Rigging a bird wing for a low poly model that allows fold up

TheMadArtist

So I'm having a problem lately rigging a bird model. The issue I'm having is the wing needs to fold up as well as extend for flight.

I've searched around and haven't been able to find any examples that don't use a rather high poly model for the wings. And most low poly models or examples I've found don't allow for the wings to fold in. Some of the better examples I've found like this:
http://www.nakyoungkim.com/pop_birdRig.html
are just a too far out there as far as polys.

I'm thinking maybe just cheat it and have the wing kind of collapse on itself and into the body where you can't see it, as the model isn't going to be seen close up on screen, but it still needs to look convincing. Any advice or examples people could throw my way would be helpful. Using Max 2011.

Mark Dygert

3-4 bones and have it collapse in on its self a bit like an according or a human arm? At the heart of that rig example that's what they have, but then they have a ass load of feather controls on top of that.

CAT has some wing'ed example rigs I think, but really, it should be easy enough to create on your own?

SnowInChina

hope this is somehow helpful

http://blenderartists.org/forum/showthread.php?t=125664

Vrav

Found this, kind of like the setup. First video down has some explanation. How something this modifier-driven would work in a game, I don't know - maybe with custom vertex shaders or something.

http://www.paulneale.com/technical/bellaSara/bellaSara.htm

But for a really lowpoly wing, maybe you could use a morph target to close it? That way you don't have to worry about rigging it exactly, and can just shape the surface however you want. Maybe that's too ghetto of a solution though.

sprunghunt

Here's a chicken skeleton which I made a long time ago using a biped. It's very low poly. The wing had an alpha channel to give it a feathered profile. It's got so few bones there isn't any need for IK.

TheMadArtist

Thanks for the insight guys. Vrav, actually morph targets would be great but our engine here at work doesn't support those. That's been the main issue, keeping it pretty low poly, but still structured in a way that it's still built so it can fold in on itself naturally like a real bird wing without having polys z-fighting or what-not.

Great examples though, hadn't come across those, will definitely be helpful.

imperator_dk

Two birds, one with wings one without wings with folded wings painted on, mesh swap on animation start.