2010

Table Of Contents
Once a skeletal hierarchy is created, the various surface components can be
added to the hierarchy.
Parenting a model into a skeleton hierarchy
Parenting is the term used when placing a node beneath another in a hierarchy
so it becomes the child of the node above it (its parent) in the hierarchy.
In the following steps, you add the surfaces of the mechanical arm model into
the skeleton hierarchy. This process links the models surfaces to the skeleton
hierarchy making it possible to pose and animate the model like a real
mechanical arm. Using the Hypergraph to select the nodes allows you to better
visualize the process and the hierarchical relationships that result.
NOTE The following parenting procedure works well for the mechanical arm (no
organic bending or deformation occurs) and provides one technique for adding
modeled objects to a skeletal hierarchy.
A more common technique for combining a character model into a skeleton
hierarchy is referred to as skinning or binding. The Bind Skin tool combines the
surface components and joints together into a hierarchy and also takes into account
any deformations that may occur when a character bends or flexes (such as at the
knees, waist, neck, or elbows). Maya provides a few methods for skinning. For
more information see Skeletons and skinning in the Maya Help. For a tutorial on
skinning see the Smooth Skinning lesson in the Character Setup chapter in this
guide.
To parent the mechanical arm into the skeleton
1 In the Hypergraph menu, select View > Frame All.
The Hypergraph displays all the nodes for the scene.
2 In the Hypergraph, select the node named ArmEnd and then shift-select
the node named joint4.
The order of selection is important. You want to select the child node
first, and then shift-select the item that will become the parent node
second.
3 In the main menu, select Edit > Parent (Hotkey p).
In the Hypergraph, joint4 is now the parent node for the Arm_end node
in the skeleton hierarchy.
Parenting a model into a skeleton hierarchy | 285