Creating skeletons with script

In this example, we'll be looking at how to create skeletons with script. We'll create two examples, one simple chain of bones and one branching set, similar to what you might want for a creature's hand.

How to do it...

Create a new file and add the following code:

def createSimpleSkeleton(joints):
    '''
    Creates a simple skeleton as a single chain of bones
    ARGS:
        joints- the number of bones to create
    '''


    cmds.select(clear=True)

    bones = []
    pos = [0, 0, 0]

    for i in range(0, joints):
        pos[1] = i * 5
        bones.append(cmds.joint(p=pos))

    cmds.select(bones[0], replace=True)


def createHand(fingers, joints):
    '''
    Creates a set of 'fingers', each with a set number of joints
    ARGS:
        fingers- the number of joint chains to create
        joints- the number of bones per finger
    '''


    cmds.select(clear=True)

    baseJoint = cmds.joint(name='wrist', p=(0,0,0))

    fingerSpacing = 2
    palmLen...