Creating hand bones, the simple way.
 

Step 1
If you don't have a lot of time, or you're working on a character that isn't very important and doesn't require a lot of animation, then this is an easy way to rig a hand.

First, create the bones. You can either bring up the Bones Tools dialogue box, or go into the Create Panel/Systems Tab and click on Bones. Start with the bone for the palm of the hand. You can delete the nub bone that Max automatically creates after you right-click to stop making new bones. Since the hand doesn't use IK then you don't need that extra bone.

Tip: Create all your bones in the same viewport to make sure that they will all have the same local alignment. This will save you trouble down the road. You can always resize and move them in other viewports later. And if you use the Right viewport, then when you add fins to the bones using the Fin Adjustment Tools section of the Bone Tools window, they will appear where you expect them to.

Step 2
Shift-move that bone over to create the first finger bone. If you look at the illustration of the hand bones on the previous page, you'll notice that the total length of one finger bone is about the same as the total length of the palm. So it makes sense to use that bone as the basis for creating the finger bones.

Step 3
Now refine that bone into three segments using the Refine button in the Bone Tools window. To get this window, go into the Character menu and bring up the Bone Tools window.

Make the first click in the middle of the finger bone to create the first segment, and the next click about two-thirds of the way to the tip to create the last two segments.

Step 4
While the Bone Tools window is open, add side fins to the palm bone so that it matches the width of the hand.

Step 5
Now select all the segments of the finger bone and shift-move to make four more copies. Move them into position according to the hand mesh of your model, and then resize them if needed using the Bone Edit Mode button in the Bone Tools window.

Step 6
Now select all the root bones of the fingers and link them to the palm.

Step 7
And it's just that easy. You can now select any segment and rotate it into position, or select the palm to rotate the whole hand together.

Simple, effective, and easy to work with. This rig will work anytime you need something fast, or if you just don't want to bother with all the wiring or controller changing. But if you want an easier rig to animate with, or you're thinking of getting a job as a character rigger, then read on to discover the joys of wiring and sliders.

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