Connect joints

Combining Joints to connect them

Note: You can connect joints to the skeleton of a character with a bound skin without having to detach its skin. However, for the newly connected joint to influence the skin, you need to add it to the skin as an influence (Skin > Edit Influences > Add Influence).

Note: You can also check out video content on the Maya Learning Channel on YouTube.

To connect joint chains by combining joints

Click the parent of the joint chain you want to connect to another joint chain.
In another joint chain or skeleton, Shift + click the joint that will replace the previously selected joint and become its joint chain’s parent.
Note: The joint that you select can not be a root joint.
In the Rigging menu set (F3), select Skeleton > Connect Joint > .
The Connect Joint Options window appears.
Turn on Connect Joint and click Connect to merge the selected joints.
Connect Joint connects joint chains by combining the two selected joints; where the first joint selected is combined with and replaced by the second joint.

If you connected a joint to the skeleton of a bound character, the character’s bind pose automatically adjusts.

To connect joint chains by connecting selected joints with a bone

Click the parent of the joint chain you want to connect to another joint chain.
In another joint chain, Shift + click the joint that will be the previously selected joint chain’s parent.
Note: The joint that you select can not be a root joint.
In the Rigging menu set (F3), select Skeleton > Connect Joint > .
The Connect Joint Options window appears.
Turn on Parent Joint and click Connect.
Parent Joint connects joint chains by creating a new bone between two selected joints; where the first selected joint is the child joint and the second joint is its parent.

If you connected a joint to the skeleton of a bound character, the character’s bind pose automatically adjusts.

Connect joints

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