2010

Table Of Contents
A base for the arm to swivel about
A four-legged base for the assembly
To work with this model using IK you must create a hierarchy for it.
Understanding hierarchies
Inverse Kinematics relies on hierarchical relationships between the components
of a model and the IK system to pose and animate the components. Before
using Inverse Kinematics it is important to understand hierarchies in Maya.
A hierarchy is composed of a series of nodes that are combined for some
purposeful relationship. Individual nodes may represent the surfaces of a
model, a network of textures that describe a shading material, or series of
joints in a skeleton. Hierarchies are structured in a top-down manner, with
one node at the top (the parent node or root node) and other nodes (child nodes
or leaf nodes) attached and interconnected beneath the top node.
Selecting the parent node at the top of the hierarchy also selects the items
contained in the hierarchy below. Selecting a child node lower in the hierarchy
selects any child nodes that are lower in the hierarchy.
Hierarchies allow you to create complex structures with relationships between
components. For example, when you animate a hierarchical model, you simply
278 | Chapter 6 Animation