Page 1035 - Kitab3DsMax

FIGURE 40.9
Not all animated objects need a bone structure.

Using the Skin Morph modifier Chapter 40: Skinning Characters
Using the deformation options found in the Skin modifier, you can deform any part of the skin, but this
feature relies on using gizmos found in an already complex envelope-editing mode. Skin Morph offers
another way to deform a skin object using the underlying bones. The Skin Morph modifier is applied on
top of a Skin modifier and lets you pick which bones to use in the deformation. For example, for bulging
muscles, the forearm bone is rotated and should be added to the list in the Parameters rollout.

After selecting a bone from the Parameters rollout list, select the frame where the deformation is at a maxi-
mum. Then click the Create Morph button in the Local Properties rollout to create the morph target. Morph
targets can be given names to make them easy to select later. The Edit button in the Local Properties rollout
then lets you move the vertices for the deformation.

Tutorial: Bulging arm muscles

Perhaps the most common bulging deformation for characters is making the bicep muscle bulge as the fore-
arm is raised. This effect can be simplified using the Skin Morph modifier.
To bulge an arm muscle using the Skin Morph modifier, follow these steps:
1. Open the Bulging bicep.max file from the Chap 40 directory on the DVD.
This file includes a rough arm model with a Skin modifier applied attached to a four-bone chain.

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