Deformation Testing - Game Character Development with Maya - page 345

FIGURE 6.16 Add a section at the back of the elbow like the one in the front.
6. Now that we have these extra polygons, we may as well use them to add a little
shape to the elbow area ( Figure 6.17 ). You can also add a slight depression on the
inside of the elbow, too, if you haven't already. Delete the history when you're
done.
FIGURE 6.17 With new polygons added, reshape the arm.
7. To rebind the mesh to the skeleton select the first joint of the skeleton and then the
mesh. Go to Skin > Bind Skin > Smooth Bind, making sure its options are still set
at Max Influence 3 and Dropoff Rate 4.
8. Bend the elbow and begin to paint the weights. Start by making sure the vertices
on either side of the elbow are only influenced by the shoulder (joint2) or the el-
bow (joint3).