How To Animate Along a Path With Deformers Using Autodesk Maya | Animation Tutorial

This tutorial demonstrates a rigging method for swimming creatures using Spline iK, Spline Deformers and a Wire Deformer to drive the characters spine animation.
This is not a tutorial on building a full character, just dealing with the overall form for a very basic sea creature.
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[@gatya14]

i think i legit got waay too exited when i saw your lil dragon fish swim. This is just too awesome

[@IlseZamarripa]

Daniel, I can't begin to tell you how amazing your tutorials are! Please keep it up, the way you teach and the things you teach are both outstanding! Please keep making this animation+rigging stuff 🤗

[@kayvonfazeli2158]

You explain everything so clearly, and talk about what is happening behind the scenes in a way that makes it easy to digest and also apply elsewhere. This is fantastic, and thank you so much.

[@alejandrofigueroa4243]

I can't believe how amazing is this tutorial, it's exactly what i have been looking for, thank you for such a great and cool tutorial, please more tutorials like this one!

[@beixingzhiguang3975]

EXACTLY what I was looking for. Thank you so much Daniel.

[@tralthamidor]

Thanks for taking the time to create this. Very clear and useful.

[@bnwo]

Thanks for making the tutorials. Really appreciate the After Effects stuff. Keep it up!

[@drawatale219]

I love your videos they are really good and i learned few things for my channel that i just start, my goal is to get a a whole full animated video with the poppets things in your other video, great job! :D

[@Evgen_inart_OjO]

Great lessons! Thank you for sharing your experience!

[@RanjithKumar-hp6tw]

Daniel I thank you so much for such cool innovative idea of using deformers, i have never used deformers in such way. this was super cool. Thanx alot. Plz keep uploading such superb tutorials. i SUBSCRIBED ur channel & I am gonna follow u daily for updates.

[@tarviky]

Incredibly good tutorial. Thanks a lot!

[@scorpio2510]

Awesome tutorial, thank you so much!

[@HouseCatTV]

Awesome, thanks for this!

[@lawart5603]

This is fantastic, thank you!

[@rohitsharma1564]

Awesome tutorial, very helpful

[@russlondon]

Thank you, this tutorial saved my neck.

[@CageCreed]

Man, thanks so much for this video

[@littlejoe1105]

Wow you use deformers and curves that is briliiant idea. I would never thought of that. It seems like you have the knowledge of movements of marine life.

[@JoeSamsonMedArt]

this was great!

[@kioly_ah]

this is the gold!

[@Keith_S.]

Fantastic, thanks a lot :D

[@franchucozgz]

incredible

[@reniferZiolo]

awesome, thanks

[@sivapandianreffreference]

really good usefull tutorial, pls share the rigg because you have done much details, i want see. thanks

[@gorannovaks]

hmm.. smart. can't wait to use this technique with mash.

[@maarten176]

Thanks!!

[@InnerLondonViolence]

Nice tutorial!I tried to follow these steps on an existing rig, but because all of the rigs don't have a single chain from head to tail,I couldn't create a a spline IK handle and it was impossible to make that technique work..Is there anyway to work around that and animate the fish your way but with an existing rig?

[@calmpassenger]

Remarkable

[@user-FuTaiwanCK]

thanks

[@manhha00]

thank you (y)

[@bharanisivakumar880]

nice

[@elaphbadr6463]

Hi there, This tutorial is amazing.. I just wonder If I can attach the curve to IK curve of the advanced skeleton system or I should build a whole new Ik system

[@nomigan]

Hi! Thanks for an amazing tutorial. I have some struggle with the controls. How did you set up the hierarchy to make your controls follow your seal while following the wire? :)

[@cleobai]

I have the same problem and question about this... : (

[@DilKumarLimbu143]

Can you please show me a Maya tutorials to create water transparent to see water creatures

[@dodeedada]

I have some problem with snake rig...Can I have the snake to both move along the path and be able to control each individual control indepently...just like a snake in Rango (animted feature film).

[@michaelzhang1428]

Hello!I saw you animating the path with the seal Rig, and I wanted to ask how the referenced Rig animates the path in your way?

[@Carloslecrabski]

Hi this is a great tutorial and have got everything working well, many, many thanks! I was just wondering how you can get the fish/animal to slowdown/speed up etc. As it's not a regular Motion Path there is no U value and I can't seem to add keys to it? I have looked to see if there are any tutorials on the Wire path but can't seem to find any. I was wondering since you've used this method if you could give me a quick idea on how to do this on the Wire Path??

[@Carloslecrabski]

Have managed to do it with the main controller! But would still be interested to know if there is a different way? Many thanks :)

[@sivapandianreffreference]

hi please make some more tutorials . please, please,,,,,,

[@Ganaa23]

Really wish my maya works the same way as urs. Cuz when I follow the steps my curve just moves back and forth like a solid line ;(

[@enguixx]

Same problem, could u solve it?

[@enguixx]

I have solved it xd, I had the symmetry activated

[@lio331]

Thanks for the tutorial...Can this method be used to animate a tail?

[@DanielGies]

Kavito Sumi certainly

[@AmitRai1818]

Hello, After wire tool, i animated the group, but it's not following curve shape,, plz help thanks

[@Kareena280]

Hi Daniel, I'm trying to learn Maya through your tutorials. I followed the steps of creating your own curve on the joints. However, after creating the curve and selecting the start and end joint with ik spline handler, my curve still won't move like how it is on your video (4:49), maybe I know what have I done wrong? I used the move tool and try to move it

[@methlokaijufan9729]

I have the same problem

[@IlseZamarripa]

On your status line, in the selection mode menu just select the third button and try again :)

[@coloneljcd6041]

@@IlseZamarripa still doesnt work.. nothing is moving and the mesh is bending out of shape.. EDIT: never mind got it to work with the third button as you said :)

[@stefontheair]

I have maya 2017, and I can't seem to be able to select anything on the curve. Does anybody have a similar problem?

[@reniferZiolo]

I was wondering if it's possible to apply it to circular path so that I could make a loop/ for some reason it doesnt work, the spine doesnt bend?

[@DanielGies]

Have you tried taking a straight path and turning it into a circle? You can do it if you use a bend deformer on the path. This method has its limits, but it may be possible, in fact it should be. Also double check your input order. If you right click on the geometry of your deformed character and look for the "all inputs" you can middle mouse drag the input order up and down to see if it helps the results. Sometimes if the input order is wrong it will cancel out the effect.

[@VirtualSuperSoldier]

I'm at the end of my rope here... I'm using Maya LT so consequently I have no wire tool (the wire deformer was removed). I can make the fishes tail swish, but I cant make him move. Correction, I can make him move via motion path, but I cant get the functionality that makes the tail swoosh to work with the motion path. Any ideas?

[@henriqueribeiro4954]

Daniel Gies You used this same technique for the tail fins and the "arms"?

[@DanielGies]

Yes, same thing, just less joints

[@falinoid]

How did you do the process at 14:41

[@talksandtokes]

Did anyone ever solve why the animation won't follow the curve if you edit it after you connect them?

[@daddy4sharx]

3:36 How did you do that? how did you select the curb and not the joint?

[@DanielGies]

+Michael Morgan If you are having trouble selecting anything but joints you need to turn off the joint selection option at the top of the screen. There are a series of icons up there that represent the various components that you can select. If you click on the joint one you will no longer be able to select it. Maya prioritizes joints when they are present in a scene. It can be really annoying. (download.autodesk.com/global/docs/maya2014/en_us/index.html?url=files/Selecting_Select_only_certain_types_of_objects_or_components_selection_masks.htm,topicNumber=d30e15646)

[@Nukefr]

Hi sir, was the Fins animated Manually.......

[@venkatesh9798]

obviously

[@onkarshinde0001]

This trick not working in Maya 2017

[@global-hellsorosshjt5469]

Way too close to the mic....popping and breath noise....awful