3ds Max Animation with Biped

Animating Pivot Points

In animating the dog walk, we placed the feet and hands flat on the ground with each step. Characters with toes, like our dog, usually step down heel first, and then rotate through the foot to bring up the heel while the toes stay on the ground.

By default, a biped has animated pivot points on the hands and feet that change as the biped moves through the walking motion. (Select a hand or foot and move from one key to the next; you’ll see its current pivot point as a red dot.) In order to create a smoother walk, we’ll need to change the default pivot points at certain points in the animation. In other words, we’ll have to use animated pivot points.

Selecting a new pivot point is simple: You click the Select Pivot button ...