Create auxiliary effectors
 
 
 

Auxiliary effectors are supplementary effectors in a FBIK system that correspond to existing FBIK effectors. Every FBIK effector in a FBIK system can have multiple auxiliary effectors. You can translate and rotate an auxiliary effector to the position you want its corresponding FBIK body part to reach, then control the amount of reach using the auxiliary effector’s Reach channel values. Auxiliary effectors are useful in situations where you want an additional level of FBIK control.

To create auxiliary effectors

  1. In the scene view, select the full body IK effector for which you want to create an auxiliary effector.
  2. Select Skeleton > Full Body IK > Add Auxiliary Effector.

    The auxiliary effector appears at the same Translate and Rotate XYZ coordinates as its corresponding FBIK effector.

    Auxiliary effectors are named after their target FBIK effectors with the suffix Aux plus a sequential number. For example, if you create three auxiliary effectors for the RightFootEff effector, the first auxiliary effector is named RightFootEffAux, the second is named RightFootEffAux1, and the third is named RightFootEffAux2.

  3. Translate the auxiliary effector to the position in XYZ space you would like its corresponding FBIK body part to reach.
  4. In the Channel Box, change the auxiliary effector’s Reach Translation and Reach Rotation channel values to 0 and its corresponding FBIK effector’s Reach Translation and Reach Rotation channel values to 0.

    Key the Reach Translation and Reach Rotation channels for the auxiliary effector and its corresponding FBIK effector.

  5. Move the Time Slider forward in time to the point where you want the FBIK body part to reach the position of its auxiliary effector.
  6. In the Channel Box, change the auxiliary effector’s Reach Translation and Reach Rotation channel values to 1.

    Key the Reach Translation and Reach Rotation channels for the auxiliary effector and its corresponding FBIK effector.

    The FBIK effector will now move to the position of its auxiliary effector during it’s FBIK animation and its corresponding body part will reach towards the auxiliary effector.

Example: Foot moving towards soccer ball

To place an auxiliary effector in a soccer ball and link it to the RightFootEff of your character and then animate its Reach channel values so that its right foot meets the soccer ball for a kick.

  1. In the scene view, select your RightFootEff FBIK effector and then select Skeleton > Full Body IK > Add Auxiliary Effector.

    An auxiliary effector named RightFootEffAux appears at the same Translate and Rotate XYZ coordinates as the RightFootEff effector.

  2. Make sure that the RightFootEffAux effector’s Reach Translation and Reach Rotation channel values are 0 and then translate it to the position of the soccer ball object.

  3. Select RightFootEffAux, then -click the soccer ball, and parent RightFootEffAux to the soccer ball object (hotkey: p key).
  4. Move the Time Slider to the beginning of the soccer player’s FBIK animation.
  5. Select the RightFootEffAux effector. In the Channel Box, change its Reach Translation and Reach Rotation channel values to 0 and then key the channels.

  6. Select the RightFootEff effector. In the Channel Box, change its Reach Translation and Reach Rotation channel values to 0 and then key the channels.
  7. Move forward to the point in time where you want RightFootEff to reach the position of RightFootEffAux for the kick.

  8. Select the RightFootEffAux effector. In the Channel Box, change its Reach Translation and Reach Rotation channel values to 1 and then key the channels.

    Now when you playback the soccer player’s animation, its right leg and foot will move to the soccer ball for the kick.