Substance Painter
In this start to finish texturing project within Substance Painter we cover all the techniques you need to texture the robot character.
# 1 03-04-2011 , 09:00 PM
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Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 3

Rigging and control help needed

Hi all,

I am new to rigging and controls, and would appreciate some guidance on creating a single control so that animators can use a simple translation control to extend a mechanical umbrella.

The geometry is part of a larger component, the components to be included in the rig is a telescopic pipe comprising of two parts an inner and an outer with the inner pipe attached (parented) to a head, four flaps are connected (parented) to the head.

Basically I want one control so that when the head is pulled upwards the entire thing will extend, at the halfway point the four flaps should start to rotate outwards and be horizontal by the time the head is fully extended. I managed to get the telescopic pipe to work by using two locators and point constraints, with one locator parented to the head, but I have no clue how to make the flaps rotate.

I have attached some sequence images to better explain what I mean.

The first image is the rig stowed, the second is at about the halfway point when the flaps should start to move and the third image is the rig fully extended.


Thanks for any help.

Attached Thumbnails
# 2 03-04-2011 , 10:40 PM
EduSciVis-er
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Toronto
Posts: 3,374
I would use Set Driven Keys for this, with the extension of the umbrella driving the rotation of the flaps. Check the maya help for more details on SDK. Hope it helps.

# 3 04-04-2011 , 02:20 AM
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Join Date: Mar 2011
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Many thanks stwert, I will take a look...

# 4 04-04-2011 , 04:07 PM
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You might want to make 3 of the stays instances (set the rotation of the main one first) as this will mean you only have to rig the forth one...........dave




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# 5 04-04-2011 , 07:14 PM
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You might want to make 3 of the stays instances (set the rotation of the main one first) as this will mean you only have to rig the forth one...........dave

Thanks Daverave I will look into it, but for now all the components are keyed and controlled using SDKs, I just spent all morning working out how to do it and it works a treat, thanks again to stwert.

# 6 04-04-2011 , 07:15 PM
EduSciVis-er
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Toronto
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Glad it worked out for you ahunn.
Dave, I'm not sure that an instance would inherit the rotation of the initial copy. My understanding is instances only mirror changes at the component level, but I could be wrong.

# 7 04-04-2011 , 07:31 PM
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It does stwert make good thruster behind a jet you only have to animate the original, give it a try..........dave

Edit:learned that from didgital tutorials pod racer




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Last edited by daverave; 04-04-2011 at 07:35 PM.
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