9

Tendons Sub-Object 1149
Theactiondependsontheactiveselectionlevel:
Link, Cross Section, or Control Point.
Tendon Parameters group
Radius—Scales attach points relative to the
center of the cross sec tion. D efault=The ave r age
circumference of the skin where the tendon base
is located.
Pull—Defines the strength of pull along the length
of the link.Default=1.0.
Pinch—Defines the amount of pinch around the
link circumference of the tendon base.Default=1.0.
Stretch—Defines the amount of stretch toward the
attached link.Default=1.0.
The Pull, Pinch, and Stretch values work together
to control, along a particular dimension, the
strength of the one link (the attached link; call it
link B) on vertices assigned to another link (the
link where the tendon cross sections are inserted;
call it link A). Vertices on link A behave as if they
were under the influence of link B.
Pull,Pinch,andStretchcanallrangefrom-2.0
to 2.0. At the default value of 1.0, the tendon’s
effect is f u ll strength. Reducing the value of these
parameters to a value between 0.0 and 1.0 reduces
the strength of the tendon’s effect. At values below
0.0,thetendondeformstheskinintheopposite
direction. Pull, Pinch, and Stretch values between
1.0 and 2.0 cause an exaggerated effect, which is
not usually needed for realistic effects.
Tip: Setting Stretch less than 0.0 can be useful in
regions where movement typically pulls the skin
inwards, as in the collarbone area or the buttocks.
Tip: As a general rule, leave the tendon va lues at
1.0 when the tendon is attached to a nearby link.
For example, leave them at 1.0 between the upper
spine (at the chest) and the arms. Reduce the Pull,
Pinch, and Stretch va lues to reduce the tendon’s
effect when the tendon is attached to a more
distant lin k. For example, reduce them between a
lower part of the spine and the arms.
Edit Commands group
Attach—To attach a point, select the point, click to
turn on A ttach, then in a viewport, click a different
link.
Detach—At the Control Point selection level,
detaches the tendon of the selected control point.
At the Cross Sect ion selection level, detaches all of
the cross sect ion’s attached tendons. At the Link
selection level, detaches all attached tendons on all
crosssectionsoftheselectedlink.
Upper Boundary Conditions group
Connect to Child Link —When on, allows tendons
toaffectthechildlink. Thisletsyouconnect
tendons across several links. Otherwise, there is
a boundary between the links where no tendon
effect occurs. Default=off.
Upper B ound—Sets the upper boundary overlap.
Upper Boundary values greater than 1.0 affect the
child link. Default=1.0.