Animation Transformation Problems

Tulkamir

Hey, I'm doing a fairly simple animation sort of thing. (Actually atm I just need to pose a model). All it is is a very simple robot, with 4 pivot points. So, I combined the model, then created a skeleton for it. I parented the right parts of the model to the joints, and that worked. However, I've run into some problems. One is that when I try to scale the model down it doesn't work. I can scale the model, but then the bones don't, scaling the bones doesn't do it, that just scales in the root joint, but nothing else, and I added a locator to the root joint, I can scale it fine with that, but then for some odd reason one part (the middle) of my model doesn't scale as much as everything else.

The other problem is that when I rotate one of the pivots where it is supposed to rotate one set of wheels and the middle "body" of the robot around another set of wheels, the middle scales down. I have no clue why this would happen.

Here's a picture to try to explain it better. Sorry if it's a bit of a mess, but it's the best I could get. (And sorry for my lack of knowlege, I'm sort of trying to learn this stuff on the fly)

Thanks very much.



[edit]Picture what hard to read.[/edit]

KDR_11k

Will scaling the object instead of the object data not work?

Tulkamir

Scaling the object does work, but then it doesn't do anything to the bones, so I have a little model with big bones.

Atleast I think that's what you mean?

ANd I think it should work, but yea. :S

Thanks.

KDR_11k

I mean scaling both the mesh and the skeleton object (in whatever mode allows you to push around the various objects like models, lights, cameras, etc). Or does MAX handle the skeleton as part of the model object?

Tulkamir

Oh! I got ya, yea, I tried that as well, for some reason the skeleton would only scale one of the bones down(the root bone), and that only in one direction.

So I've got no clue what it could be.

And I forgot to mention earlier, this is all in Maya. (Which I'm new with, just have been learning it as I go at a new job).

Thanks again man.