Komotion for Maya
FAQ, Key Advice and Notes for 3D Content Creation

 
 
 

Maya - Set/Preferred and Assume Angles

The user should not use Set Preferred Angles, or Assume Preferred Angles with Komotion Rigs. For Rig Interoperability and Komotion Rigs, Set and Preferred Angles, and Assume Angles, should be used before the Komotion Rig inter-op is performed. If either of these rules are not followed, Komotion Rigs may become unstable or break.

 

Undo (Ctrl+Z) for Controls

For Komotion Controls currently, Undo functionality is implemented in the ‘IK/FK’, ‘Free FK’, ‘Twist’, and ‘Thickness’ controls. Undo can only be performed while controls are selected, and once a control is de-selected, the user will no longer be able to Undo. All other similar controls do not support Undo/Redo, and we’re looking at improving this in the future.

Note: For ‘Free FK’, if one controller is selected during ‘Free FK’, then the user will have to deselect and then Undo. However, if more than one controller is selected, then the user can just Undo as normal.

 

Parenting

  • Komotion Chains currently orientate locally to its parent during normal chain creation linking and using parent button methods.

  • Always use the ‘Dynamic Config’ group in ‘Skeleton Creation’ for correct parenting of Komotion Chains.

  • In terms of their node hierarchy, Komotion Rigs are very unique. When building a Komotion structure, we recommend that there's only one rig base per rig.

  • When parenting a chain to a custom structure or other auto-rig structure, the user must parent the chain to an actual bone structure. Komotion chains always assume they are being parented to the clean exportable structure.

  • When a new chain is parented, a new torus will appear parented to the selected object in the structure. This is a controller that the user can re-size (use default shape attributes) and connect in whatever manner they may require to the control system of another custom structure.

 

Child Parenting with Child Chain Accessories and the IK PAR Node

The ‘Parent To’ options currently allows for one chain to be evaluated and re-parented to another object. Child chains of selected chain will not be evaluated. This will be updated in a future release to allow for child chain evaluation. The user is recommended to not move big chain structures due to this current limitation.

 

Question: Can I Snap the IK and FK?

Answer: Yes, and you will need to place an extra key to create a snap transition to prevent blending.

 

Question: What is 6-DOF IK?

Answer: The user can non-uniformly change any transform of the chain when it is not in IK. The IK will update its plane angle based on the new chain transforms on the next switch from FK to IK. Good use cases for this are tentacles, and limb separation.

There are currently two tangent curve limitations:

  • Changing an entire chain's rotation over 180 degrees between two keys. The algorithm used for 6-DOF IK will decide how the chain will rotate/jitter to its newly updated plane transform.

  • Drastic non-linear diagonal changes to a chain segment that is over 90 degrees using two axis during a time line between two keys. The algorithm used for 6-DOF IK will decide how the chain will rotate/jitter to its newly updated plane transform.

 

Question: Can I create a foot or a palm with a Komotion Chain?

Answer: Currently No. A chain can be setup to create a moderately good foot/palm. For animation, the ‘IK/FK’, ‘Inverse chain’ and ‘Inverse Rig’ controls can be used to mimic foot and palm movement to a certain degree. Look at the 'Mimicking Foot and Palm animation' video to get a complete demonstration of this.