider and then choose to bring up its properties…. Change the Min value to –2 and the max value to 2

Check out the slider again

It should work a little better now

E. Add a second slider to make the head nod up and down

Add a second slider. Name it Slider_headnod and Label it headnod

This time you will wire the slider to the Y rotation

Once again we should change the maximun and minimun values to be

-2 and 2

But there still is a problem as the head spins on the y rotation and doesn’t nod…

This is because the gizmo of the head is in the center of the head

Lets move the gizmo.

Select the head with Select and move

You will now notice that the gizmo is outlined

just like this

Go back to the Hierarchy button and turn the affect pivot only off

Go back and try the slider_headnod again. You might still have to adjust the minimum and maximum values to get what you want.

You now have a much easier uniped to move around

F. Animating the Rigged Uniped.

Use Autokey most of the time. Setkey can be used to control when the motion starts sometimes.

This means any change you make on the screen will lay down a key….

Make the uniped look left and then right as if he is crossing a street and then make him hop once.