freeze transformations and limiting movement

# 1 14-11-2005 , 08:26 PM

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Join Date: Nov 2005

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freeze transformations and limiting movement

Hello, i study Maya at university and we are looking at animation and making basic skeletons through workshops. Anybody know what 'Freeze Transformations' does, like what the point of it is? Also i need to know how to restrict some movemnet ie on fingers so they cannot bend back too far. Can anybody help me?Hello hello

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# 2 15-11-2005 , 05:47 AM

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Join Date: Sep 2004

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There are probably many others here who can more eloquently explain "freeze transformations", but what follows is hopefully enough to get you started.

If you create an object (ie a Poly sphere), that object is created by default at xyz coordinates 0, 0, 0...that is, in the center of the "world". If you translate (move) that object in X, Y, and/or Z, the distance it moved from 0, 0, 0 will be shown in the channel box. You use "Freeze Transformations" to zero out your translate X/Y/Z, and the object is now at 0,0,0 relative to itself.

The general purpose of freezing transformations is so that objects don't deform or move in funny/undesirable ways when animated. In addition, one freezes transformations on object "a" so that objects "b" and "c" can be more easily placed in relation to object "a"

Usually, you don't freeze transformations until an object is ready to be combined with another, animated, or manipulated (ie bound to a skeleton). Most books and several of the tutorials here cover freezing transformations.

There are instances where you DON'T want to freeze transformations, of course...when in doubt, ask!

Carry on...

"Ad astra per aspera..."

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# 3 15-11-2005 , 08:25 AM

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Join Date: Feb 2003

Posts: 5

First regarding freeze transformations: They are also good in the following (not to uncommon) occurrance.

Let's say you want to make a chain of elongated spheres (for instance arms). You scale all the arms in one direction (let's say the Y-direction) and then parent them to each other.

Evereything looks fine until you rotate one of the children. Then it becomes shorter and fatter.

This is because the scale-transformation is inherited from parent to child, with the childs transformation applied first. In this case: First rotate the child, then apply the parents scale in y-direction.

If you freeze transfomations, scale will reset to 1 (but the objects will not change shape), and wont affect it's children.

Hard to explain, but if you try to recreate it you will see.

As for your second question, it is a bit more easy. In the attribute editor, a bit down in the first tab, there is a category called limitations. It's rather self explanatary when you have found it. Use that to limit movements. To prohibit movement along one of the axis, right click on the attribute and choose lock attribute.

McWolfe

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