ik pole target

[v513]

I suggest adding a new, upgraded IK system in Godot 4.7 that provides more advanced and explicit control over limb chains.

Currently, IK solutions in Godot are mostly based on a single target node, which limits control in more complex animation and gameplay scenarios (such as character combat, procedural animation, or realistic arm/leg posing). There is no built-in way to clearly define a pole target or to explicitly select which bones are involved in the IK chain.

The proposed upgrade would allow:

A Target Node (end effector), as usual

A Pole Target to control the bending direction of the limb

Explicit selection of bones in the chain (for example: UpperArm → LowerArm → Hand)

For instance, the user could select UpperArm, LowerArm, and Hand, or choose to start the IK from LowerArm, depending on the use case. This would make arm and leg IK much more predictable and flexible, especially for humanoid rigs.

Use case:
This feature would significantly improve character animation workflows for games that rely on procedural movement, aiming systems, climbing, ragdoll blending, or interaction with the environment. Currently, achieving this level of control requires custom scripts or external tools, which complicates development and reduces consistency across projects.

By adding a more advanced IK with pole targets and selectable bone chains, Godot would better meet the needs of developers creating modern 3D character-driven games.

[Calinou]

Closing, as we do not allow proposals that copy-paste large blocks of AI-generated text. See the AI-assisted contributions policy for details.