Why do alot of people perfer to animate with out IK rigs

[dooragjockey]

It seems to be the most easiest way to animate but when people let you play around with their video's via link, they animate without ik rigs. it kinda weirds me how they do it. or am i being dumb and just getting rid of IK rigs when splining?

[Capt Fuzzy]

It really depends on the situation.
There are times when an IK rigged model is easier to animate than a non-IK rigged model, depends on the type of animation really...

[dooragjockey]

Originally posted by Capt Fuzzy:

It really depends on the situation.
There are times when an IK rigged model is easier to animate than a non-IK rigged model, depends on the type of animation really...

What would be a good example

[Capt Fuzzy]

Using an IK rig makes animating a walk cycle a lot easier than trying to do one without an IK rig...

[dooragjockey]

Originally posted by Capt Fuzzy:

Using an IK rig makes animating a walk cycle a lot easier than trying to do one without an IK rig...

so I would use IK for not action scene (talking, watching tv, ect) and ill use IK for action as it would be easier to do?

[Pipann]

IK rigs are good for keeping bodyparts in place, such as feet on the ground. If the character is for example jumping in mid-air or is swimming under water I imagine it'd be better to pose without an IK.

[surfer171]

Point is… IK rig simplifies a user's animation process. Some people don't use and some uses, depends highly on what you want in the animation.

If you want a stretchy and cartoon styled animation then good luck handling the non IK rig.

If you want to fit the standards, you can go with the IK rig.

[Capt Fuzzy]

As has been pointed out, using an IK rig makes animating easier than NOT using an IK rig.
There are times when it's not needed and those would be using sequences. Sequences can sometimes be messed up or broken if used with an IK rig, so in those cases, you'd want to either not use one, or remove it if it's all ready in use, then add the sequence.

[surfer171]

Put it this way, there is no definitive answer for when to use IK rig

[TruBlu0014]

Originally posted by TheBlanketMonster:

Originally posted by Capt Fuzzy:

Using an IK rig makes animating a walk cycle a lot easier than trying to do one without an IK rig...

so I would use IK for not action scene (talking, watching tv, ect) and ill use IK for action as it would be easier to do?

From using IK rigs (not for animating), they impose realistic limits on a model's body motions. I can't think of a good example with a pony so I'll use one from a time I messed with a TF2 character and an IK rig.

Let's say the human body can normally eextend an arm as far as it can. Well, in SFM, without an IK rig, you can extend that arm as far as you want (think of an elastic superhero). An IK rig will then put a restriction on that movement by limiting the stretch limit of that arm to a realistic proportion. When you hear "IK rig", just think "realistic limitations".

Now, to answer your question. Use an IK rig when you need to create a movement where there is a good chance you may distort the model badly without one. One example, using a pony this time, is when you want to make their back hooves look like they are stanced farther apart. This is tough for me to do and I usually distort the proportions badly. Using an IK rig, it limits how far those hooves can stretch, making it easier to pose.

This becomes less of a problem as you improve on posing.

Also, it can be down to personal preference.