Skip to content

FAQ & Troubleshooting

Hiroyuki Akasaki edited this page Jun 25, 2025 · 2 revisions

Frequently Asked Questions and Troubleshooting


🔧 Installation

Q. Is it necessary to install the plug-in when running a rig created with boneDynamicsNode?

A. Yes. When working with Maya scenes that utilize boneDynamicsNode, the user must have boneDynamicsNode.mll installed and available to load.

Q. Is AEboneDynamicsNodeTemplate.mel required?

A. No. This file is only for customizing the appearance of the Attribute Editor. It does not affect the operation of boneDynamicsNode itself.

▶️ Basic Operation

Q. The node connections are correct, but the behavior is unnatural.

A. Please check the following:

  • Ensure that Cached Playback is disabled.
  • Set "Playback Speed" to Play Every Frame.

Q. How can twist be applied?

A. To intentionally add twist, one of the following approaches must be used:

  • Apply twist using the Rotation Offset.
  • Add twist downstream of the output.

The Rotate values resulting from boneDynamicsNode simulation do not include twist; only the bending component is applied, resulting in the shortest rotation. Both methods yield similar results. Select the preferred approach as needed.

Q. Applying to a long joint chain causes unstable behavior.

A. Child joints are influenced by their parent joints, resulting in amplified motion in long joint chains. The farther from the root, the greater the movement. This can be mitigated by adjusting parameters.

For example, for a joint chain consisting of 30 joints, try the following values:

  • Damping: Around 0.5
  • Elasticity: 500 or higher
  • Stiffness: 0 to 0.3

Q. Is it possible to pin the end of a joint chain?

A. No. Currently, pinning the lower end of a joint chain is not supported.

💥 Collision

Q. Is it possible to add or remove colliders after initial setup?

A. Yes. The attribute for connecting colliders is an array. Colliders can be added or removed by modifying the elements of this array.

Q. Can collision detection be set as a capsule from start joint to end joint, rather than just using the end joint's radius?

A. No. Currently, it is not possible to set up collision detection as a capsule from the start joint to the end joint.

🔥 Baking

Q. The result after baking differs from the result during playback.

A. Ensure that "Playback Speed" is set to Play Every Frame. Assuming the bake settings are correct and baking completes successfully, the cause may be related to playback.

Q. Is baking required?

A. Yes. Baking is necessary to support the concept of "lightweight simulation." Because the algorithm references the previous state to determine the next, skipping frames will alter the result. During simulation, frames must be processed sequentially, one at a time, accumulating results from the starting frame.


📬 How to Submit Questions or Issues

Clone this wiki locally