[Bf-committers] Rigging a different way

[Roger]

After reading about the problems with rigging fat bodies (Big Buck Bunny) and
observing the visual complexity of bones in a model after getting to grips with
the rigging in Tony's book I wonder if bone and armature bodies are necessary.
Surely its just the joints that matter.

A mesh of quads is verts connected by edges why can't these be the armature
body, with only the verts close to the joint parented to the joint which could
be represented by emptys with a sphere of influence surrounding each to
differentiate the empty/joint from an normal empty very similar to the head and
tail of a normal envelope armature.

Wouldn't it be easier and natural to simply install joints at appropriate positions
by snapping to the 3D cursor.
Modify/scale the x,y,z axis to shape of the joint to alter vertex weighting.
Parent verts outside a sphere of influence to the empty joint as necessary.

For articulated movement, arms, fingers, cranes, doors, only the joint matters
anyway.
All the current context controls remain.
For Ik solvers simply add an external joint and constrain it as an Ik.

Would this address the problem of bones twisting while attempting to properly
locate them within a mesh.

For fat bodies, it could be a matter of adding empties/joints where influence is
needed and setting the degree of influence from or by neighboring empties.
Make the colour of joints blue or green.
Roger