Hello Everyone,

I have a relatively simple problem(I think) but could not find any help through google searches. so I went in seek of the best maya forum I could find and here we are.

I was hoping that some one would be able to help me find the right direction on how to set up a rig to animate some sliding doors opening. (the doors would open like almost any grocery store (there are two doors that open from the middle out to the sides.

My best asni art attempt ;D
] || [ < closed
]| |[ < open


here is what I have tried to do my self.

originally my thought was to have the doors parented to there own controlers and I would have a master controller that would have a custom attribute set to it. when when the custom attribute is at its min value the doors would be closed and when the attribute is at its max values the doors would be open.


I used the connection editor to edit the Master Controller>OpenDoors to connect to the Door controler.x value
the set up worked perfectly for the right door it would open from its min start to its max open

but when I tried to set up the left door it would overlap the right door and move in line with it.

I figured out that this is because all the values are the same.

to make a long story short I went in a google search to make the left door move in a -connection value but no real luck. (it took me through the graph editor connecting a multi/divide utility to the connection so the connection went from the Master controller> multi/divide > left door)

now I will say that I could have used the utility wrong but it still seemed like it was off a bit.



so after about an hour and a half of searching and trying some different rigging set ups
Here I am asking for some help.

I also know that I could set each door up with there helpers and animate them individually but I thought why make multiple key frames on two different door sections when I should be able to do it through one master controller.


Thanks in advance for any help or advice you may give me.

~Oasis