Creation 9

Body Rig

Notes:

• Following the tutorial I opened the file back in 2.5.
• But when opening a 2.49 blender file in 2.5 it will have the same layout as before, it's best to use the new version how it is designed to be used.
• So open up a new file.
• Then go to File > Append > Open desired file > Scene > Scene > Link/Append.
• Open scene.001 at the top of blender window, delete the other empty scene and rename 001 to just Scene. Now everything is displayed in the new format.
• Space bar = Search menu.
• Add armature.
• Subdivide 2 cuts.
• Use X-ray again to make your life easier.
• Use b-bone.
• Add segments to spine, about 6 is fine.
• Position and scale bones.
• Ctrl + Alt + S = Fat scale (2.56)
• Shift + A = Add bone.
• Add arm, subdivide 4 times (3 cuts), Ctrl + R = rotate, and position.
• Can put bones in wire view to make easier to line up (in the object menu).
• Make hand/fingers, again position/rotate/scale.
• Name all bones, remember to keep things uniform to be professional.
• Ctrl + C = Copy text Ctrl + V = Paste.
• Fing_thumb_T.L = Finger_Thumb_Tip.Left.
• IK = Inverse Kinematics.
• Ctrl + N (edit mode) = Re-calculate Roll - Z-axis up, to position bone properly.
• Add the legs and feet bones.
• Add IK hand bone (controller) so can rotate in different ways.
• Parent Shoulder blade to Ribcage (keep offset).
• Add controller bone to hips (duplicate, shrink, rename).
• Hips, W = specials, Switch direction.
• Parent Controller to Hips (keep offset).
• Parent Spine to Controller (connected).
• Spine, Bone menu > Relations > un-tick Inherti Rotation, this is so you can swing the hips.
• Parent Thigh to Hips (keep offset).
• Turn Inherit off on bones like chest, Ribcage, Shoulders so don't rotate but move more realistically.
• Parent Toes to IK foot (keep offset).
• Shin, Bone Constraints menu > IK (pose mode) chain length 2 so extends to thigh.
• Rename the Armature Skeleton to give it context.
• IK Target: Skeleton Bone: Ankle.L.
• Parent Ankle to Foot (keep offset) Foot to IK foot Toes to IK foot.
• If you want creating a Master Control bone can be useful to manipulate the whole skeleton at once.
• Parent what you want to attach to the Master Bone (keep offset).
• Parent Fingers to Hand (keep offset).
• Add Bone Constraints to hand, Copy Location, Target: Skeleton Bone: IK_Hand.L, Copy Rotation Target: " " Bone: " ".
• Forearm Add Bone Constraints IK, chain length: 2 Target: " " Bone: " ".
• I started to notice that bones were not moving properly (how they were in the tutorial) and it took me a long time but I finally realised that some of the bones had a odd rotation, I'm not sure exactly why but I think it might be from when I added them they were just laid wrong. So it was not because I had parented things in the wrong order but simply needed to rotate some bones 180 degrees in edit mode and it fixed the problem.
• Add segments to forearm so moves better, but ease in and out: 0 so only twists smoothly, not bed, because forearms can't bend.
• But when you move it too far it rotates in a strange way, to fix this go into edit mode, go to the Bone menu, and un-tick Connected.
• Now like I did with the mouth earlier we can duplicate the left side of the skeleton to the right. Select all the left bones, set the pivot point to: 3D cursor, Duplicate and press, S, X, -1.
• This is likely to create some odd rotations in the duplication, in my case the forearm was a bit different to the left side. To fix this turn x-axis mirror on, select all left bones, and press Ctrl + R.
• Flip the Left to Right names.
• You can use the buttons at the bottom right corner that look like floppy discs with arrows to copy and paste poses either from one whole skeleton pose to another or from one side of the skeleton to the other, this is very useful indeed and speed things up while animating and can make sure your skeleton is symmetrical.
• Now parent the mesh to the skeleton with automatic weights.
• Once again My mesh did not attach well at all so I had to go through a very long weigh painting process.
• I think it only works well with very simple meshes.