rigging a hand

[jdtiX]

I'm having trouble figuring out how to properly rig hands to function. (just a regular 5-finger hand). I've tried rigging the fingers to nulls, and I've tried sliders--I'm probably not going about it right, but they're just not working they way I would like. I haven't find a decent working tutorial on rigging hands either.

Suggestions?

[jdtiX]

...nevermind.

I see my question's not gonna get answered.

I found a similar question that was asked that never got answered.

:(*sigh*:(

[dablan]

Start at the wrist. Then, place one for the base of the hand, another for the palm. From the palm, branch out to the first finger. Build each finger hierarchy from the palm bone.

If you're using LW8, run IK Boost to animate the fingers. Lock the base wrist bone.

The other thing you might want to check is weighting on the fingers. Since the fingers are close together, the bones can influence geometry near them. Weighting controls the bone's influence to what you specify.

[faulknermano]

Originally posted by jdtiX
I'm having trouble figuring out how to properly rig hands to function. (just a regular 5-finger hand). I've tried rigging the fingers to nulls, and I've tried sliders--I'm probably not going about it right, but they're just not working they way I would like. I haven't find a decent working tutorial on rigging hands either.

Suggestions?

well how much control do you need for the hands?

if the hands are to be used to articulate speech (e.g. gestures) i think you should have separate controls for each finger. a null drives the three bones for each finger digit. thumb should be "manually" controlled, imo.

if the hands are to be more articulate, then keyframing each one would serve best.

use additive expressions as well if you want a mixture of two.

[jdtiX]

Start at the wrist. Then, place one for the base of the hand, another for the palm. From the palm, branch out to the first finger. Build each finger hierarchy from the palm bone.
Yay, I'm happy again. :D

Actually, I have the bones all figured out, it's just a matter of being able to maneuver them...but thanks for taking out time to reply, though.


well how much control do you need for the hands?

if the hands are to be used to articulate speech (e.g. gestures) i think you should have separate controls for each finger. a null drives the three bones for each finger digit. thumb should be "manually" controlled, imo.

if the hands are to be more articulate, then keyframing each one would serve best.

use additive expressions as well if you want a mixture of two.

I'm real fresh to LW, (not even really a year) and its style of modeling ('transferring over from Strata 3D, whose modelling is beizer based, which I just couldn't get) So I am still learning. So I may have to leave expressions alone for a while. ;)

But say, If you wanted, ohh--a character to pick up an item or something, like a small ball--this would be accomplished using keyframes?

Also--I've tried setting the three bones of each finger digit to a null, and when I move one finger null, I'm fine, but when I go to move another one, it makes the whole arm jump. What's up with that? :confused:

[faulknermano]

But say, If you wanted, ohh--a character to pick up an item or something, like a small ball--this would be accomplished using keyframes?

in my opinion yes. it's all a matter of 'posing' your hand from one position to another. use negative keyframes to store poses so you can go back to it and copy the keyframes to your desired frame.


Also--I've tried setting the three bones of each finger digit to a null, and when I move one finger null, I'm fine, but when I go to move another one, it makes the whole arm jump. What's up with that? :confused:

if i get you correctly, you either have to turn on AUTOKEY (and in the general options panel look for Auto Key Create). OR, whenever you move the null, create a key for it (press Enter twice).

[jdtiX]

Autokey isn't the problem. The arm bones seem to average themselves out Between the arm null and the finger(s) null when I move a finger null.

???

[faulknermano]

Originally posted by jdtiX
Autokey isn't the problem. The arm bones seem to average themselves out Between the arm null and the finger(s) null when I move a finger null.

???


if you dont mind posting the scene file, we could take a look at it....