MB animate extra limbs with a little bit of dynamics

Here is an extract from the thread:
**note there is an fbx example file for download there also**

"The simplest way to animate extra limbs like tails, wings and hair that are supposed to move with a little bit of dynamics is to use a trusty combination of IK and Relation (damping) constraints.

1. Create a couple of additional markers on the skelton nodes.

Double click in Asset Browser>Elements>Marker and click on the node. Normally the markers should be spaced 1-3 nodes apart if it's a long tail. These will serve as IK Effectors. You'll also need to create IK Hints, generally half way between the markers away from the chain. Right click when you're done.

2. Parent the markers to a node above the first joint you're planning to affect with the Effector. Ex: for hair, you're likely to choose the head node, for a tail> hips, etc.

3. Create an IK constraint for each IK effector you created.

Drop the First and last bone to be affected by the marker, the Effector, the Hint and Optionally the Floor level marker for detection. Snap the constraint.

4. Create a Relation constraint for damping.

Drop each Effector and Hint inside once as a Sender and once as a reciever. Between the two add a 3D damping operator (Other> Damping 3D) and connect the Translation chanel through it. Set the damping value for each effector/hint. The general rule is the further the effector is down the chain the bigger the value and the hints have less damping than the efectors, but all of this depends on the desired result. Play around.

Tips.

You can add a feeling of weight on a tail for example by moving the Effectors below the floor level once you set the constraints.

The IK chains can be broken down to short 1-limb sections for more control.

The limb nodes can be dropped into the Props section of the character mapping list (assuming you have less than 5). This will plot the animation to them along with the main bones when you select Plot Character.

You can use the setup for a base animation, plot to all the IK Effectors/Hints and then keyframe on top for more control.

Included is a simple file of the basic setup.

The damping can be expanded to include gravity and collision "simulation" by adding some additional markers and constraints to the hierarchy. It is only a simulation, but works well in many cases. I'll try to post more on that in the thread on cloth simulation soon."
**note there is an fbx file for download there also