Constrain menu

Found in the Animation and Rigging menu sets.

Create

Parent

Creates a parent constraint.

To open and change the Parent Constraint Options first, select Constrain > Parent > .

See also Create a parent constraint.

Point

Creates a point constraint.

To open and change the Point Constraint Options first, select Constrain > Point > .

See also Create point constraints.

Orient

Creates an orient constraint.

To open and change the Orient Constraint Options first, select Constrain > Orient > .

See also Create orient constraints.

Scale

Creates a scale constraint.

To open and change the Scale Constraint Options first, select Constrain > Scale > .

See also Create scale constraints.

Aim

Creates an aim constraint.

To open and change the Aim Constraint Options first, select Constrain > Aim > .

See also Create aim constraints.

Pole Vector

Creates a pole vector constraint.

To open and change the Pole Vector Constraint Options first, select Constrain > Pole Vector > .

See also Create a pole vector constraint.

Rivet

Creates a rivet, which lets you create locators that attach directly to a deforming mesh. Useful for generating a locator by selecting a face, point, or UV in the scene.

See also Create a Rivet.

Motion Paths

This menu includes the Attach to Motion Path Options, Attach to Motion Path Options, and Flow Path Object Options.

See also Animate along a motion path.

Closest Point

Creates a closest point constraint.

To open and change the Closest Point Constraint Options first, select Constrain > Closest Point > .

See also Closest Point On Options.

Point on Poly

Creates a point on poly constraint.

To open and change the Point on Poly Options first, select Constrain > Point on Poly > .

See also Create Point on Poly constraints.

Geometry

Creates a geometry constraint.

To open and change the Geometry Constraint Options first, select Constrain > Geometry > .

See also Create a geometry constraint.

Normal

Creates a normal constraint.

To open and change the Normal Constraint Options first, select Constrain > Normal > .

See also Create normal constraints.

Tangent

Creates a tangent constraint.

To open and change the Tangent Constraint Options first, select Constrain > Tangent > .

See also Create tangent constraints.

Matrix Operators

Two utility nodes, uvPin and proximityPin allow transforms to follow geometry. They offer better performance than the follicles or pointOnPoly constraints they replace and give you better control over how a transform can follow a surface. These nodes use a Matrix transform to offer procedural editing of coordinate systems.

Both nodes work with either meshes or NURBS surfaces and one instance of a node can also be re-used to drive multiple transforms with the same settings. See Matrix constraints for more.

Proximity Pin

Creates a Pin based on proximity. To open and change the Proximity Pin options first, select Constrain > Proximity Pin > .

See also Create a Proximity Pin.

UV Pin

Creates a UV-based Pin. To open and change the UV Pin options first, select Constrain > UV Pin > .

See also Create a UV pin.

Modify

Remove Target

With Remove Target, you can sever the connection between a target object and a constrained object without deleting the constraint node. When you remove a target from a constrained object, it no longer affects the constrained object.

To open and change the Remove Target first, select Constrain > Remove Target > .

See also Remove a target object.

Set Rest Position

With Set Rest Position, you can set where in world space your constrained object is positioned when its target weight is 0. Rest position gives you control of the constrained object, rather than relying on the last position of the target objects. Setting the rest position prevents constrained objects from sticking to undesired positions in the scene when their target weights are set to 0.

For example, a book is point constrained to a character’s hand. When the character places the book on the table, the book’s position on the table is set as its rest position. This prevents the book from popping back to the model’s hands when the weight of the hand changes to 0. The books target (the model’s hand) weight is then set to 0. The hand now no longer influences the book’s position. The character then proceeds to release the book, turn, and walk away from the table. The book does not snap back to the hand because its rest position was set.

Modify Constrained Axis

Modify Constrained Axis lets you change which axes of a constrained object are influenced by the target object. Use this feature when you want to modify the axes of a constraint. Modify Constrained Axis can only be used in conjunction with the following constraint types: point, orient, scale, aim and parent.