freeroot/classic rig

Just been ploughing through the advanced rigging book - a lot of sequential steps, i thought i'd better keep a log as i go along. Been getting re-acquainted with the spine.

Notice the difference in direction of the first bone between the first two joints? Thats the two ways of rigging it - the free root (right) and the classic method(left). The classic is where you start at the base of the spine and add 7 joints to the shoulder. This is a more orthodox approach but the free route adds a bit more flexibility in the hip area. To create a free route you start at the small of the back (what was joint 2 on the classic spine) and plot six joints above along the line of the spine (as before). Then, with the joint tool selected click on the root joint and click one down. You can add a joint either side of the root for more flexibility, but for now i've just kept it simple.

Re-naming the joints was a doddle using the Search and Replace Names tool (Modify - Search and Replace Names) tool. Used "BindSpine" followed by a number (which Maya ascribes automatically) as the naming convention.

The classic spine on the left has a IK Spline Handle (Skeleton - IK Spline Handle) attached, which i will explain in the next post.