ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses creation of controllers and wiring parameters for rigging a complex and technical steampunk locomotive. There are common rigging techniques that are widely used when rigging anything from characters to beasts, and from crowds to cars. The tools and methods are relatively standard practices when rigging assets in three dimensions (3D). Possibly the most useful tool when rigging in Autodesk 3ds Max, or in any 3D software, is the ability to link objects to one another. Skin or Skinning is most commonly associated with skeletal deformations, where one uses Bone objects to deform the geometry of a model, and it works exactly the same way as the real-world skeletons (bones) deform the real-world bodies (skin). The thing is, animation in 3ds Max is performed through transform controllers. Attributes are used all the time in 3ds Max, and they are extremely useful. Modifiers literally modify an object that they are applied to, and each Modifier behaves completely different.
