3D Character Rigging - The Arm

Description
In this tutorial we look at how to make a arm rig. Both the FK and the IK, with a Switch between them.

Chapters
1. Setup the Arm
2. FK/Ik Switch

Programs Used

Maya

Tutorial by
Dennis Jensen

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Woo! Thanks for posting this! I’ve been wanting to know how to do a FK/IK switch for a long time. Towards the end, you mentioned maybe doing another tutorial about parenting the arm to the hip/shoulder/space. If you have time, I would be interested in learning how to do this! Thanks again!
D. 2012-02-03

Hey!

It takes me a lot of time to understand what´s going on because I really don´t now much about maya, but your tutorials are really awesome and i love watching them!!! :)

thanx a lot!
D. 2011-12-27

hi dennis

first off all thanks for the tutorial..

this is my first time rigging all though I have studied animation in university. I am not really keen on rigging.. I am more of a animator.

at the moment I am having trouble with the fk and the IK joint i have done most of the tutorial on it but where it come to putting the FK and the IK to the main joint something going wrong their.

when it come to putting the blind colour to the main joint and putting the output to rotation the main hand goes all over the place. I don’t know y.. if you can let me know that would be great.
D. 2011-12-06

This is AWESOME, it really helped me
D. 2011-12-02

Mr. Dennis, Hi
First of all many many thnx to you for this great gift in face of tutorial. It just help me to rigging in maya. Wish if i become a good animator or rigger then i definitely go to meet you.

D. 2011-08-19

I already fixed it, thx
D. 2011-07-25

Hi Dennis,

first, great Tutorial ;)
it realy shows even a beginner like me how to do! ;)
I have a problem with the Pole Vector CTR
when i constrain the ctr with the ikh, the ik arm joint moves a little back to the ctr. And when i snap the ctr to the normal arm, the ik arm joint is in normal position.
Do you know why this could be?
Cheers
Manu

D. 2011-07-23

HI Dennis,

I have the same problem as Jason, I haven't finish my rig, but I'm afraid it would fail if the arm axes are straight.

Thanks for your help
Greetings from Mexico
D. 2011-07-20

Hello Billy.

How much do you know about rigging? Rigging is very technical so a lot of stuff can go wrong. Whick means when a problem accur you are not all ways ready for it. I have seen a lot of people following my tutorials and make some very nice rigs. That tells me people are getting some value from it? I don't have time to spent 10 hours preparing for these videoes, that's also why some mistakes happen.

If I was learning this stuff as I was going on with the exercise I would be the most awesome person in the world :) I think that is impossible. But thanks for the compliment.

Cheers

/Dennis
D. 2011-05-23

You're a terrible teacher. I can't seem to get through any of your videos without having to take several steps back due to you're own ignorance. If you're going to offer to help people efficiently, you need to be sure you have an idea of what you're talking about, especially with a program such as maya. You're obviously learning as you go with this specific exercise, which is an obvious red flag that you're not ready to make tutorials, let alone let the public rely on your teaching methods.
D. 2011-05-23

Hey Seth.

It sounds wierd. If you dublicated the joints from the primary arm it should be the same orientation?

Can you send the file to me? Then I will take a look at it.

Cheers

/Dennis
D. 2011-05-20

Hey Dennis, Thanks for the killer tutorials, they're incredibly helpful!
I've encountered a problem however...

When I color-blend my IK and FK Joints, My primary arm does not scale correctly between the IK and FK joints/arms. It is almost like the arm is mirrored over an axis, but when i use a reverse node on some of the joints, it simply makes it worse. I'm worried something is not correctly oriented, what do you think?
D. 2011-05-20

Dennis,

I have noticed that ALL of my axis' are straight and level on all my controllers. I fear that this is a default setting or a Macintosh thing. I will send you the file. Thanks for your help.

Jason
D. 2011-05-03

Hi Jason.

Did you select the joint first and then the pole vector? and then pres P? that might be the problem.

Otherwise you can send me the file to my email.

Cheers

/Dennis
D. 2011-05-03

Dennis,

Right at time frame 31:16 when you start to parent the L shape controller to the joint, when you select them both you notice that your axis' rotates so that your y axis is at an angle. You press P and it rotates back again. You zero out the rotation and the axis' rotate again. Mine does not do that! Do you know why?

As a result my pole vector y axis is straight up and down.

Jason
D. 2011-05-03

hey Dennis.. nice arbejde.. jeg er li begynd på at lære Maya så håber på at jeg kan støtte mig op af dine tutorials.. har du nogen helt begynder venlige videoer?

elsker ideen med at videoerne skal være frit tilgængeligt.

Hilsen
CC
PS: skriver på dansk fordi jeg går ud fra du er dansker. ;)
D. 2011-04-01

Seems like you would split the forarm as many times as you wanted on the FK side and have your normally positioned hand control start the rotation on the beginning side of the chain with a multiply/divide driving back up to the wrist like with the fingers but on the XAxis. And not do it on the IK side.
Thank you very much Dennis. I'm coming from blender to Maya and you made the transition very smooth. I spent 4 days with your tutorials and also had that warm fuzzy feeling the whole time. Really nice and easy to follow concepts. Perfectly done. I still have the facial and weight painting tuts to go through but am still busy customizing and getting a feel for what she can do because, I'm the animator as well. Very cool. Awesome...Two thumbs up.
D. 2011-03-10

Hey Dennis !
Very Helpfull tuts, thx very much !
But i have one question with your set-up, how kann i apply an forearm twist with the ik Arm Ctrl, so the wrist does not warp the mesh while rotating along the x axes, hope you can help.

cheers (:
D. 2011-03-06

Hey Toby

Thanks a lot it worked :) It was really annoying.

Cheers
D. 2011-01-15

If you hold down the r key on the keyboard and left click it will bring up a series of options for the scale manipulator, one will be called snap scale and from the sound of your problem it should have a tick or cross depending on version of maya next to it. If you switch it off then that will solve your problem.
D. 2011-01-13