Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
Although it only controls a single joint, we add IK onto the ball and ball tip joints
to help lock them down. They will then only move where the IK handles take
them.
7.
Rename these IK handles to L_AnkleIK, L_BallIK, L_ToeIK, R_AnkleIK,
R_BallIK, and R_ToeIK.
Note
We use a Rotate Plane IK Handle on the legs because we want to be able
to control the direction the knees point. We will add this feature during the
next section.
8.
To make the control feet move the legs, you simply parent each IK handle to the
joint over which it lies on the control feet. So parent L_AnkleIK to L_ConAnkle,
L_BallIK to L_ConBall, and L_ToeIK to L_ConToe. Follow this pattern for the
right leg's IK handles.
Now when you move or rotate the feet icons, the main feet and legs follow. What's more,
you can adjust the position of the root and the feet will stay locked to their position.
Note
In the traditional reverse foot setup, you would also have a heel joint to
use as reference for the actual heel of the character. We don't need this
joint here because, when the character gets animated, you will have the
actual geometry to refer to.
Additional Foot Controls for Kila
Being able to manipulate the feet is one thing, but we still have the knee position to con-
sider. We can set up the knees in much the same way we did with the elbow, by using a
pole vector constraint.
Firstweneedsomeicons.Tohelpindicate that these areforjoint positions, wewill usethe
same cubes that we used for the elbows earlier in this chapter.
1.
Create two duplicates of the elbow cubes, and point-snap them to the knees as il-
lustrated in
Figure 12.34
. Rename them to L_KneePos and R_KneePos.
