bones or something

[Downup]

Hi is there something else i can use that work like ass bones...

I think i cant use bones the way i like it to be


Is cs good?

[synkronizer]

what software are you using?

Since you mention cs i'll presume you use 3dsmax.

Basically every object can be used as a bone. Just create your own. Bones are easy, because they are linked automatically, but they have drawbacks too.
They main thing that matters are the IK connections you make. And limitations for the joints.

[Emperor]

I preffer Character Studio to bones. See with bones u have to set the IK solution yourslf. This can be areally good thing to do so u understand the way it workd. But what I like about CS is that you get both IK and FW solutions all in one and its really easy to use once u get it. So I say try it out. It's one hell of a tool for animation. Just look at Blizzard entertaiment. All their characters in the cinematics and probably in their game models use cs :D! And they if anyone use it really good. Well worht the extra money say I :D!

[kuman]

keep in mind that anything can be a bone, whether its another peice of geometry or a dummy object or a bone object. as long as the tool you use can recognize it as a bone when its putting vert weights on the model to be deformed.

-k

[Downup]

yes

But how do i controll the eye animation and mouth ":D "

What shuld i have there.. Bones?

No dont think soo. i tested and ... =D dont work

[Mike-3DT]

Mouth would usually be done with morph targets, but you could use bones, although you would need to do some research on mouth musculature (not a bad idea anyway,) and also into bones rigs for mouths specifically if you wanted to do it that way.
Eyes are pretty easy. Just create a dummy or point helper & use a look at controller on the eyes. If you need them to move independantly, create 3 dummys. use a look at from the eyes to a dummy each, then link those dummys to the third. When you move the third dummy, both eyes will move. If you move one of the other two, the corresponding eye will move. Easy.
I take this a little further myself - I have a spline letter for each eye, (R & L usually) for quick identification & link those to a main point helper which acts as the master control. Then, instead of a look at, I put a tape measure inside each eyeball, (aligning them to the eyeballs,) & place the targets on the letters. I then link the eyeballs to their tape measures & link the tape measure targets to the letters. Moving a letter will move the corresponding eye, moving the point helper will move both eyes & the tape measures act as a visual 'line of sight', so I can tell if anything comes into the character's view. One good thing about using tape measures is that they automatically stretch, so you can place the point helper on the object you want the character to look at & instantly see the line of sight between the character & the focus of their vision.
You could take this another step again & add a cone to each eye to signify periferal vision as a guide to the extremities of where something will catch the character's attention if you wished & maybe even script in an automated local axis scale so that the cones stretched to meet the point helper like the tapes do but that would pretty much be overkill.