Locators
Locators are guide layers that track a point on a limb, so you can parent layers to them, especially hands and feet. They're a bit like controllers, except you don't animate them. Locators auto-rotate by default, and they stick to the limb when you disable Stretch or dial up FK.
You can add several locators to the same limb. To add a Locator, select a layer that belongs to a limb and click
+ / - Locator. You can remove a locator by holding Option / Alt and clicking the same button. If you've added more than one locator, select the one you want to remove before clicking the
+ / - Locator button.
Locator Position
Any locator can be set to any point on a limb by changing the values in it's pseudo effect. The Section dropdown can be set to Upper, Lower or Joint and then the Location property is a percentage distance along the Upper or Lower section.
When you add a locator, Limber will set these properties differently depending on which controller you had selected. If you select a Start controller and add a locator, it will be positioned at the start of the limb. If you had a FreeK controller selected, it will be positioned at the joint. If you have an End controller, or any other limber layer selected, it will be positioned at the end of the limb and any layers that were parented to that End controller (probably hands or feet) will be re-parented to the new Locator.
Parenting artwork layers to Locators.
Artwork by Kirk Wallace
Locator Rotation
The Auto-rotate property is set to 100% by default so the locator will align itself along the limb, or pointing outwards if it's set to Joint. You can dial this auto-rotation down to zero and the locator will always point downwards.
A locator's Rotation offset property allows you to dial in your own rotation in addition to the auto-rotation - which is great for anticipation or overshoot.
How to keep your keyframes on one layer
A good technique is to pickwhip this Rotation Offset property to the layer rotation of your end controller, and keyframe that. Then you can usually keep all your animation keyframes for that limb on one layer.
Parenting Art vs Adding Art
There are several important differences between adding art into limbs, and parenting art layers to locators.
- Art that is added to limbs will stretch and foreshorten as they change length. Art layers parented to Locators will not.
- Art added to limbs will not follow a limb with Curvature. Art layers parented to Locators will.
- Art added to limbs will always rotate along with the limb. Art layers parented to Locators have the option not to.
- You might prefer the simplicity of a single layer for the entire limb, or the flexibility of keeping art layers separate.
In our experience, flesh, clothing and anything that tends to flex and turn with the limb is usually better off as added artwork. Hands and feet layers are usually better off parented to Locators so that it's easier to animate their rotation and shape. The same goes for things that tend to maintain their own structural integrity like watches and armour (so they can stay rigid and not stretchy), and things that dangle or hang loose, so that they can easily have 'gravity' and point downwards all the time: turn down Auto-rotate on the locator.
The pouch and chevrons are parented to Locators on the left, and embedded in the limb layer on the right. The limb is The Torrence from the Limb Library.
Why are locators such weird shapes?
Locator shapes were designed with three goals: To be selectable by clicking on them in the comp, whether they are in front or behind of a controller in the same place, to show which direction they are aiming towards, and to show where their anchor point is, even when they're not selected. Choose which one you prefer in Settings
