Joint Intersections Rollout

Command entry:Select a mesh that has the Physique modifier applied to it.

Modify panel

Link sub-object level

Joint Intersections rollout

When a joint bends, the skin can "collide." Without collision detection, it can overlap unrealistically. This is especially likely when one or both of the links have bulges. The joint intersection controls can detect skin collisions and correct overlap by creasing the skin.

By default, Physique draws a crease plane that bisects the joint and prevents vertices from each link from crossing the crease plane. The result can be a somewhat unnatural flattening of the bulges along the plane. Physique therefore provides controls that let you modify the effect of the crease plane.

Properly adjusted crease plane

You can modify the effect of the joint creases at both ends of the selected link. These joints are the parent’s joint and the link’s joint. Blend From and Blend To points define the distance along the link that is affected by the crease plane.

The parent’s joint is between the selected link and its parent. The parent’s joint is numbered 0.
For the parent joint, the joint is at 0.0 and the crease plane has an effect from the joint to the Blend From point. Between Blend From and Blend To, the crease plane has a partial effect, adjusted by the Bias setting. Vertices at locations greater than the Blend To point are not affected by the crease plane.
The link’s joint is between the selected link and its child. The link’s joint is numbered 1.
For the link’s joint, the joint is at 1.0 and the crease plane has an effect from the joint to the Blend To point. Between Blend To and Blend From, the crease plane has a partial effect, adjusted by the Bias setting. Vertices at locations less than the Blend From point are not affected by the crease plane.

Procedures

To adjust joint intersection parameters:

With Physique active on the Modify panel, go to the Link sub-object level.
In a viewport, click the link you want to work with.
Select Active for the crease you want to manipulate: choose Crease At Parent's Joint or Crease At Link's Joint.
Change settings on the Physique Joint Intersections rollout.
Select the opposite link and adjust the opposite set of joint intersection parameters.

For example, if you are working with the joint between the selected link and its child (such as the biceps link), turn on Active for Crease At Link's Joint and change settings. Then select the child link (the forearm) and activate its Crease At Parent's Joint. Adjustments to the Parent's Joint for this link affect the other side of the same crease.

Interface

Both the parent's and the link's joint have the same controls:

Active: Turns off the effects of the joint intersection controls. When this box is cleared, Physique makes no compensation for overlapping bulges. Default=off.
Blend From: The area between Blend From and Blend To contains vertices that are partially affected by the crease plane. These vertices will be shifted, but not as much as those between the crease plane and the point where this joint begins to blend (Blend From in the parent's case, Blend To in the link's case). The distance of the vertices from the crease plane determines the exact amount of shifting. Vertices within the blend region that are closer to the intersection plane are shifted more than the vertices further away from it. Default=0.0.
Blend To: Indicates the distance beyond which the crease plane has no effect. Default=1.0.
Bias: Sets the strength of the crease plane effect within the blended region. A value of 0.0 means that the intersection plane will have no effect within the blended region; a value of 1.0 means that it will have a full effect within the blended region. Default=0.25.