Thinking Outside the Box:
Lincoln, Sitcher Ass Down

By Paul "Villam" Steed

In Max, linking is easy to do. Simply click on the ‘Select and Link’ icon at the upper left-hand part of your screen.

Unselected…

…selected

Now let’s help old Sitcher out with a cure to his linking woes. With the link icon active, go to the object you want as the child, click on it and drag the icon to the object you want it attached to or it’s parent. So let’s start with his right foot and link his leg up.

Go down to the right foot, click on it holding the left mouse button down while dragging up to the shin. Let go and you’ve now linked the foot to the lower leg. Note that the icon changes to a ‘do not enter’ kinda circle with diagonal bar across the middle if you drag it across empty space or an object that can’t be linked. Link the shin to the thigh and repeat on the left leg starting with the foot. Link the rest of the body. Last, link the head to the body, we’ll move it into position in a minute.

Click on the ‘Select by Name’ icon…

…and double check the parent-child relationships by checking the ‘Display Subtree’ box…

Looks good so move his head up to between his shoulders and maybe we can get some work out of him yet.

So, he’s linked together now and his head’s screwed on right. Are we ready to make him have a seat? Where’s his chair? Where’s his pivot? Where’s his…huh? Where’s his pivot? Well his pivot point from which the limbs rotate is crucial to making him bend stuff in the right place. Linking is the first step, placing your pivot points are second. Pivot points in this case would be the elbow, the waist, the knee, the wrist, etc. First go to your Hierarchy command panel.

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