1. Select one or more objects to pose.

2. Click the Pose tool on the Characters or Animation tab.

3. In the operation controls toolbar, choose either Object-specific Handles or Global Transform Handle from the Handle Mode drop-down menu.

   The default is Object-specific handles.

This tool has a special function for bones with no kinematics, as it drives bones or bone chains by pointing at your cursor. It is similar to having a bone chain with Inverse Kinematics; however, it animates with rotates, not transforms. This creates a looser, arc-like interpolation, which makes the motion appear less linear and more natural. This tool can be used, for example, to animate a character kicking.

The Use Surface Region Controllers option gives you the ability to pose geometry without using handles, if it detects a pose_scope attribute in your skin geometry network. This improves workflow and makes character animation easier by removing clutter from the viewport. Complicated rigs can have hundred of controllers, which can make animating quite difficult. Hiding these controls and using invisible rigs allows you to click and drag parts of the character in the viewport, which makes animating feel more like working with a stop motion puppet.

If the group has more than one channel, a pop-up wheel will allow you to easily toggle between the channels. For example, the simple female character has both translate and rotate abilities on her hand.

For information on how to set up invisible rigs, see the Pose Scope SOP help.

See help for using the motion path handle.