Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
Note
You may want to change your viewport layout to allow for multiple views on your project (as
opposed to the single viewport that is LightWave Layout's default). I find this helps me get a
better handle on the true position and rotation of items in 3D space.
Figure 16-4: Under Edit | Display Options, you'll find the Viewport Layout
setting. I've experimented with a lot of options and have settled on 2 Top, 1
Bottom as my current favorite.
Make sure you have one of your viewports set to Right by selecting
Right (ZY)
from the view's
View Type list. (This will allow us to more easily work with the bones in this simple example.)
As I mentioned earlier, character animation
is achieved through bones. We'll use them
here to explore a standard IK setup. Bones
in LightWave need to belong to an object,
so we'll need to first create a null object to
which they'll belong.
1.
Note
Null objects are the handiest little things in
3D CGI. They are “placeholders,” treated by
LightWave with all the respect of a “real”
object (i.e., one that has geometry), without
taking up any memory or hard drive space.
Null objects don't show up in a render or
cast shadows and, like vampires, don't show
up in reflective objects either.
Nulls are super-handy when you want to
have a “handle” to move a bunch of differ-
ent objects, lights, and/or cameras at the
same time, and they're perfectly suited for
the job of being a
goal object
in an inverse
kinematic system.
Click on
Items | Add | Null
, and a
requester window opens up, asking
what you'd like to name your new null
object. Press
Enter
(or click
OK
)to
leave the null object's name “Null.”
(See Figure 16-5.)
