Tutorial for creating Dynamic Joint Chain in Maya

[chiragkopaigam]

Hi there this is Alladin's Chirag. This is my first Tutorial for this community where I'll explain how to create a Dynamic Joint Chain that can be used for Tails, Tentacles, Chain, and Ropes etc. Hope you all will enjoy this tutorial.

Dynamic Joint Chains can be created in a different of ways. In this tutorial we will see how to create a Dynamic Joint Chain with the help of Maya Hair System, the other method Includes Springs, Softbodies which we will explore some time later.



Time to start.



1. The first step is to create a Joint Chain with the "Joint Tool Options" set at its Default. So reset the Joint tool Options.



2. For this tutorial I'll use a curved joint chain.


3. Now create an “EP Curve” with vertices at each of the joints.


4. Make sure that you add vertices of the EP curve at each of the joints. You can do that by holding down the “V” key and clicking near each bones.
5. Next select the curve that u have created and in the “Dynamics” Menu set go to “Hair” Menu and select the option “Create Selected Curve Dynamic”.
6. Once you have created the curve into dynamic open “Hypergraph” there you will find a lot of new hair nodes but the one we are interested in will be “Curve2”
7. Once you have done so far select the “SplineIk Option Box” and checkout the option “Auto Create Curve”.
8. Now in “Hypergraph” Click the first bone of the Joint Shift select the last bone & shift select “Curve2”.

This will create a Spline Ik which will be controlled by the dynamic curve that we have created.
9. Once you got the SplineIk Hit the Play button, you will see that the bones will shift slightly.
10. When you play the animation both the end joints seems to be nailed up at their positions, so to unhook the last bone of the chain select the “Follicle” node in the “Hypergraph” and open its attributes.
11. Once you are at the Attributes of the Follicle look down for the Option “Point Lock”.
12. In that option change it from “Both Sides” to “Base”.
13. Now when you play the Animation the Joint chain starts falling under the gravity which is present as default with hair system.

14. But even now the falling of the Joint chain is not that accurate so now we have to adjust some attributes like “Stiffness, Damping, and Gravity etc”.
15. First of all in the “Follicle Shape Node” go down at the “Dynamics Overrides” option, by default its off.
16. Check it on and you will now be able to control the Stiffness & Damping Attributes.
17. Bring down the Stiffness value to 0.
18 Now play the Animation.
19. It seems much better but to improve it more go to the “hairSystemShape1” Node.
20. Under it just go to Dynamics.
21. Under Dynamics Menu and go to Forces Menu.
22. Increase the Value of Gravity upto 5.
23. Lower Down the Drag Value to “0”.
24. Now just play with the Attributes to get your desired effect.
For further Queries kindly post your Queries and I'll try to solve all of your queries. Hope this will help u a bit.
Regards
Alladin’s Chirag
chiragkopaigam@yahoo.co.in