An Essential Introduction to Maya Character Rigging
AMSTERDAM BOSTON HEIDELBERG LONDON NEW YORK OXFORD PARIS SAN DIEGO SAN FRANCISCO SINGAPORE SYDNEY TOKYO ELSEVIER Focal Press is an imprint of Elsevier This eBook does not include ancillary media that was packaged with the printed version of the book. Focal Press is an imprint of Elsevier Linacre House, Jordan Hill, Oxford OX2 8DP, UK 30 Corporate Drive, Suite 400, Burlington, MA 01803, USA Copyright 2008, Cheryl Cabrera. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved The right of Cheryl Cabrera...
Foreword
It's 3 a.m. A hard rain pounds against my office window. I sip my coffee. Hot. Bitter. Hmm. Too bitter. I sprinkle some sugar and give it a swirl. I finish downloading the latest version of Bones for 3DStudio DOS 4 and launch the application. My XT brings it up in a matter of minutes. Fast. The way I like it. My anticipation mounts as I open the demo data. Reaching forward with the mouse, I select the character's hand and prepare to pull. I begin pulling my character's hand and the right arm...
Contents
Acknowledgments xiii Introduction xv 1 Designing Your First Biped Character 1 Former Student Spotlight Zach Parrish 2 Assignments Designing a Character 15 2 Creating Your First Biped Character Modeling Basics 39 Former Student Spotlight Jeff Gill 40 Former Student Spotlight Chris Grim 74 Assignments Modeling a Character 77 3 Creating Your First Biped Character Facial Expressions 129 Former Student Spotlight Katie Folsom 130 Workflow 131 Introduction 132 Blend Shapes as an Approach to Creating...
Randy Asprodites
When I began teaching 3D character animation six years ago, there were few resources available to help students learn and understand the fundamentals of the character rigging process. Understanding these tools and procedures are a key component to animation in the 3D environment. The technical vocabulary of rigging characters is necessary for animators to communicate their needs to character technical artists, but this knowledge is also invaluable to anyone who may find themselves in a position...
Introduction
There is something to be said for learning from your mistakes. Throughout my years as a professor of 3D character animation, I have seen many students make the same mistakes over and over again. I must say that much of what I have learned about Maya, I have learned because of the mistakes that I or my students have made. Hopefully, our loss will be your gain, and you will be able to avoid the same mistakes that we have previously made. I am going to show you a streamlined way of creating a...