Animating with Constraints: Constraint Switching

[@Kira1634]

You're a lifesaver mate. This was what I have been searching for.

[@NickArbeiter]

Glad these helped! I'll try to be updating them someday! :p

[@nathanzehr]

Great video, Nick! Took a bit of time to find a clear and simple video on constraints, so it was refreshing to find yours and you explained it so simply and clearly! Nice job and thanks!

[@NickArbeiter]

Nathan Zehr thank you, and glad it was useful!

[@bobbyjoalfonso3949]

If you were doing a ball bounce off the ground from one hand to another hand would you just use 3 locators? Right hand, left hand, and world locator?

[@NickArbeiter]

For this kind of setup, yes! It'll be a lot to keep track of, but if you have animbot, it would make keeping the ball in place as you switch constraints easier!

[@Soulofjazzman]

Awesome work as always, Nick! :)

[@Soulofjazzman]

Ha! It is. Perfect timing. I'm working on a scene with constraints. Nice refresher. I didn't use a locator this time, but I think I'll go back in and add it since you did in this tut. :)

[@theonewhoanimates6665]

i've looking for this for a long time! tnx alot.

[@NickArbeiter]

glad it will help!

[@DreamWizard9]

You Sir, are my new favourite animation tutor! :D Can you perhaps make some videos on how to spline? What is the method, putting every blocked control into Auto or Spline tangents? (like selecting all the keyframes and changing the tangents to Spline?) Or just some of the keyframes?

[@DreamWizard9]

Nick Arbeiter Great idea! (blocking in spline) I never tried that... :O So what do you set your IN and OUT tangents to then? Both to Auto? or to Spline? I'll try that in my next animation exercize :) thx a lot!

[@artby_r3n]

Hello Nick, Thanks for the tutorial. What is the reason of having world locator? can't we just turn off the constraint on the hand and animate the ball locator?

[@NickArbeiter]

Hi Ceren! It's been a minute since I've watched these tutorials, so I believe the best answer is this. When you turn the constraint on and off, by default, the object snaps back to where the constraint was established, since it's translation data hasn't technically moved. At the time, I'd use the world constraints to get around this snapping issue. But also technically speaking, you aren't wrong! And being honest, since I use animbot now, I have a world space snapper that also avoids the issue. I hope that made sense!

[@networkplayer01]

where I can find this rig?

[@NickArbeiter]

I cannot remember where I found it, I'm sorry! CreativeCrash, maybe? I don't actually have it anymore, so i can't even offer it. =\

[@DreamWizard9]

If you have several objects in the scene, do you need a "world locator" for every one of them, or can you Constraint all of them to your 1 world locator? Sorry for all my questions. This is exciting stuff to me! ;-)

[@NickArbeiter]

Sorry I never saw this! But no, you can use the same world locator, since it should never move.

[@MrVibes-tj3ie]

My object snaps back after I take it off of one of the constraints. I am doing this for a weapon and a magazine. When I eject the magazine from the gun, I remove the constraint from the gun and add the constraint to the hand. After the magazine leaves the hand, I constraint it to the world but right when I do that, I cannot edit the path of the magazine, it automatically snaps back to the position in the gun.

[@NickArbeiter]

Are you using groups above the magazine? Also, are you turning off one constraint and then reconstraining it to the new object? If so, don't turn off the constrain you're leaving until you've set up the new one, that might help.

[@MrVibes-tj3ie]

Yea I tried that and unfortunately it didn't work. But thankfully the mag joint was parented to the hand, so I just addeed a new control and parented that to the hand control so it would move with the hand control and when I wanted to change the position of the mag the second time, I just constrained it to the second control.

[@MrVibes-tj3ie]

Thank you for getting back quickly though! :)

[@NickArbeiter]

So got it working??

[@MrVibes-tj3ie]

Yea man

[@SuperKelebek]

Thank you so much.Sooo helpfull

[@NickArbeiter]

No Prob!

[@miraklemaster]

thanks

[@NickArbeiter]

Glad it could help!

[@yukithecat9440]

is it really necessary to have a world locator? can you still animate the prop in the scene without having to switch back and forth from the world locator to the hand?

[@NickArbeiter]

totally! The world locator is for a prop that needs to be controlled by something, but also switch back to controlling itself. So if you only need something to be constrained to a driver, then you don't need the world loc.

[@yukithecat9440]

@@NickArbeiter Thank you very much for your help.Your videos have been very helpful. Keep up the good work ^-^

[@NickArbeiter]

@@yukithecat9440 thanks a lot!! Glad they are helping. I'm thinking about revamping all of these, just not sure when xD

[@alexolea5662]

Hey Nick! Thanks a lot for the video, I'm starting the AM in June (so excited!). I'd love to know what hotkeys you're using when you constrain, I just hear the key sounds so I'm lost. Thanks!

[@NickArbeiter]

Good luck Alex! And I've made a custom hotkey for it. I have a gaming keyboard with extra function keys. So i made a new hotkey for "Parent Constrain", and then mapped it to one of those function keys. I use it a lot, so. XD

[@ryanstew9885]

could I use set driven keys to make attiubute do this switching for me ?

[@NickArbeiter]

Being honest, I've never tried. But In theory, you could, yeah!

[@ryanstew9885]

i tried it and I was having troubles with it. I have a character that has a knife that I want to stay on his hip. when I tried this it worked but when I had to turned to not following the hip it would be able to move any more. so then I tried to make two knifes one the follows one that doesn't and key the visibility on and off for the switch attribute and this worked the best but when I turn on my the switch to be able to leave the body to snaps back to the characters starting spot. Its the closest I think I'm going to get, thank you for your help this video was very helpful. I guess I could always key them well animating like you did in this tutorial.

[@NickArbeiter]

Using the doubles can work. I've never tried using the set driven keys for a prop before. Sorry it didn't work out as easily as the logic does. XD

[@ryanstew9885]

lol its all good, thank you so much for reposing to my comment :)

[@NickArbeiter]

Ryan Stew no problem!

[@jaimewodell3551]

In the 2016.5 version of maya creating a parent constraint creates a keyable channel in the channel editor. I have been keying the constraints on and off to pick objects up and put them back down in stead of switching from a hand constraint to a world constraint. Would you still say that using a worldspace constraint is easier? I haven't attempted the methods you used so I have no clue myself ^^;

[@NickArbeiter]

Hi! Sorry this took so long to respond! Fun story, I actually do plan on making a video about the Blend Parent attribute! When I first started making these vids, that attribute wasn't really a thing. But, now that it is, I do tend to use that as well. If you're just switching between an object being controlled by something and world, BP is the way to go. If it has to change between two driving objects that aren't world, I'd use a constraint system.

[@jaimewodell3551]

That's okay! thanks for the tip

[@m_s_a4490]

in max is easy link to world link to opject why they not add this in maya

[@NickArbeiter]

M_S_A haha, I honestly couldn't say

[@m_s_a4490]

same here alot of cool feature in maya and max why they just merge both softwear it's hard in maya to constraint prop i start learning animation i have weapon control both hands and i wand right hand release weapon and move the slider left hand reloade mag :( i think i'll use rig and sking in maya animation in max

[@NickArbeiter]

Interesting, I've never heard someone prefer animating in Max! But whatever works for you is what's best. It's all about the end product.

[@alexolea5662]

I see, but basically, to do that constrain I should basically go to Constrain/Parent?

[@NickArbeiter]

Yes, all of the constraints I used in these tutorials were Parent constraints! And that is where it is =]

[@alexolea5662]

Thank you very much Nick! :)

[@NickArbeiter]

no prob!

[@iPSLee]

So thaaaat's why my items are flying all over the place

[@ihaveamustacheproductions5560]

dosent work

[@NickArbeiter]

If you'd like some help with it, I can certainly try.

[@sillyninja65]

CAN SOMONE JUST FUCKING EXPLAIN THIS QUICKER

[@NickArbeiter]

Sure... 1. Constrain first object 2. Animate until you want to swap 3. Set up the new constraint there 4. On the frame before the switch, the old constraint should be keyed on, and the new constraint should be keyed off. On the frame that you want to swap, key the first constraint off, and then key the second constraint on 5. Continue animating