Spline Curve is one of most incredible tools of Blender, with that, you can make things like modeling and animations paths. If you want more details about Curves, check the Blender Manual. So… in this tip we’ll talk about Curves and Bones, but specifically make a control of curve points without any use of Hooks.

What’s Wrong With Hooks?

Hook is a modifier that deforms a Curve or Mesh with an Object or Bone. Actually, there is nothing wrong with hooks, and this has nothing useless, but in certain cases, is better to use other alternatives.

Explaining better the situation, there is a series of procedures to make a point hooked to a bone:

  1. Enter to edit mode.

  2. Add modifier.

  3. Set the armature and its bone.

  4. Select the point.

  5. Assign the point to hook.

  6. Preferably, click the Reset.

And if you’re using several bones, you’ll copy the modifier and repeat from number 3 for each bone. So… here is the situation.

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How to Make It Without Hooks?

This alternative is more practical and gives same result (unless you want the bone away from point). Suppose that you decided to use the Nurbs Path and add a Single Bone to control its point, and you want a bone for each point. After that you will follow these steps:

Before duplicate bones in Edit Mode, make sure the Snap is activated and setted to Vertex, then SHIFT+D, SHIFT+D, SHIFT+D…

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In Armature tab, change the display to Envelope.

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If you want envelopes looking like a pin… 🙂

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On the Curve, add the Armature modifier, then set the Object and check “Bone Envelopes” option to make the bind.

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See the result:

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Oh no, this deforming is a disaster! Is not there anything missing? Yea, there is a button to solve this.

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This button is to apply deformation to points of splines, instead of geometry. And finally, it’s working like Hooks. \e/

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Final Considerations

As everything have some pros and cons, this way to control curve point with envelopes have some details to clarify:

  • You just need one modifier to bind each bones to their points and is not necessary know the name of each bone.

  • Is ideal to use it with many bones.

  • You cannot leave point out of the envelope range in Edit Mode.

Right below there is a button to download of pack with comparison of Envelope x Hook, and a whip of the Delta from art Teenage Jurassic Squad Raptors.

delta