very cool!!! ~hugs~

Thank you! *hugs back*

umbrella.. set driven keys? there some more issues, with bulging and ribs...

oh, and I imagine, solar sail would be challenging <.<

I used to hear conversation about topic with guy who made "Passenger" animation.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGW0aQSgyxQ

Essentially each 'spoke' of an umbrella would take twenty keyframed values: position and rotation of individual elements to work. Per spoke.

I thought about rigging an umbrella once ... and then I came to my senses.

I actually found a better way to do that that does not involve coordinating twenty separate keyframed animations. I just never uploaded it because.. well, it looks identical. :D

i always find out later there's an easier way i could have done everything, and then i never remember what it is the next time i need to either.
you probably could have done the whole thing with a shape key, or a bunch of parenting and one bone, just guessing of course, not that i'd know how.
i feel so dense sometimes and i can never seem to remember the easy way to do anything.

My updated version is using IK for the main arm and simple math-based angle overrides for the panels on top. This gives me direct control over individual panels, if necessary; if not, it all is driven by one zero-to-one channel.