■ When scaling and rotating biped parts, pay attention to the model in
multiple viewports. A rotation, for instance, may look good in one viewport,
but another viewport may indicate a problem.■ Examine the character mesh's complexity. If the character is wearing
mittens or shoes, you probably don't need five fingers and toes. Adjust the
biped structure accordingly.■ Remember ponytails. If the character has a lot of hair or a long nose, like
an elephant trunk, you can use a ponytail to control that part of the mesh.■ If the character mesh has a short torso or long neck, it may be best to
reduce the number of Spine Links or increase the number of Neck Links.
You can add up to 25 links in the neck, tail or ponytails, and up to ten
links in the spine.■ If the character is carrying something like a weapon or tool, add a Prop to
control that object.For a more detailed look at posing a biped, see the lesson Aligning the Biped
to the Model on page 893.Applying Physique
After the biped is posed to match the character mesh, you apply the Physique
modifier to the character mesh. The Physique modifier associates the biped
with the character mesh.After Physique is applied and set up, any animation on the biped is passed on
to the mesh, making it move as if there were bones and muscles underneath.Set up the lesson:1 On the Quick Access toolbar, click the Open File button, navigate
to the \animation\character_animation\quick_start folder, and open
cs4_qs_drX02.max.
This scene contains Dr. X and a completely posed biped.2 In the Front viewport, zoom in on the biped's pelvis (orange triangle)
and the center of mass, or COM (blue tetrahedron).678 | Chapter 5 Character-Animation Tutorials