Joint Orientation Question

[will-lee]

Hello All,

I have a question about re-orienting the local axis for a joint.

We are trying to fix a facial rig and need to re-orient the joints. Here is the problem: the LOCAL axis all need to be facing a certian way for the rig to work (we're working with a MoCap system that requires the joints in the face to be Z-forward, Y-up). I went in and used the Orient Joint tool, as usual, to set the orientations, which seemed to work.

However, upon closer inspection, we found that the Orient Joint tool only changed the OBJECT Axis. If you go into the settings of the move tool, you'll see it has choices for a World Axis, an Object Axis, AND a local axis (and several others). The Orient joint tool only affected the object axis, NOT the local. Using component mode to grab the axis and change it manually had the same problem, it only changes the object axis.

My question is, how does one change the LOCAL axis? I've already tried the orient joint tool and using component mode (clicking on the question mark and bringing up local axis, etc). Unfortunately those don't seem to work.

[joojaa]

If you go into the settings of the move tool, you'll see it has choices for a World Axis, an Object Axis, AND a local axis

Err theres really no such thing, its the space the tool is in the data it changes is still the same. the numbers you have in the rotate X y z are allways local, the move tool just recomputes the thing into that cordinate space FROM the specified space of the tool. The joint just changges the offset of 0 0 0 meaning.

Object space is a illusory space that does not really exist outsde the purposes of giving animators a false sense of whats there. The data of any node in maya is Is ALLWAYS local, in fact object does not meaninfully ever exist*! If you need to change local you need either turn the parent object.

My question is, how does one change the LOCAL axis?

turn the parent object. If you dont have one make one!

Orient doesnt actually do what you think it does. It just changes how the rotation offsets it in no way affects the translation channels of things translation is still the same way around. So it didnt EVEN turn the space, it just turned a virtual space thats not even the objects space inherited.

• it can be computed and then dcomputed to local but it does not exist for any other purpose than the move tool really. Because otside even children of nodes dont have the same object space.