Asset Creation: Maya Rigging and Skinning and Unity Animated Character Importing and Implementation - Creating Games with Unity and Maya - page 288

Step 36: Rename the circle to AC_L_Foot in the Outliner.
Step 37: Freeze AC_L_Foot's transformations. Still with AC_L_Foot
selected, choose Modify>Freeze Transformations (Options). Make sure
Translate, Rotate, and Scale are all checked and press Freeze Transform.

Why?
If the circles transform values for Translate and Rotate are at 0,0,0 you can
always return the circle to this exact spot by zeroing out the values in the
Channels Box. Freezing the transformations gives you clean values.

Step 38: Duplicate AC_L_Foot and rename to AC_R_Foot. Remember
Ctrl-D will duplicate an object.
Step 39: Snap AC_R_Foot to the right ball joint. Remember holding down
V will snap to joints (and vertices by the way). Figure 10.16 shows the
current state of things.

Figure 10.16 Duplicated and moved
foot handle.

Step 40: Mirror the AC_R_Foot handle in the Channel box. Change the
Scale X setting to -1.

Warnings and Pitfalls
However, although the
handle looks fine in the
view panel, check out
the transformation values
in the Channels box. In
mine Translate X is -0.025
and Scale X is -1. We
really need to get this
transform information
clean again so we can
easily get back to this
position.

Why?
As an object is scaled down (or in this case as it is scaled in X (getting
thinner and thinner), its scale value gets closer and closer to zero. If
the object continues to scale down beyond zero, it begins growing out
the opposite direction. Thus, a Scale X of -1 is the mirrored version of a
Scale X of 1.

Step 41: Freeze the transformations for AC_R_Foot (Modify>Freeze
Transformations).
Step 42: Make the IK handles children of their respective handles. This
means in the Outliner, select AC_L_AnkleIK, AC_L_BallIK, and AC_L_ToeIK
and middle-mouse drag them onto AC_L_Foot (which will make the
IK handles children of the AC_L_Foot). Do the same for their right-side
counterparts.
Step 43: Test the rig. Select the AC_L_Foot curve and use the Move tool
to move it. The leg rig should bend up in natural ways. By rotating AC_L_
Foot, you can rotate the foot around the ball ( Figure 10.17 ). Then, the
beauty of it all—enter 0 in the Channel box for the Translate X,Y,Z and
Rotate X,Y,Z and watch the leg get back into place.