As the title suggests, I'm having some serious trouble with custom bones linked to a biped since when I move or rotate them, they stay the same shape or position even if I switch in and out of Figure Mode. I'm very well aware that the bones are not part of the biped, as the Pose/Posture function in the Copy/Paste tab can attest, and thus aren't "included" in the biped, and have completely different controls.

The problem is that I don't know how to control these bones, and how to make it "save" their default positions so that I can revert their positions when animating. As I'm speaking, I'm trying to read the manual and guess which functions might do what I intend it to do, which sounds like a horrible idea.

Any suggestions?

I don´t know if this is a good method or not(i´m sure there are much easier and nicer ways), but you could make controllers for every bone.Then you make one controller for each Controller you have for the bones and wire the X,Y and Z transformations in both ways and have the "Controller Controllers" stay at 0,0,0 for your natural pose.Then you just have to move them to 0,0,0 if you want to go to that pose.

It should work, but i hope there are better ways.This would be a method i would do only if i don´t have another choice.

What SpeCter says

But I guess what you are looking for is "freeze transform" in the quad menu (strg + right click.. or was it alt?!)

alt click and then freeze transform. But it destroys all constraints and expressions when you do it for the first time.

What I've done with some custom rigs in the past Is build a library of keyed poses past 0.
-1 is the bind pose
-10 walking root pose
-20 running root pose
Then whenever I need that pose I copy the keys.

If its just a default pose like figure mode. Select the bones, Alt-Right Click and choose "Set Skin Pose". Then you will be able to "assume skin pose" and the bones will pop back to the pose you assumed.

This is something you should always be doing. Especially with biped which has been known to have problems popping in and out of figure mode once you've started to animate. Doing this really helps keep the poses straight in biped. I also suggest you copy your bind pose into the copy/paste biped library and save out a .fig file after you're done posing the biped.

Sorry guys, but both methods you suggested didn't do change a thing... :/

If you wired them correctly it has to work, the bones have no other chance then obeying to the controllers if done right.

Originally Posted by SpeCter

If you wired them correctly it has to work, the bones have no other chance then obeying to the controllers if done right.

I must've been misreading your particular suggestion then. Can you elaborate a bit more? As in how do I "wire" the bones properly, and make controllers for every bone?

Sorry if I sound rather clueless, I've only been learning this program for 6 months.

MAke a controller for the bone(just a dummy object for example and Link the bone to this controller.) make another controller, position it at 0,0,0. Now Alt+Right click on the first controller and click on Freeze Transformation.Do the same for the other controller.
Now right click on one of the controllers click "Wire Parameters", then Transform->Position->Zero-Position XYZ.Now a Window appears hit the "<-->" Button and then connect.

Now you can move the controller at 0,0,0 to 0,0,0 everytime you want to have your initial pose.

The only problem you have would be to do something similar for rotations, which can be quite annoying to solve.

I would rather go with Vig´s method just make a Key in the time slider for the initial position/rotation etc. and copy it over to where you want it and leave it untouched otherwise

Actually, while I was trying out your method and subsequently messing about earlier today, I may have pulled off something better with usage of IK solvers...






It seems to be working, as it defaults to the initial position whenever I do Assume Skin Pose. All that's left for me is to figure out how to have it imitate bipeds and have it animate with keyframes and all... I can't seem to get it to work even when I put in keyframes. Any help on that would be great.