Figure 7.25 - Object constraint

After adding a constraint to an object, you will have unique options for

each constraint type. The panel works like options from modifiers, where

you can manage and reorder constraints applied to any selected object.

Among constraint types available, you will find:

Copy Location, Copy Rotation, and Copy Scale: Makes the

selected object using the same transformation data from the

target object.

Limit Location, Limit Rotation, and Limit Scale: Makes the

object chosen to receive a limit for each transformation based on a

target object.

Child of: You can create parenting relations that can receive

keyframes.

A key component of all constraints is the Influence option. With the

influence, it is possible to set how each constraint affects object motion.

An influence of 1.000 means it has a 100% impact on the motion. By

dropping that value to zero, it is possible to "turn off" a constraint.

You can easily add keyframes to the influence settings, by placing the

mouse cursor above the influence field and pressing the I key. That

opens a world of possible animations we can create using constraints.

7.6.1 Making an arm grab an object

An easy example of what we can do with animation constraints is

making an arm grab an object. To make our example simple, we can use