I am experimenting with DupliFrames and Armatures to learn techniques for creating struts for a stadium. I know its not a perfect or final setup.
I created a simple mesh for the strut. Now I want to deform it using an armature. I am quite satisfied with the setup and everything moves along nicely when scrolling through the Timeline. But I cant get the mesh to be deformed by the bone, although in posemode the deformation works.
Perhaps someone could take a look at this setup. I have the feeling that I perhaps don’t understand the concept of deformation by armatures at some point.
My goal is to use this setup to create either the struts by using DupliFrames or at least as some sort of guideance system and to do a manual duplication at the positions I like the most :).
Your problem is that you’re rotating the armature object, not the bone. Remove the track to constraint from the armature object and add it to the bone (ie. go to pose mode, select bone, add constraint) instead.
Thanks, … um … after solving some strange twisting effect of the bone (I think created by parenting the bone to a handle empty) and applying your hint the strut moves as expected along the curve.
But when I apply the DupliFrames, the orientation of the bone does not influence the strut during the “animation”. Only the original orientation and deformation are apllied. Now I’m stuck! I expected the bone would “animate” the strut for each DupliFrame .
I expected the bone would “animate” the strut for each DupliFrame 
.