Question about folding a bird wings

Support Animation and Rigging
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1

Hi,

I was recently making this bird model, and while i was making the controls for the wing, i wanted to know if using shape keys attached to a controller bone is ideal for the wing folding motion. I usually do that for avoiding have 500 different objects, but i am really questioning myself if this is the ideal to do or not.

Is it a good strategy? should i make a different one?

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[should I fold the wings using shape keys]?

No.

Shape keys are linear actions. Wings are very definitely not linear in their movements. Use bones. (And action constraints, if you wish.)

There is nothing wrong with some help from a shape key or two, but I do not see where managing bird wings would require it.

Nice bird, btw.

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check out this talk from the blender conference: https://youtu.be/NBgOiG4Yp6Q?si=HkXGvwOQUTkkZTCU&t=1657

I would definitely go for bones and/or action constraints

4

I could be wrong.. but:

  • for general and rough animation control: bones ( if constrains are not enough )
  • fine tunning some “deformation” or adding details: shapekeys

And also mix of this.. example face animations: general jaw, eyes animations; maybe eyebrose and nose → bones; additionally facial expression (laughing, disgust, astoned…) → shapekeys.. maybe also with some “interconnected driver control”.

I’m eager to hear about other usecasse i may never had heard of or could imagine :heart_eyes:

Maybe also:

  • bones: if one want to experiment or has to develop
  • shapekeys: if “you know what you are doing” :wink: