8
704 Chapter 14: Character Studio
Procedure
Tocreateabipedonasurface:
1.
On the Create p anel > Systems, click
Biped.
2. Turn on AutoGr id.
3. Moveyourcursoroveranygeometryinthe
viewport.
ATransformgizmomoveswithyourcursorto
indicate the location of the AutoGrid.
4. Drag out a biped.
The biped feet will be in contact with the
geometry.
Understa nding Biped Anatomy
The geometry of a biped is a linked hierarchy of
objects that by default resemble those of a human.
Theparentorrootobjectofthebipedisits
center
of mass (COM) (page 3–1014)
.Thisobjectis
displayed as a blue octahedron near the center of
the biped’s pelvis. Moving the COM positions the
entire biped.
Center of mass objec t
You c an select the center of mass by choosing
Bip01
fromtheSelectbyNamedialog.
Yo u c a n a l s o s e l e c t t h e c e n t e r o f
mass by clicking Body Horizontal, B o dy Vert ical
or Body R otation in the
Track Selection rollout
(page 2–800)
.
Changing the B i ped H ier ar chy
ThebipedHierarchyisalittledifferentthana
standard 3ds Max hierarchy in that you can’t delete
any of the components of the skeleton. If you try
to delete any part of the biped skeleton, you delete
theentirehierarchy.Ifyouwanttocreateapartial
biped, for example a biped with no head, simply
hide the objects you don’t w ant to use.
Repositioning B iped B ody Par ts
Certain Biped body parts can be repositioned
in Figure mode to suit different characters. You
can move entire arm assemblies by selecting the
clavicles and moving them up or down. You can
also reposition the fingers, tai l and ponytails as
you like. See
Posing the Biped (page 2–706)
.
Biped’s structure also includes an option to add
forearm twist. This uses two to four forearm links
to transfer twisting animation into the biped’s
associated mesh via Physique or Skin.
Props
Thebipedstructureincludesanoptiontoaddup
to three props. Props appear next to the biped’s
hands and body by default, but can be modified or
animated throughout the scene like any 3 ds Max
object.
Adding Ex tra B iped B ody Par ts
To add extr a legs, arms, or other body parts you
need to create 3ds Max geometry for those parts,
then link them to the biped hierarchy. You can
useSnapshottoduplicatebipedbodypartsto
create these as well. In either case you wil l need to
animate them with standard 3ds Max rotations,