If you are posing your model for a still image, a picture scene: Turn off the IK! Inverse Kinematic is the big, college textbook word for basically a Rube Goldberg. Legs are actually important, and there are some ways that I can help you with everything (when it comes to posing, mind you). There are some really good, basic poses in there, and the more that you study them and toy around with them, the easier fingers will become! If you don’t want to pose fingers by yourself (I don’t want to 80% of the time, so I don’t blame you), or if you aren’t very good, I recommend starting off with Reggie’s Finger Pose Pack in the LearnMMD downloads section. It shows you very well how much something can move. How far back will your first knuckle go? How far forwards? Using your own body is a great tool of reference without having to scavenge the internet for stock poses. Look down at your hand and pick up your index finger. If you can’t do it, your model can’t do it either. STEP 2: Don’t break a sister (episode one).

You never hold your fingers perfectly straight for anything except for maybe swimming, if you even do it there. If you want to keep the fingers flat as in the standard pose, then, at least, spread them out a bit. I know it might not bother many people, but it bothers veterans. I have seen many people just not pose the fingers at all, and it bothers me. When it comes to posing MMD models, fingers can either be a blessing or they can be a curse. The first point (and probably the most important one) stands for fingers. In my 3D animation classwork, I was taught the five-point acronym FLEFA ( Fingers Legs Eyes Feet and Arms)… I would like to bring it out of the darkness to perhaps help some of you in your posing endeavors. Sometimes we can reach these limits, but that usually results in a broken bone and an ouchie! The human body has certain limits that it can reach, no matter how flexible you may be. Yeah, that doesn’t look very natural, does it? Even though the bones are already there for you, there’s still something very important to keep in mind: physical limitations. Have you ever been scrolling through DeviantArt and seen something like this?

That doesn’t mean that you don’t have to worry about it, though. “Well, the anatomy is laid right out for me,” you might be thinking, and yes, I know.

Now that I’ve got you thinking about it: yes, you do need to worry about it. Today, I’ll be answering a simple question that you probably haven’t asked yourself… “When posing MMD models, do I need to worry about anatomy?” Why Anatomy Matters… I’m back from a very long hiatus, but I have come back with little bits of knowledge to share with all of you.

Mmd pose