Video: 3ds Max Design Tutorial Part 11: Character Animation

Archive notice: This article was originally published on June 19, 2008. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.

Autodesk 3ds Max Design 2009 software supports rotating Biped objects around the working pivot, as well as the pick pivot, for the creation of certain kinds of dramatic animations, such as a character falling to the ground. This video demonstrates how animators can have their Biped characters’ hands behave like feet with regard to the ground plane, which dramatically simplifies the number of steps needed to create quadruped animations. Animators have a choice to mirror Biped animation while keeping the COM orientation intact. Learn how Biped gives animators the ability to link a character’s clavicles to the top spine link, instead of to the neck—similar to the triangle pelvis feature.