Sculpt muscles
 
 
 

After a muscle is created, you can edit the cross section curves to sculpt the muscle into the shape you want. The Edit tab has a Sculpting section for this.

MuscleCreator muscles have three built-in cross section curve sets that you can edit: one for the default rest position, one for the squash state, and another for the stretch state. You can directly edit these curves in the scene view, or using the Muscle Creator window.

ImportantYou need to edit the curve cross sections, not the muscle surface itself. You generally do not want to manipulate the NURBS surface directly, since that surface can be made more or less detailed using attributes on the Muscle Creator node.

To sculpt with the Muscle Creator window

  1. Select Muscle > Muscles/Bones > Muscle Creator from the main menu bar.
  2. Click the Edit tab, then select any muscle or muscles that you created with the Muscle Creator window.
  3. In the Sculpting section of the Edit tab, select which axis of the cross sections to edit.

    The default is X-Z since they are flat cross sections. You can also edit the Rest, Squash, or Stretch cross sections. For example, to make a muscle more flat, turn X on and Z off, or vice-versa.

    TipThe Sculpting part of the window can also work on selected points only. If you select certain CVs on the cross section curves, the Sculpt slider affects only those CVs.
  4. Select which part of the muscle you want to affect using the Location slider. (For detailed descriptions of the settings in the Muscle Creator window’s Edit tab, see Muscle Creator window.)
  5. Adjust the Sculpt slider to change the size of the muscle. As you drag, you can see the shape being adjusted.

You can also select and edit the cross sections directly in the scene view. Options at the bottom of the Edit tab let you select controls or cross sections for the muscle(s) that have been chosen in the Muscle Creator window.

Tip -clicking each section lets you easily show or hide those items by setting the Visibility attribute on the cMuscleCreator node for you.
Tip -clicking the Creator label above the selection lists lets you select just the cMuscleCreator node to adjust its values in the Attribute Editor or Channel Box.

Related topics