Creative COW SIGN IN :: SPONSORS :: ABOUT US :: CONTACT US
MAXON CINEMA 4D: Cinema 4D ForumCinema 4D TutorialsCinema 4D TagAdobe After Effects Forum

Intro IK tutorial needed

Cow Forums : Cinema 4D
cow
Intro IK tutorial needed
by Brett Thayer on Jul 18, 2008 at 3:30:40 pm

Can someone please point me to a very basic IK tutorial that applies to c4d version 10>10.5.? I'm having a hard time finding one that is good for a beginner like me.

Respond to this post     Return to posts index

cow
Re: Intro IK tutorial needed
by Brett Thayer on Jul 18, 2008 at 5:52:33 pm

I have been trying to work off an IK example that Brian sent me over a year ago...I have an IK chain built but seem to missing any action on the object I want the IK chain to control.

I need the tail end of the chain to drag the other end along so I can reshape the main object. Does it need to be converted to a polygon perhaps?

See the example object

http://www.pixelspowerandlight.com/plug_ik.c4d.zip





Respond to this post     Return to posts index

cow
Re: Intro IK tutorial needed
by Brian Jones on Jul 19, 2008 at 1:35:10 am

Start with your bones (but not the goal or effector) - the simple recipe
-Fix the bones
-then set up the IK chain
notice the goal is a child of the root bone but the other bones are not a child of the goal

that should be it, move the goal

Respond to this post     Return to posts index


cow
Re: Intro IK tutorial needed
by Brett Thayer on Jul 19, 2008 at 2:21:41 pm

Thanks Brian that helped.. I now have an IK chain but the "effector" doesnt seem to be having the desired results. I assumed the rest of the chain/ bones would follow the lead of the effector.

If you look at the newly update example file here:

http://www.pixelspowerandlight.com/plug_ik.c4d.zip

The end result needs to be something that transforms to a spiral ramp look. The question mark shape needs to spiral up at the tail and bend a bit inwards. In short a banked spiral shape.

In its current state the Ik chain effector will lift the tail end of my model like a tab at that point but the other bones don't seem to react or follow suit. I have tried limiting their range so they will each bone only effect the portions of the model they are close to.

I'm feeling like I have overlooked something crucial to getting the IK chain to behave properly.

Thanks to your help I'm getting closer even if this doesnt prove to be the best solution for animating this.

Thanks
Brett






Respond to this post     Return to posts index

cow
Re: Intro IK tutorial needed
by Brian Jones on Jul 19, 2008 at 4:51:50 pm

Bones are meant for characters by default so that many bones will be tail-ish or snakey. You'd want the bones to be a lot stiffer than that, either with stiffness or constraints, maybe spline IK would be better. Cineversity has a free tutorial on spline IK - it assumes you know how to set it up but the possibilities are obvious.

Respond to this post     Return to posts index

cow
Re: Intro IK tutorial needed
by Cactus Dan on Jul 22, 2008 at 2:52:37 pm

Howdy,

First of all I would suggest making a couple of changes in your ExtrudeNURBS and Spline parameters, to get a more even subdivision in the geometry:


Then use the menu "Functions/Current State to Object" to convert it to polygonal objects. Then select all of the polygonal objects (sides, caps and rounding) and use the menu "Functions/Connect" to connect them into one object. Make sure to use the "Functions/Optimize" command on the resulting object so that the caps and rounding are welded to the sides.

If you do all of the above you'll get better deformations.

Then I'd do like Brian said and rig it with a spline IK. You can then put the spline IK targets in their own hierarchy so you can create a single controller to control their height:
http://www.cactus3d.com/PullTab.mov

Adios,
Cactus Dan

Cinema 4D R10 XL Bundle, BodyPaint, Dynamics
www.cactus3d.com
www.cactus3d.com/Plugins.html

Respond to this post     Return to posts index

<< PREVIOUS THREAD   •   VIEW ALL THREADS   •   PRINT   •   NEXT THREAD >>


FORUMSTUTORIALSMAGAZINEDVDsBOOKSPODCASTSEVENTSSERVICESNEWSLETTERNEWSBLOGS

© CreativeCOW.net All rights are reserved.

[Top]