How do I use the prop bone?!

[Mat Bevan]

I’m finding it confusing of how we can use the prop bone and how we can attach things to it. I know its with using constraints but I just cant seem to get it to work. Can anyone shed some light on this for me please?

[Mat Bevan]

Oh I think I’ve got it. ‘Child of’ Constraint on mesh. And then target the rig and the prop bone?

I seem to have something working but if anyone knows of a different way I would love to hear it

[Wayne Dixon]

Hey Bevo,

Yeah I think you have figured it out.
Constrain the mesh to the bone.  That way you can animate the prop bone and the crane arm in the same action.  (although in this example the constraint animation will be part of the mesh – but that’s still less back and forth between the 2 objects than animating the movement on the 2 objects)

Hope that makes some kind on sense haha.

[Mat Bevan]

Hey Wayne

Yeah I think that makes sense. The problem i seem to be having with it is. when using the child of constraint. i turn it on with its influence to 1 for it to work. move the object with the crane to another area and turn off the influence it jumps right back to where it was. is what im attempting just not possible the way im doing it or am i just being thick?

Ive added a video to explain what i mean

[Wayne Dixon]

You have done this exercise in the Body Mechanics and Workflow course, right?

It’s almost the same way shown in the video except it is easier with newer version of blender.

What you are missing is you need to keyframe the box in it’s new location/rotation as if the constraint was turned off.

You can click the little x next to the influence and it will do this.

Here is a video that I made a few weeks ago for another user that was having the same issue.  His name is Steve.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ae0mljehcuti809/child-of-help.mp4?dl=0

Hope that helps.

[Mat Bevan]

Wayne … you are a bloody LEGEND mate!! oh that makes so much more sense. 

So I needed to actually keyframe the box to lock in those new locations. yeah when I was trying it originally I would click the ‘x’ on the influence and would just jump back. It makes so much more sense now, I feel like my eyes have been opened and I’m seeing the world in a whole new way hahaha.

funnily enough the next course I’m doing is actually the body mechanics workflow. So I look forward to learning more about this.

Thanks again Wayne, as always you’ve been a massive help. Loved the course by the way, learnt so much.

[Author]

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