Animal-like retractable claws

[Anonymous No.469301]

How the hell is this supposed to be done as part of a single mesh?
I literally cannot find a single example of this (let alone a tutorial) because Google's search algorithms are absolutely awful for research since in most cases they see words rather than a sentence.

[Anonymous No.469303]

>>469301
Add extra segments (more faces) and use MORPH TARGETS to do it, the same way you use them for facial expressions.
Any body morphing is done this way in 3ds max.

[Anonymous No.469305]

>>469301
seperate meshes can be part of the same mesh without being connected. So you could model each claw separately and hide it inside each finger, then use a second tip bone to drive each claw out of the finger. They would still be combined with the character mesh but be skinned individually.
You could also have lots of edge loops squashed up tight, extruded from the tip of the finger, and have a bone extended from the tip that stretches those loops out to be longer, but that would cause the texture to stretch, which might be a problem depending on the detail of the texture.
Or you could do something like pic related, where you would get some texture around the claw stretching really bad when retracted, but you wouldn't see it so it doesn't matter, and it would look normal when extended.

[Anonymous No.469306]

>as part of a single mesh
Why the fuck are you doing that?

[Anonymous No.469307]

>>469306
Assuming it's for a game, so that you don't have 10 separate objects to deal with. Why the hell WOULDN'T you want them to be part of the same mesh?

[Anonymous No.469310]

>>469301
Your idea of how retractable claws operate is incorrect. They're not syringes that are pumped out in a line by some pressure. They're pivoting back on a short end-bone creating a fold of soft tissue for the claw to rest on top. Pic related should provide insight.

This better not be for furry shit...

[Anonymous No.469314]

>>469301
> Google's search algorithms are absolutely awful for research since in most cases they see words rather than a sentence.

Haven't anyone told you anon? Just put your string inside "a pair of quotation marks" and google will search for that string.

[Anonymous No.469315]

>>469310
But what kind of material is around the claw, and does it attach to that material?
That is, does any skin move with the claw at all, like >>469305 suggests?

[Anonymous No.469316]

>>469314
Then it sees it as the exact sentence.
What I want is a search engine that reads my search as a sentence, but paraphrases it so that if someone says the same thing in a very different way it still comes up with that result.

[Anonymous No.469318]

>>469310

How a claw attaches to a skeleton with tendons/ligaments/muscle or what have you is completely irrelevant to the best method of rigging/skinning a claw in 3D, nnless its to demonstrate anatomy, or will be used for extreme close-ups, which clearly isn't the case.

>>469315
the actual skin around the claw doesn't move as per my example, but again, that seems irrelevant in this case.

[Anonymous No.469321]

>>469315
>But what kind of material is around the claw, and does it attach to that material?
claws are just kretin formations on the end of the phalanges, same as our nails but sturdier and shaped as slashing weaponry.
They're attatched to body in the same way our nails are.

>That is, does any skin move with the claw at all
On animals like cats the skin on the top of the "fingers" are lose and lumpy and folds ontop of the claw as it is retracted to protect it.
You're unlikely to find a specific tutorial on stuff like that, just experiment a bit to figure it out.

>>469318
>How a claw attaches to a skeleton with tendons/ligaments/muscle or what have you is completely irrelevant to the best method of rigging/skinning a claw in 3D

Irrelevant if one is a clueless nab that naively thinks they understand things and never bother to actually research the topics they engage in.

[Anonymous No.469322]

>>469318
Ah, so the face loop around the claw is supposed to be a hidden area of the mesh.
Though it's pretty poorly hidden when one considers that the hole must be as wide as the base of the claw. I had tried your technique before making this thread, but the hole was way too obvious. Which means it would likely still be noticable after adding fur.

[Terminal No.469327]

>>469301
This can be done easily. Essentially you make your hand a separate object then the claws another and combine them.

you'll now have claws that can be animated that won't warp the mesh when retracted as they aren't connected to your main mesh but they are part of the main object.

[Anonymous No.469328]

>>469321
> naively thinks they understand things
The physical mechanism is irrelevant to rigging a claw. I don't need to understand how a claw connects to a muscle/skeletal system to apply it to my modelling/rigging. It is beyond my realm of interest or necessary knowledge for my interests.

[Anonymous No.469330]

>>469322
>Ah, so the face loop around the claw is sup
If the hole is too obvious, i don't know what steps i would take in Max, but in Maya i'd select the edge of the hole, turn it into a cluster, and use a driven key to scale the cluster down when the claws are retracted.

[Anonymous No.469332]

>>469310
I did some experimentation, and I've solved it. Pic related explains how to go about setting it up.

This video of a doberman helped me figure this out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6APl1ImdPc8

>>469328
> I don't need to understand how a claw connects to a muscle/skeletal system to apply it to my modelling/rigging.

Feel free to stay noob anon.

[Anonymous No.469335]

>>469332
Tried it with my model, and it works pretty well.
However, I have the same problem you have in your diagram; the opening above the claw is too large. Perhaps I can make the opening change shape as the claw moves.

[Anonymous No.469338]

Here's a useful reference: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2736126/figure/fig03/
Can't post image here, because it's a tiling.

[Anonymous No.469339]

>>469335

Why wouldn't you? The opening is basically a circle of skin/sphincter that pulls shut around it so the person wouldn't have a huge hole in their finger.

[Anonymous No.469341]

>>469339
Well, I don't really know how it's done.
I'm kinda ashamed to say it, but I have never rigged a model before.
I don't know whether it would be best to use armatures or shapekeys for this, and I don't know how either works.
Probably shapekeys since it's only capable of one dimension of rotation and nothing more, but will it still work if it's part of an armature?

[Anonymous No.469344]

nigga what are you doing

Just use floating geometry

[Anonymous No.469418]

>>469344
Solutions that use singular and unified meshes are better in terms of compatibility.
For example, using soft-body simulation would probably cause separate pieces to fall off.

[Anonymous No.469434]

retards.

[Anonymous No.469439]

>>469434
Nigga no one can read your macaroni art.

[Anonymous No.469455]

>>469434
assuming red is the mesh, green are joints, blue is a path that the claw follows, you're the retard.