2010

Table Of Contents
6 Turn on Modify > Evaluate Nodes.
You must do this step to enable the IK solvers so you can manipulate IK
handles in the scene again.
To position a sphere to be used as an influence object
1 Right-click Jackies surface (anywhere but on the skeleton) and select
Actions > Template from the marking menu.
By making Jackie a template, you wont accidentally select Jackie in
subsequent steps.
2 Create a sphere (select Create > Polygon Primitives > Sphere >) and name
it elbow_influence.
3 Scale the sphere to be slightly smaller than any of Jackies joints (see
illustration below).
4 Move the sphere so that its surface is positioned where the elbow would
jut out, but still within the skin. You can optionally reshape the spheres
curvature to resemble the tip of an elbow jutting out from a bent arm.
For example, you can scale the sphere in one dimension to squash its
shape or you can move individual vertices. A top view of the spheres
shape and position follows:
The exact position and scale of the sphere is unimportant. You can make
slight position and scale adjustments later to enhance the deformations
that result from its use.
To make the sphere an influence object
1 In the Hypergraph, select Jackie and Shift-select elbow_influence.
2 Select Skin > Edit Smooth Skin > Add Influence > . In the Add Influence
Options, select Edit > Reset Settings, and then click the Add button.
Maya completes the operation within a few moments. To ensure the
influence object stays in the correct position at the elbow, you will parent
it to the left_shoulder joint.
Influence objects | 341