Manikin animation

[Carsten]

Maybe I try something impossible with Cheetah3D. I didn’t work with bones and IK yet but made already some works in 3D.
My project is a manikin like artists use it. It is made of single elements (arm head and so on). I don’t get how to structure and connect these.
(See screenshots). Reading manual and helpfiles did not work for me - unfortunately ...

Can someone help, please?


Cheetah3D 6.3.2/macOS10.13

 

[ZooHead]

Here's a simple setup.

Put each objects pivot point in the right place and put them in hierarchical order.

 

[Helmut]

* The components of the manikin must be organised in the proper hierarchy in the object browser.
* For legs and arms, you only need to animate (rotation only) the joints (the roundish balls in the manikin):
1 shoulder
2 elbow
3 wrist
4 relevant equivalents for the lower extremities

* As a result of the hierarchy, any animation of a joint is "inherited" by the child objects, the associated components.
* There is no requirement to move the pivot points of the bones (humerus, radius&ulna, etc).

 

[Carsten]

Great! Thanks Helmut and ZooHead for your kind input. Now I play around with IK connections to animate.
Did you, Helmut, make a skeleton to realise your example? My idea is to animate a smooth gesture of the manikin.
My status quo attached. I think I have time for further studies tomorrow and think I'll have to come along with one or another question ...

 

[Helmut]

* As can be seen in the object browser, there is no skeleton. This is just a collection of boxes, capsules and balls.
* Any balls which bear a neutral colour function as joints and can be rotated.
* I have also shown the F-curves of the central ball (which corresponds to the lumbar section of the spine). This is used to turn and bend the upper torso.
Servus aus Wien

PS / Status quo note:
* There is no need to make the elements (Schulter, Oberarm, etc) editable. Most modifiers like taper (Stauchen) and others work perfectly well on parametric polygonal objects.

 

[ZooHead]

Another simple setup with hips and legs with IK handles, IK Targets and Poles.

You can move the hips or the Target folders to move the system,
and the Poles control which way the knees are pointing.

 

[ZooHead]

Here's another full rig to study with IK Targets and poles.

The target folders keep hands and feet pinned in place, try just moving the hips up and down.

 

[Carsten]

Thanksa lot Helmut and Zoohead so far. Lots to try out. Played with it today and find it really advanced. There are many spooky phenomenons when I try to adapt this to my manikin. So ... this will take some time again.

 

[Carsten]

* Any balls which bear a neutral colour function as joints and can be rotated.

How did you make them function as a joint? Did you script that?

 

[Helmut]

* They function as a joint because any “dependent” bones are located lower in the hierarchy.
* As a result, if you rotate one of the grey balls, the entire set of objects of the attached lower hierchy is rotated.
* Simple example of this hierarchy:
* Shoulder (a joint)
Upper Arm (a bone)
Elbow (a joint)
Lower arm (a bone)
Wrist (a joint)
Hand

* If you rotate the shoulder all attached elements (upper arm, elbow, lower arm, wrist and hand) are moved correspondingly.
* If you rotate the elbow, the upper arm (which is higher in the hierarchy) does not move, but the attached elements (lower arm, wrist and hand) are moved correspondingly.
* If you rotate the wrist, the upper elements (upper arm, elbow, lower arm) remain in place and just the elements lower in the hierarchy (the hand) moves correspondingly.

* This “top down” inheritance is the basic purpose of a hierarchy in the object browser.

 

[Carsten]

* They function as a joint because any “dependent” bones are located lower in the hierarchy.
* As a result, if you rotate one of the grey balls, the entire set of objects of the attached lower hierchy is rotated.
* Simple example of this hierarchy:
* Shoulder (a joint)
Upper Arm (a bone)
Elbow (a joint)
Lower arm (a bone)
Wrist (a joint)
Hand

* If you rotate the shoulder all attached elements (upper arm, elbow, lower arm, wrist and hand) are moved correspondingly.
* If you rotate the elbow, the upper arm (which is higher in the hierarchy) does not move, but the attached elements (lower arm, wrist and hand) are moved correspondingly.
* If you rotate the wrist, the upper elements (upper arm, elbow, lower arm) remain in place and just the elements lower in the hierarchy (the hand) moves correspondingly.

* This “top down” inheritance is the basic purpose of a hierarchy in the object browser.

Ah, got it. This is FK - forward kinematics.

I think what I need and always think of is IK, because I want to animate several most natural gestures.
Thanks for your great input and patience.

Moin aus Hamburg