joint

Transform Attributes

Joint

Draw Style

Lets you set how the joint is drawn in the scene view. By default, the connection between neighboring joints is drawn as a bone object. See Change joint display options.

Bone: The default drawing style. Joints are connected with bone objects.
Multi-child as Box: For joints with multiple child joints, draw joints as boxes.

NoteOnly the bones of a joint with more than one child joint chain can display as a box rather than as bones. Multiple child-joint hierarchies typically occur at the upper back and root.

Boxes can be a useful way to represent parent joints such as the pelvis or shoulders.
Circle: Select this option to draw joints as circles. If the joint has one child, the circle points in the direction of the child. If the joint has more than one child, use the CircleXY, CircleXZ, or CircleYZ drawing styles to set which way the circle faces.
CircleXY: Draw joints as circles facing the plane defined by the XY axes.
CircleXZ: Draw joints as circles facing the plane defined by the XZ axes.
CircleYZ: Select to draw joints as circles facing the plane defined by the YZ axes.
Stick: Draw bones as solid stick-like objects.
Square: Select this option to draw bones as squares. If the joint has one child, the square points in the direction of the child. If the joint has more than one child, use the SquareXY, SquareXZ, or SquareYZ drawing styles to set which way the square faces.
SquareXY: Draw joints as squares facing the plane defined by the XY axes.
SquareXZ: Draw joints as squares facing the plane defined by the XZ axes.
SquareYZ: Draw joints as squares facing the plane defined by the YZ axes.

Radius

Specifies the radius or size of individual joints.

For more information on joint radii, see Bone Radius Settings.

Degrees of Freedom

Specifies which of its local axes the joint can rotate about during inverse kinematics (IK) posing and animation. X, Y, and Z are on by default.

Stiffness

Specifies the current joint’s resistance to rotation during posing. You set stiffness for each axis (X, Y, Z) separately. For example, a wrist joint moves more freely bending toward the forearm than it does from side to side. So, you can set the Stiffness value in the plane perpendicular to the forearm (most often the Y-axis) to reduce its mobility in that plane.

Note

For Stiffness to work properly, the joint chain needs to have more than two bones.
IK solver calculations for Stiffness can require a little more time than they usually require, so use stiffness only when its effect really needed.
Joint stiffness with IK is difficult to control. The current joint stiffness algorithm works like a set of springs might work on the joints. While it is easy to say how it works, it is very difficult to control.

The effect of the X, Y and Z Stiffness values is relative to the values assigned to other joints in the joint chain. For example, in a joint chain with two joints, if joint1 has a Stiffness of 1.0 and joint2 has 2.0, joint2 will be twice as stiff as joint1. With stiffness set to 0, no stiffness is specified. In general, this is the recommended setting for all of a skeleton’s joints.

Since the Stiffness values for joints are relative to the values for all the other joints in the joint chain, when you set the Stiffness for at least one of the joints, you should also set the Stiffness values for the other joints in the chain so that they do not have the default (0). For example, you might set the Stiffness values for all the joints in the chain to 1, and then set the Stiffness values for the very stiff joints to 2 (twice as stiff as the rest), or 3 (three times as stiff), and so forth. If some of the joints in the chain still have the default setting of 0, the joints may lock up during IK posing.

Preferred Angle

Specifies how an inverse kinematics joint prefers to rotate during IK posing.

The IK solver often can rotate a joint in a number of different ways in order for the last joint to reach the goal.

Depending on how you want your character to move, some rotations are more appropriate than others. You need to identify the preferred angles for your character’s actions. Two types of IK solvers, the single chain IK solver and the rotate plane IK solver, will then give those angles priority over other possible angles during joint rotation. The angles you give priority to are the preferred angles.

Joint Orient

Specifies the orientation of the joint’s local rotation axis.

Segment Scale Compensate

When this attribute is on, the joint compensates for the scaling of its parent joint, and so is not affected. When off, the joint’s scaling is affected by the scaling of its parent joint. Default is on.

NoteThis option is turned off automatically if you load an FBIK rig. Turning Segment Scale Compensate on when working with an FBIK rig can result in out-of-scale joints or segments of geometry. See Troubleshoot full body IK for more information.

Joint Labelling

Specifies the label settings for the current joint.

Side

Specifies a side label for the current joint.

Center: Applies the Center side label to the selected joint.
Left: Applies the Left side label to the selected joint. For a symmetrical skeleton, all the joints on the left side of the skeleton should have the Left side label.
Right: Applies the Right side label to the selected joint. For a symmetrical skeleton, all the joints on the right side of the skeleton should have the Right side label.
None: Applies the None side label to the selected joint. When a joint is labeled None, then it is not included in the retarget.

Type

Specifies a type label for the current joint.

None: Sets the type label of the current joint to None. When a joint is labeled None, then it is not included in the retarget.
Root: Sets the type label of the current joint to Root.
Foot: Sets the type label of the current joint to Foot.
Hip: Sets the type label of the current joint to Hip.
Knee: Sets the type label of the current joint to Knee.
Toe: Sets the type label of the current joint to Toe.
Spine: Sets the type label of the current joint to Spine.
Head: Sets the type label of the current joint to Head.
Neck: Sets the type label of the current joint to Neck.
Collar: Sets the type label of the current joint to Collar.
Shoulder: Sets the type label of the current joint to Shoulder.
Elbow: Sets the type label of the current joint to Elbow.
Hand: Sets the type label of the current joint to Hand.
Finger: Sets the type label of the current joint to Finger.
Thumb: Sets the type label of the current joint to Thumb.
PropA: Sets the type label of the current joint to PropA.
PropB: Sets the type label of the current joint to PropB.
PropC: Sets the type label of the current joint to PropC.
Other: Sets the type label specified in the Other Type field to the selected joint.
Index Finger: Sets the type label of the current joint to Index Finger.
Middle Finger: Sets the type label of the current joint to Middle Finger.
Ring Finger: Sets the type label of the current joint to Ring Finger.
Pinky Finger: Sets the type label of the current joint to Pinky Finger.
Extra Finger: Sets the type label of the current joint to Extra Finger.
Big Toe: Sets the type label of the current joint to Big Toe.
Index Toe: Sets the type label of the current joint to Index Toe.
Middle Toe: Sets the type label of the current joint to Middle Toe.
Ring Toe: Sets the type label of the current joint to Ring Toe.
Pinky Toe: Sets the type label of the current joint to Pinky Toe.
Extra Toe: Sets the type label of the current joint to Extra Toe.

Other Type: Lets you define a custom label type for the current joint. For example, using the Other Type field you can label a dog skeleton’s tail joint as Tail(None). Only available when Type is set to Other.
Draw Label: When on, the current joint’s label is visible in the scene view.

Joint Rotation Limit Damping

Sets the damping range for the current joint. You can set joint damping when you want a joint to slow down when it approaches its defined limits. You need at least three joints for damping to work properly.

Min Damp Range: Specifies the angles (relative to the minimum joint limit angles) at which resistance begins to occur.
Max Damp Range: Specifies the angles (relative to the maximum joint limit angles) at which resistance begins to occur.
Min Damp Strength and Max Damp Strength: Specifies the amount of increasing resistance within the Min Damp Range and the Max Damp Range. Values can range from 0, which takes the joint all the way to its limit with no resistance, to 100, which halts the joint at the outer edge of the damp range. A value of 50 would specify a gradually increasing resistance as the joint rotates past the Min Damp Range angle.