About IK Handles and Solvers

Inverse kinematics (IK) makes animation easier in many situations. For example, to put a foot in a certain position using forward Kinematics (FK), you would need to rotate the hip and the knee. By using an IK handle on the ankle, you can simply move the ankle into position, and the hip and knee will rotate accordingly (Figure 9.19).

Figure 9.19. On the left, an IK handle moves the foot. On the right, both the hip and ankle are rotated to move the foot.