Linking

[flap-jack]

Heyyo


I am doing a lightsaber battle with 3ds max 7 and I need to know how to link the saber handle you both hands will always be constrained to it. I need him to swing his saber, but I want him to do it with both hands. if I link the handle to the bip hand, I can move that hand and swing the blade. but I cant figure out how to get the other hand to move with it so it looks like he is swinging with both hands.



God bless
thanks

[kieranbelkus]

Have you thought about using Motion Capture files? and setting up a stream of motion capture files?

Previously i used motion capture files to animate a short fight sequence, however i some frames missing in between files, so when the character was weilding a sword with two hands, i just linked moved the hand with the sword to the next position, and the empty hand i just keyframed to the new position of the sword handle. (long and boring i know) but it can looks alot better to do it the good old fashioned way.

A criticism of this method, was luckily i wasnt dressing up the characters they were bipeds with armour attatched to them becuase we only needed to demonstrate how motion capture worked, but if you have fingers keyframing could take a very very long time....