Lesson 1: Create and set up a muscle object

Open the scene for the lesson

1. Load the Sabertooth_Create_Start.mb file from the Lesson 1 folder.

   This scene contains a quadruped rig with its joints converted to have capsules. You can use the Display Layer Editor to show and hide the skin of the model.

   Tip

   Use the (Windows) +b or (Mac OS X) +b hotkey to toggle the background color in the scene view.

2. Scrub the timeline and watch the walk cycle animation.

The quadruped rig is currently lacking a muscle structure. This lesson shows you a workflow example using the Muscle Creator to add muscles. The Muscle Creator lets you not only create and mirror muscles, but also provides controls to sculpt and shape them so they move in a realistic fashion.

Create muscles

1. From the main menu, select Muscle > Muscles/Bones > Muscle Creator.

   The Muscle Creator window appears. The top half of the Create tab contains controls that let you set the name of your muscle, the number of controls/cross sections, the number of segments around your muscle, and the joints to which the muscle is attached.

2. In the Muscle Creator window, do the following:
   • Enter Mus_L_FrontLeg as the Muscle Name.
     Tip

     Naming your muscles clearly helps you better identify them within the hierarchy, for example by differentiating muscles from the character’s right and left sides.

   • Set Num. Controls / Cross Sections to 4.
   • Set Num. Segments Around to 8.
3. Keeping the Muscle Creator window open, do the following to set the muscle’s Attach objects:
   • Select the bn_L_F_Humerus01 capsule (in the scene view or Outliner) then click the Attach Start button in the Muscle Creator window.
     
   • Select the bn_L_F_TiborRaiiMinor01 capsule and click the Attach End button.
     

     The buttons load the selected objects into the Attach Start and Attach End fields for you.

4. Click Create Muscle.
   

   The new muscle is attached to the joints you specified in the Attach Start and Attach End fields.

   To see the muscle clearly, you may want to change your scene view to wireframe. The muscle is primarily comprised of a NURBS surface, two attach points at each end of the muscle, and a series of cross section controls.

   

Beyond the lesson

In this lesson you learned how to create a muscle attached to two joints. You can find the completed file for this lesson, Sabertooth_Create_End.mb, in the Maya Muscle Advanced Techniques folder.

Now you are ready to refine and edit the muscles of the saber tooth tiger by setting the pose states and adjusting the locators at each end of the muscle.