Animal Rigger ProHooves
Rig a horse, pony, donkey, mule or zebra. A hoof needs a few more marks and gives a different foot.
A hoof is one hard piece with a sloping pastern above it. The rig treats it that way: the hoof rolls and banks as one block, and the fetlock above it bends on its own.
1. Pick a hoofed animal
On Setup, pick Horse, Pony, Donkey, Mule or Zebra as the species. Feet changes to Hooves by itself. The page then reminds you that each hoof needs its fetlock and four sole edges.
2. Mark the hooves
Mark gets two extra groups, Front hooves and Hind hooves. Each hoof has five marks:
| Mark | Where |
|---|---|
| Fetlock | The joint just above the hoof. Place its centre from a side view. |
| Heel | The back edge of the sole, where it touches the ground. |
| Toe | The front edge of the sole, where it rolls forward. |
| Inner edge | The inside edge of the sole, towards the other leg. |
| Outer edge | The outside edge of the sole, away from the other leg. |
The leg's lowest mark is named hoof top (coronet) on a hoofed animal: the centre at the top of the hoof, where the pastern meets it.
The four sole edges sit on the skin. Orbit the view to see the sole, or place the 3D cursor where you want the point and press Use 3D cursor. With Both sides match on, the other side copies itself; a horse caught mid-stride starts with Each side placed separately instead.
3. Build
Build as usual on Generate. The hoof's foot controls are:
- The foot control at the sole, which moves the whole leg in IK.
- The fetlock, a control of its own in both IK and FK. Bend it to put weight on a planted hoof.
- The pivots under Paws in Show controls: heel, toe and the two edges. Turn one and the hoof turns about that point.
Sliders
A hoof has Stretch, Foot roll and Bank. Foot roll rocks it back on the heel or up onto the toe; Bank tips it onto the inner or outer edge.
A hoof has no Toe break, Toe curl or Toe spread: those are for paws, which fold and spread. Animals with split hooves, such as cows, deer and pigs, are not in version 0.1.