arm_tutorial

This tutorial will create an arm system that will let you switch between FK and IK on the arms of your character. Before you start this lesson you must make sure you have Straightened the arm joints for IK, and that you have zero rotations on the joints and that your joint orientations are correct..


1.Duplicate (CTRL + d) your arm joints twice and delete any joints past the wrist, or  extra twist joints.

2. Add "IK" and "FK" to the joint names.

Original arm:
 shoulder_L>elbow_L>wrist_L

New copies of the arm:
 shoulder_IK_L > elbow_IK_L > wrist_IK_L
 shoulder_FK_L > elbowFK_L > wrist_FK_L

three arms

3. Add an IK handle to the IK arm skeleton>IK Handle and name it "arm_ikHandle_L". (hide the other two arms first to make this easier)

   NOTE: In the attribute editor change the IK handle attribute "Stickiness" to sticky.

4. Select shoulder_FK_L  shoulder_IK_L shoulder_L: then click constrain>orient

    Select elbow_FK_L  elbow_IK_L elbow_L: then click constrain>orient


     


                


5. Add an attribue to your root controller. (Usually the root controller is the controller attached to the root of the skeleton or the pelvis)


 Select the root controller then in the channel box right click>Attributes>Add Attribute..


 name: armFKIK_L
 type: float
 min: 0 
 max: 1
default 1

   


     


6. Add Set Driven Keys so the new attribute "armFKIK_L" can control switching the main arm between FK and IK

Set Driven Keys

Open the Set Driven Key window: animation>set driven keys>set...

Select the root controller and click "Load Driver"


highlight the "armFKIK_L" attribute

 The "armFKIK_L" attribute on the root_ctrl  should be set to 1 in the channel box (which means IK Mode)

root set to 1

Select all the orient constraints (elbow_L_orientConstraint1, shoulder_L_orientConstraint1) under the original arm, then in the set driven key window click "Load Driven" 

set driven window

The orient constraints which can be found under the original arm  all need to be set to IK as well

To do this select  the constraint then set the  FK: to 0  and the IK: to 1 like in the image below.

change Constraint Weight

Now back in the  Set Driven Key window select an orient constraint and it's last two attributes and hit "key" do this for both the orient constraints in the driven window.

Set the root control attribute "armFKIK_L" to 0 (FK mode) and
set all the constraints to FK: 1 and IK: 0  
Now you want to go back to the set driven key window and key the orient constraints again.

Now we will separate these new joints out of the bind skeleton



7. Unparent these joints  using (Shift+p):


"shoulder_IK_l, shoulder_FK_l "



8. Then group them (ctrl+G) and name the group "arm_system_L"



9. Move the pivot of the new group (insert key) to the shoulder joint.


 Create a locator create>locator and name it shoulder_L_ori.

10. Parent (p)  the locator to the clavicle_l joint and move it to the shoulder joint (v) then modify> freeze transformations.

11. Choose "shoulder_L_ori"  then "arm_system_L"   and do a  constrain>point and constrain>orient



Now you have the control joints out of the bind skeleton. This is important so that these extra control joints don't affect the skinning of meshes. Basically, we don't want to skin to control joints.



12. So now you reskin  the mesh to the skeleton and load your previous weights. 

Now we need to add one last attribute to the root_ctrl that will  allow us to globally orient the arms

1. Add an attribue to your root controller.  Select the root controller then in the channel box right click>Attributes>Add Attribute..


 name: Arm_L_globalLocal
 type: float
 min: 0 
 max: 1
default 1

 2.  Open the connection editor  by clicking Window>General>Connection Editor

3.   Select root_ctrl and click Reload Left  in the connection editor (output side), scroll down and select your new attribute Arm_L_globalLocal

4. Select arm_system_L_orientConstraint1 and click Reload Right  in the connection editor (input side), scroll down and select shoulder_l_oriW0

connectionEditor

DONE!!!   Now when you switch the globalLocal switch on the root, you can control whether the arm follows the body orientation or not.