Setting Up the Resting Position

Once you have a deformation chain created, you can optimize its positioning to fit the element it will deform.

A deformation rig has a resting position and an animated position. The resting position is the original pose the character is in when not animated with keyframes. You can always revert your animated character to its resting position to recover the initial scale, angle, and shape. You can revert the entire character or only certain deformation chains, such as the arm or leg. Just make sure your resting position is fully set before deploying the character in production.

You can also set additional parameters in the Layer Properties window—see Deformation Nodes.

To understand better the various parameters available in the nodes' layer properties, you should know more about the following terms:

Radius: The radius determines the size of a zone. The radius value is the length from the central point of the zone to its edge. By increasing the radius value, you increase the size of the area.

Radius

Transversal: The transversal parameter is related to the width of the zone in relation to the bone. The transversal value cuts across the bone.

Longitudinal: The longitudinal parameter is related to the length of the zone in relation to the bone. The longitudinal value is parallel to the bone's length.

Longitudinal