Using the Deformer On Deformer

Manipulating a Deformer on Deformer system is virtually the same as manipulating a regular deformer, so it should be easy for an animator to use a Deformer on Deformer system if they are already familiar with animating with deformers.

However, one of the nuances to understand about Deformer on Deformer systems is that the way to display their controls in the Camera view is different than with regular deformers. This is because a Deformer on Deformer system is technically not a regular deformation chain, but rather, a Master Controller made to act like a deformation chain.

For example, you can display all of a rig’s deformation chains by selecting this rig’s parent peg and pressing the Show Selected Deformers button in the Deformation toolbar, but if the rig contains a Deformer on Deformer system, it won’t be displayed using this method.

To display a rig’s Deformer on Deformer systems, you can use one of the following methods:

  • Press the Show Master Controllers button in the Master Controller toolbar,
  • Use the Master Controller view, or
  • Locate the Master Controller in the Node or Timeline view, and then click on Show Controls in the Camera view toolbar.