Recently, I've been looking for a way to fix this, and no where did I find a solution... So I analyzed the CAT tools, and finally, I discovered the solution that WORKS!
I will explain the first problem, a simple solution to the first problem, a second MAJOR problem, and a somewhat complex (but built-in to CAT's tools) solution:
Problem 1: A CAT-rigged character with a T-pose in Max will not have a properly working spine control. Whenever the hips rotate, so does the spine.
Solution 1:
Problem 2: When "Inherit Rotation" is turned off, the rotation tools in the Viewport work perfectly, but once in the Graph Editor, both X and Z rotation are flat on top of each other and must be counter-animated, also known as a Gimbal Lock.
Solution 2:
I will explain the first problem, a simple solution to the first problem, a second MAJOR problem, and a somewhat complex (but built-in to CAT's tools) solution:
Problem 1: A CAT-rigged character with a T-pose in Max will not have a properly working spine control. Whenever the hips rotate, so does the spine.
Solution 1:
- Select the Chest Control
- Under Hierarchy>Link Info>Bone Hierarchy>Inheritance>Animation Mode, turn off "Inherit Rotation". This will allow separate rotation between the hips and spine.
Problem 2: When "Inherit Rotation" is turned off, the rotation tools in the Viewport work perfectly, but once in the Graph Editor, both X and Z rotation are flat on top of each other and must be counter-animated, also known as a Gimbal Lock.
Solution 2:
- Select the Chest Control
- Hierarchy>Link Info>Bone Hierarchy>Inheritance>Animation Mode
- Turn ON "Inherit Rotation" (undo what was done in Solution 1).
- Hierarchy>Link Info>Inherit>Rotate, turn OFF X, Y, and Z.
- Motion>Euler Parameters
- Axis Order: YZX
- Rotation Axis: Y
If you work a lot using the graph editor, you will immediately notice how much faster your workflow will be. Enjoy!
