Create And Manage IK Objects (SMR)

This is a feature of EDAP Tools Premium

Functionality

Object creation:
Creates 3 types of EDAPT Objects: SMR Effector, SMR Brace and FK Extender and layers for them.

Effectors and Braces serve as SMR IK Controllers and are automatically placed on a layer called SMR_Controllers. If such layer does not exist it will be created.

Braces are non-hierarchical controllers of Effectors. Multiple Effectors can be linked to a Brace.

FK Extenders are invisible when published to SWF and video, but should be switched off before exporting to GIF in AS3 and Canvas documents. In AS2 documents they never export. The purpose of the FK Extender is to provide more convenient handles in the cases of short SMR elements for work with KineFlex

Object management:
Visibility of SMR_Controllers layer(s) can be toggled on and off by pressing F1(visibility).
Opacity of all Controllers can be changed at 20% increments by repeatedly pressing Ctrl+F1(opacity).

Alternatively Effectors, Braces and FK Extenders can also be created via the dedicated buttons in SMR Helpers panel, and . Controller visibility and opacity can be adjusted via and .

Suggested use

SMR Inverse Kinematics posing. SMR Controllers are used to control IK chains with SMR KineFlex.

If suitable elements of a Smart Magnet Rig are selected prior to invoking object creation, the Controllers are snapped into position automatically.

Where does it work?

Stage, Timeline

EDAP Tools shortcut

Shift+F1(effector) (invokes the object creation dialog); F1(visibility) (layer visibility); Ctrl+F1(opacity) (Controllers opacity) 

Notes

To function Effectors and Braces must always be placed on a layer called SMR_Controllers. Multiple controller layers can exist.

SMR Effectors require the presence of a Magnet Target inside an element to be able to attach to it and function. When multiple MTs are present, one of them has to be defined as Primary.

Default size, color and opacity of the objects can be set from EDAPT Control Panel or Quick Settings F12

All EDAPT Objects, such as Magnet Targets, Center Markers, SMR Effectors and so on are placed inside a Library folder called EDAPT objects.

Do not rename, move or delete this folder. It should always stay in Library's root. 
An in-depth article about EDAPT Objects is available at this link.

Known Issues

System Clipboard interference
A known issue with all versions of Flash and Animate is that data stored temporarily in the System Clipboard can be exposed to interference by other programs running at the same time as Flash/Animate. This can cause an error during EDAPT Object creation or insertion.

If you see any error messages or if you experience problems with creation or insertion of SMR Effectors or SMR Braces, please, follow this link.

Video demonstration


All our videos are 1080p. If for some reason full HD is not available here, try watching them on YouTube.

This command is part of the Flanimate Power Tools package. Get the latest version from Downloads.
 
Comments

Hello,
When I try to add an IK effector I get the following message

"Oops! Something went wrong with Create And Manage IK Objects. Error: addNewOval: Argument number 1 is invalid.."

Please advise. Thanks!

Hi Cullen,

We have not seen this error before.

Does this happen in a blank new file?
Try to reset the color swatches to black/white and after a restart of the computer try to create an Effector in a new file with nothing in it.
If it works, we'll need to trouble-shoot the specific FLA.

Also, please, look here: https://flash-powertools.com/types-of-edapt-objects/#t3

If this does not help, please, record a video (screen capture) of the steps to reproduce and send us via email a link to the video and the FLA, so that we can investigate further. Also, don't forget to list the exact versions of Flash/Animate, EDAP Tools and your OS.

Let us know your findings.

Can I change the color of my FK Extender?

No, you can't. The FK Extender is a special type of object which is always displayed as light blue.

You can, if you like, use your own custom symbols instead, which can have any shape, size or color. Just create a symbol and put it inside the elements you want to extend.

When using custom symbols, there is a limitation that FX Extender does not hide them when published.

Instead, I created a duplicate of the button in the Library window and used that. I couldn't change its color, but I could change its shape.

As I said, you won't be able to change its color.

With a normal symbol you can have any color, but before final export you will have to manually guide it so that it does not export. The easiest way to do so would be to double-click your custom extender in the Library and guide its content. Later if you un-guide it, it will appear again.

Thank you for your kind reply. Being able to accurately know the characteristics of the tool and use it is very helpful to my project.

You are most welcome!

If you have other questions, never hesitate to ask.

Good luck with your projects!

Can I rename, or add text to a FK Extender to remind me what it is attached to ?

Since all FK Extenders are instances of the same symbol, if you just enter one and type some text inside, it will appear in all of them.

The extenders are entirely passive and exist only for convenience, because they don't export to SWF or video.
If you need unique looking handles, you can just create your own 'extenders' – these could be simple graphic symbols of varied shape, which you will need to manually guide or delete before exporting to video.
Many people seem to do that.

hai nick, how to add more 3 connected ik ? i cant add ik on a tail or some part that more than 3

Each IK chain consists of strictly 2 elements. You can have more elements and more effectors, if you like, as shown in this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dFPVyPsxhE
However, I don't think that it would be practical to use IK for a tail.

Hi everyone. So I've been following this tutorial https://youtu.be/Iff9igbG6po?feature=shared to rig my character. Everything is fine until I get to the point where IK Effectors are applied to four body parts, the forearms and the calves. In the video, the IK effectors get successfully created in all the correct points, but when I do the same thing, only two of them get added where the leg connects with the foot. The wrist effectors do not get added not matter how many times I try. What am I missing? Can someone please help me with this? I'm running Edap Tools Premium version 6 with Animate 2022 build 217 version 22.0.8

Hi Dmitry,

Try to add the arm Effectors one by one by Shift-dragging them with KineFlex and dropping them over the lower arm elements.
If that doesn't work, there may be some issue with your rig.

To be able to trouble-shoot, you need to be familiar with how SMR works.
If you have read the basic introductory series, please, consider spending some time with the more advanced articles on the topic: https://flash-powertools.com/advanced-smr-1-the-invisible-force/

Also, if you like, you can send us your FLA via email to have a look.

Doing it manually one by one did the trick! Thank you for your help!

Excellent!
Well done!

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