how to make target bones stay in place?

[RigTheory]

Fam, can you help me?

I have a rig I'm working on and the target bones on the feet are sliding up the leg. It's driving me crazy
How do I lock these things in place?

https://youtu.be/9siTdKBLb-k

[synthsin75]

Likely a problem with angle constraints on the leg bones.

[RigTheory]

What...? Yup! That was it
I removed the constraints from both thighs and legs and the target bones stay in place!
So I guess if the constraint on the leg limits the movement the target bone is forced to travel up the leg.

THANK YOU!!

[synthsin75]

Yep, the target bone will still move, even if the bones can't follow it, because they are constrained.
Glad I could help.

[Greenlaw]

FYI, I never use rotation constraints on character limbs...using it for limbs literally limits the flexibility and posing possibilities for a character. During animation, Limb joint constraints can get in the way when trying to hit certain key poses, and can become more frustrating than helpful. Adding rotation constraints to the limb joints may seem like a good idea but it's really not that useful in practice.

Rotation constraints can be very useful for limiting the turning range for Smart Bone Dial controls. They're also useful in certain mechanical setups and specialty rigs. Just not so much for character limbs.

(Note: It's more common for me to use joint constraints for characters in 3D animation programs. But even then, I sometiems wind up breaking the constraints so I can get the character to do what I need it do.)

As for Target Bones for feet, normally, I leave them unparented because I want them to stay in place independently of what the rig is doing. When I want the Targets to become inactive, I just keyframe them off. (Quick Tip: To deactivate a Target bone, with the Parent tool selected, Alt Click the targeting bone to select it then Ctrl Click an empty space. Then, when you wish to reactivate it the target or change to a different target, with the Parent tool selected, Alt Click the targeting bone to select it then Ctrl Click the Target bone.)

About the only time I parent Target bones directly to the rig is when I need a limb to follow the body's motion. For example, adding targets to the hip bones allows me to rest the character's hands on the hips while the character rocks side-to-side. (You can see this happening a lot in my Puss-in-Boots demo.)

Hope this helps.

[RigTheory]

Many thanks for the replies!
GreenLaw, I was wondering if it made sense to switch target bones on and off- you just confirmed that it indeed does!

Thanks again!!

[Greenlaw]

Yeah, for leg targets, I generally leave them enabled fulltime and unparented from the main rig. Also, I like to set the feet to use the Independent Angle constraint. This means you will need to animate the rotation of the feet but it's actually a lot easier to animate this way. I only disable the feet targets if the character is in mid-air and I need the legs to move completely freely...but this is a rare situation.

I don't normally use IK targets for the arms...it's better to use FK for arms most of the time (this is generally true in 3D animation too.) The only time I use targets for the arms is when I need to pin the hands to a surface (like a tabletop) or to the character's hip or thigh, and then I might use keyframing to switch targets on/off as needed.

Hope this helps.