Rigging in 3ds Max

In this section, we will demonstrate the rigging process in 3ds Max using Biped.

Biped is a set of tools developed as part of the character studio in 3ds Max and is basically a prefabricated skeleton that can be fully adjusted to fit most bipedal (and also some quadrupedal characters). The main advantage of using this is speed. It will enable you to create a usable character skeleton in a very short span of time. Biped also has inverse kinematics (IK) by default. IK can be set up from scratch using the max bones system, but it takes quite a bit more time.

Setting up the scene

Before we get to work, there are a few things we need to do to prepare for rigging:

1. Download the project files from the Packt website if you have not already done so.
2. Start 3ds Max.
3. Set the units to meters by navigating to Customize | Units Setup.
4. When the Units Setup window appears in the max interface, click on the Metric radio button near the top of the Display Unit Scale group.
5. Choose Meters from the...