3DSMax - 9/17

Preparing the Biped

Now, with the biped selected, make sure that figure mode is on.

It is very important to understand when to use figure mode and when to turn it off:

• Figure mode is used to define and fit a biped sturcture to a mesh. It is a reference position. We fit the biped to the mesh by moving and rescaling bones. You must always use figure mode while rigging your character, otherwise your changes will be lost.
• Non-figure mode must always be used when defining animation, setting up keyframes and so forth. Remember to turn it on and off depending on the task from now on.

There is also an important distiction between the root of the biped and the pelvis, which are frequently confused, as the root is a hidden blue cube within the pelvic bone.

To prevent mesh selection while we fit the biped, make the entire mesh see-through and then Freeze it.