TipAdjust Expand, Start
Smoothness, and End Smoothness from
the Channel Box.
To edit squash deformers using handle
manipulators
- Select the squash deformer node (default
name: squashn).
- Select the Show Manipulator Tool (default
shortcut: t key).
- In the scene, select one of the manipulators
on the squash deformer handle.
The manipulators on the
squash deformer handle let you edit attributes.
- -drag
the mouse to edit interactively. Note that the Channel Box updates
the values you are changing.
To edit squash deformers by moving, rotating,
or scaling handles
- Select the squash deformer handle node
(default name: squashnHandle).
- Move (translate), rotate, or scale the
handle to change the effect of the deformation.
- Move or rotate the handle pivot point
by pressing the (Linux and
Windows) or (Mac
OS X) key, moving the pivot point, and then pressing the or key
again.
Remember that you can
access the deformer handle’s local axes (Display > Transform
Display > Local Rotation Axes), rotate and scale pivots
(Display > Transform Display > Rotate
Pivots or Scale Pivots) and selection
handle (Display > Transform Display > Selection
Handle).
To edit squash deformers with the Channel
Box
- Select the squash deformer node (default
name: squashn).
One quick way to select
the squash deformer node is to select the object being deformed,
and then select the squash deformer node in its history from the Channel
Box (under INPUTS).
You can control which
attributes are listed as keyable attributes (channels) in the Channel
Box with the Channel Control editor
(select
Window > General
Editors > Channel Control).
- Click the name of the channel you want
to edit.
- In your scene, -click
and move the mouse to the left or right. By moving the mouse, you
interactively change the value of the selected channel. As you move
the mouse, note that pressing the key will
give you finer control, and pressing the key
will give you less control.
To delete a squash deformer
- Select the Squash deformer
handle.
- Select
Edit > Delete or
use the default shortcut (Linux
and Windows) or (Mac
OS X) key.
The squash deformer handle,
squash deformer handle shape, and squash deformer nodes are all
deleted. However, the object still has the tweak node as an input
node, so any tweaks you might have made are preserved. Also, note
that the various input nodes that structure the evaluation of the deformation
are not deleted.
To edit squash deformers with the Attribute
Editor
- Select the squash deformer node (default
name: squashn).
- Open the Attribute Editor by
selecting
Window > Attribute Editor or
use the default shortcut +a.
- Edit the attributes.
See
squash.
Squash deformer example
Squashing a sphere onto
the ground
By default, Maya places
nonlinear deformer handles at the center of the object to be deformed.
For instance, when you create a sphere and create a squash deformer
for it, Maya places the squash deformer handle at the center of
the sphere. The deformation will be relative to the sphere’s center.
If you want to squash the sphere against the ground, you can adjust
the squash deformer’s attributes and move the squash deformer handle
so that the deformation will be relative to where the sphere touches
the ground. In general, you can make these adjustments so that the
squashing effect can occur relative to any location inside or outside
of the sphere.
To set up the sphere and the deformer
- Create a primitive NURBS sphere.
- Press the 3 number key to increase the
display resolution.
- Move the sphere so that it is sitting
on the grid in a perspective view.
- Create a squash deformer for the sphere.
To edit the deformer
- Edit the squash deformer by setting squash1’s
attributes as follows:
Low
Bound: 0
High
Bound: 0.75
- Move the deformer handle so the lower
boundary is where the sphere is making contact with the ground.
To squash the sphere against the ground
- Now, from the Channel Box,
change the Factor.
The squash deformation
takes place relative to the bottom of the sphere, where the sphere
is touching the ground.
Bouncing ball setup
You can create squash
and stretch effects with the squash deformer. This example shows
how you can set up a ball for a bouncing ball animation.
To create NURBS sphere with squash control
- Do the previous example.
- Set squash1’s Factor attribute
back to 0.
To create deformer for stretch control
- Create another squash deformer for the
sphere to provide stretch control. Use the default creation options.
The squash1 deformer
provides the squashing that occurs when the ball lands on the ground.
The deformer you’ve just created (squash2) will provide the stretching
that will occur when the ball is in flight.
To define the ball
- Group the sphere (nurbsSphere1) and the
deformer handles (squash1Handle and squash2Handle).
- Rename the group ball.
- Open the Channel Control window
(
Window >
General Editors > Channel Control),
and make the following attributes Non Keyable:
- scaleX, scaleY, scaleZ
- visibility
The Channel
Box now lists only the following keyable attributes for
ball: Translate X, Translate
Y, Translate Z, Rotate
X, Rotate Y, and Rotate
Z.
- Close the Channel Control window.
Now you will add two
attributes to the ball for squashing and stretching.
- With the ball selected, select
Modify > Add Attribute.
- Add a keyable attribute called flyStretch,
with the following Min/Max Values: Minimum 0, Maximum 10, Default 0.
- Add a keyable attribute called landSquash,
with the following Min/Max Values: Minimum 0, Maximum 10, Default 0.
- Close the Add Attribute window.
To set driver and driven keys for stretching
- Open the Set Driven Key window
(
Animate > Set Driven Key > Set > ).
- Load ball as driver, select flyStretch attribute,
and set the attribute to 0.
- Load squash2 as driven, select factor attribute,
and set the attribute to 0.
- Click Key.
- Set ball’s flyStretch attribute
to 10.
- Set squash2’s factor attribute
at 0.6.
- Click Key.
To set driver and driven keys for squashing
- Open the Set Driven Key window
if it is not already opened.
- Load ball as driver, select landSquash attribute,
and set the attribute to 0.
- Load squash1 as driven, select factor attribute,
and set the attribute to 0.
- Click Key.
- Set ball’s landSquash attribute
to 10.
- Set squash1’s factor attribute
at -2.
- Click Key.
- Click Close to
close the editor.
Now the ball is ready
for a bouncing ball animation with squash and stretch effects.
Animating the ball
You’ve now set up the
ball for animation. Try creating an animation of the ball bouncing.
Include stretch effects when the ball is in flight and squash effects
when the ball hits the ground. For example, your animation might look
something like the following images.
These images show just
a simple example of a bouncing ball. As you develop your animation
of a bouncing ball, try to see how much “character” you can give
to the ball’s movements.