Stretchy joints in MAYA

Vikas Gupta — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 07:59:28 +0000

Sterch your joints

Software – Maya

Difficulty – Intermediate

Time –: 00:16

Command - : Animation menu – skeleton – joint tool

Description -: Create joints with the help of joints tool (make your joints in any other view then perspective).

Time –: 00:25

Command - : Animation menu – skeleton – IK handle tool

Description -: Create IK from joint1 to joint3

Time –: 00:40

Command - : Create– Measure Tools – Distance tool

Description -: Click near joint1 and Ik handle. This tool tell us the distance between two points.

Time –: 00:58

Command - : Animation – Constrain - point

Description -: now select joints first and then locator and then constrain them same thing with lower joint also. By doing this we are able to move distance tool with IK handle

Time –: 01:27

Command - : N/A

Description -: we have to find the distance from where our joints get stretch; here it comes out to be 13.62

Time –: 02:07

Command - : N/A

Description -: Change the name of distance node (optional but remember the name of that node)

Time –: 02:24

Command - : Window - Animation Editor – Expression Editor

Description -: Now we are going to write a small script on joints.

Time –: 04:55

Command - : N/A

Description -: After typing script just click create.

Script -:

if (distShape.distance >= 13.62)

{

joint1.scaleX = distShape.distance/13.62;

joint2.scaleX = distShape.distance/13.62;

}

else

{

joint1.scaleX = 1;

joint2.scaleX = 1;

}

I hope you understand how we can create stretchy joints in Maya if you any problem feel free to contact me

High res video is here

cgindia » Ik

Stretchy joints in MAYA