8

382 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry
Bones system seen alone and inside a wireframe model
Any hierarchy can display itself as a bone structure
(see
Using Objects as Bones (page 1–387)
), by
simplyturningonBoneOninthe
Bone Editing
Tools rollout (page 1–388)
.
See also
Bone Tools (page 1–388)
Cr e at in g Bon e s
You can create bones by clicking Create Bones,
located in the Bone Editing Tools rollout, or by
accessing the Systems rollout on the Create panel.
To create bones, do the following.
1. Yourfirstclickinaviewportdefinesthestart
jointofthefirstbone.
2. The second click in a viewport defines the start
joint of the next bone. Visually only one bone
is drawn at this point because bones are visual
aids dr awn between two pivot points. It is the
actualpivotpointsplacementthatisimportant.
3. Each subsequent click defines a new bone as
a child of the previous bone. The result of
multiple clicks is a single chain of bones.
4. Right-click to exit bone creation. This will
create a small “nub bone at the end of the
hierarchy. This bone is used when assigning an
IK chain. If you are not going to assign an IK
chain to the hierarch y, you can delete the small
nub bone.
Creating a simple chain of three b ones
3ds Max lets you create a branching hierarchy of
bones. To create a branching hierarchy, such as
legs branching from a pelvis, do the following:
1. Create a chain of bones, then rig ht-click to exit
bone creation.
2. Click Bones again, then click the bone where
you want to beg in branching. The new chain of
bones branches from the bone you click.
Wa rni ng: The behavior of a branching bone
hierarchy is not always intuitive.
Note:
You can also use
Select And Link (page
2–404)
to connect one bone hierarchy to its
branches. However, except for this one special
case, using Select And Link with bones is
not
recommended
.Toeditanexistingbonestructure,
whether branching or not, use the
Bone Tools
(page 1–388)
instead.
Ass igning I K Control ler s to B ones
By default, bones are not as s igned inverse
kinematics (IK). Assigning an IK solver can be
done in one of t wo ways. Typically, you create a
bone hierarchy, then manually assign an IK solver.
ThisallowsforveryprecisecontroloverwhereIK
chains are defined.
The other way to assign an IK s olver is more
automatic. Whenyoucreatebones,chooseIK
solverfromthelistintheIKChainAssignment
rollout,andthenturnonAssignToChildren.