We can also use dummies to help us animate. Let's use dummies to control the foot movement of the character:
1. With our existing project, double-click on the Box_001 prop in the 3D Blocks folder to load it into the scene.
2. Rename the prop to Foot Left.
3. Scale the prop down to 20 on the X, Y, and Z axes in the Transform section of the right side menu with the prop selected.
4. Position the Foot Left dummy near the left foot.
5. Select the character, right-click and choose Edit Motion from the Motion Menu section.
6. Click on the Reach Target button at the top of the Edit Motion Layer dialog window.
7. Select the circle on the left ankle, click on the Eyedropper tool and select the Foot Left dummy. The foot will snap to the dummy.
8. Select the Foot Left dummy and using the Move tool (from the top toolbar) slide the foot back which will straighten the leg, then slightly up to bend the leg to a more natural pose. We may need to slide the foot slightly forward to close the stance.
9. Save the project.
The following image shows the progression of moving the Foot Left dummy:
10. Repeat steps 1 through 7 to rig a dummy named Foot Right to the right foot of the male character so we can easily control that foot in the next few steps.
11. After rigging the right foot, like we did the left foot, select the Box_001 prop in the character's hands, select the rotate tool from the top toolbar.
12. Move the time scrubber down to frame 100. Select the green axis and roll it up as shown in the following image:
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We set up two dummies, one for each foot, to use as control and anchor points. The Reach Target feature was used to target the ankles and hands to the dummies. They not only anchor the character in place, but they can also be moved with Move and Rotate tools allowing the Human IK constraint to keep the body in a reasonable position. The following image shows a battle created with the above technique using two characters with the same rig:
Note
Load the bicycle demonstration project included in the iClone installation for another example of using Reach Target with IK constaints.
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To practice animating with a rig like this, you can move the timeline scrubber down 25 or so frames and move one or more of the dummies, then move down the timeline again and move the dummies once more.
The foot dummies will hold the character in place while giving us a simple way to grab the foot and move it should we need to. The Human IK structure will keep the body in a proper position as it moves with the dummies. While we can move body parts by direct manipulation, this method is easy to visualize and anchors the character in place when needed.
You may find it necessary to open the Edit Motion Layer dialog and adjust the limbs or hands depending on how radical you get when moving the dummies.
We could also use the current rig to make the character look like he is climbing a large fence, or scaling a building wall, or have him hanging off a building, like the following image:
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