Help with IK handle (goat leg)

Grymmjow

Morning everyone, I'm fairly new to 3D modelling and right now I'm practicing rigging and so far I've been doing well, but I'm stuck with this particular problem. I'm trying to make a rig behave like a goat leg, and I really can't get it working the way I want, and I suspect the problem can be solved easily through the use of IK handles but I still don't have a clue how to do it. The image below shows the problem I've been having. If anyone knows how to resolve this I'd really appreciate it. Thank you in advance.

Zhalktis

What you should try is two overlaid IK chains: the big one for all 3 joints, and one on top for the top 2. The secondary one would have a control at joint 4, which would be linked to joint 3 controlled by the big one; this control would act as an offset from the positions provided by the big chain.

I know it sounds a bit confusing and vague; sorry I can't provide a detailed step by step as I'm a max rigger (for now), but I've seen this solution in Javier's Quadruped friendly Rigging videos, which you can get here: http://www.riggingdojo.com/rigging-101-rigging-dojo-present-quadruped-friendly-rigging/
He goes in great detail about how to make it there.
In general it's highly recommended learning material if you have to deal with quadrupeds. Includes great solutions for legs and scapula, among other things.

Grymmjow

@Zhalktis thank you, I am going to try that