Cable component

[Kendoshi]

Hi guys,
I’m trying to create a tube connection between the head and chest with cable-like behaviour where an end and a starting point have a fixed position. So since there is a cable component i thought this would be perfect. And it is beside the weird joint/controller rotations im getting.

This would be the ideal joint orientation

But when building the joints 4 and 5 have 180/-180 Xaxe joint orientation

editing the values manually in the attribute tab isn’t helping.
Every little movement of the head controller is causing the joints to flip around weirdly. One by one rotating and flipping around the X-axes:

limiting freedom by removing degrees of freedom or by clapping rotation limits isn’t helping to remove the flipping either.

if anybody has an idea how to fix that issue I would be very thankful ;D
Thanks for your time!

[corvineMaster]

This will happen with the module if it’s bent too sharply, like what you have here. A common solution is to use two cable modules that meet in the middle, so each one only bears half the total rotation. This works because the change in rotation isn’t as extreme between CVs. I ended up creating a custom module based on this that allows you to choose the number of CVs for the curve, achieving the same thing but with one module.

[Kendoshi]

is it a custom module that you build yourself? if so could you perhaps share it?

[chrislesage]

You could also consider driving extra custom curves along that chain. Then loft the curves to get a surface, and attach nodes to that surface with UVpin or matrix contraints.

Or instead of a surface, two curves, so you can define your own up vectors.

Or break rotation connection, or add duplicate joints, and drive the rotation in your own custom way.

[Kendoshi]

Thanks guys for all the advice.
I didn’t go with any of it but it gave me a good understanding of the core issue.
my solution is to post-edit the upv translation of base, tip and tangent grp and manipulate the up vector this way.