Post 27 - Spline Spine

Legs, feet, arms and hands: done. Now the next major part of the rig which needs to be established is the spine and neck controls. This process was a bit fiddly, but is still within comprehension. Two 'spline' based IK solvers were created (one for the spine and one for the neck). A spline line, or 'curve' was used in the 3ds Max rig and then the bones were connected/constrained to it. In Maya, there is an IK for this specific purpose and has a spline built into it (saving time and the need to navigate across panels). With IK spline solvers, a 'twist' attribute is included, allowing for favourable control over it's rotation. The twist attribute can be seen in the command panel.

IK Spline Spine & IK Spline Neck

(It is worth pointing out at this stage that the spline is split up into verts, or points). I highlighted the top two 'verts' and created a 'cluster' with them (create deformer - cluster). Repeated the process for the bottom two also. These were then parented to the bottom and top of the spine. The process was then done again for the neck IK spline. These clusters create a smooth and well distributed influence and allow for an even translation. Custom manipulators are needed to control these clusters. (Same process used for the clavicle, i.e. re-positioning the pivot point and parenting the control). I created the letter N for neck and S for the spine as the Autodesk Maya book suggests. These have also been given the same IKFK blend treatment, giving it even more flexibility when needed.

The video below shows the end result. (You will notice that as I select the control/s, the part of the rig which it controls turns pink)


Spline spine clip - LINK