Friday, October 18, 2013
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
License-Free Maya Rig Testing **Update 2013**
Rigs, rigs, rigs....
They're all similar but oh, so different.
A great way to get ready for rigging your own characters is to try a LOT of rigs. Learn what you like and don't like. Peek into the Outliner and see how organized it is (or not!). Check out how usable it is for animation. Then you'll be ready to borrow ideas for your own rigs.
Please note if you use any of these rigs they are not for commercial use and must be properly credited!
3 sites with lots of rigs for you to try:
Animation Buffet
ELEVEN:
Created as a group collaboration project by members of the 11SC community!
I love the look of this super cute girl/guy rig!
It looks like a lovely rig so far. Very teensy compared to some other rigs. Fast, easy to use. Nice rig. We use this rig a lot at school.
http://elevenrig.blogspot.com/
NORMAN:
by Leif Jeffers, Morgan Loomis, Peter Starostin, and Neal Thibodeaux
This rig isn't much to look at but it's packed with features -- maybe too many? He's even got 'bend bows' for arcing limbs, sweet! The GUI is totally customizable and you really ought to be able to do anything with this rig.
Only a couple of problems -- the head CTRL -- you know, the one you might need to grab like 1000 times a day, is on the BACK of his head ??? So, unless you love working in XRAY mode or wireframe, you have to do a little tumbling every time you want to grab it.
People have customized Norman into all SORTS of amazing models. Check them out!
https://sites.google.com/site/normanrig/
MORPHEUS:
by Josh Burton
The rig is very slick and there are more ctrls than you can shake a stick at.
http://www.joshburton.com/projects/morpheus.asp
This ugly-on-purpose rig has a very slick GUI and it's easy to find your way around right out of the box. *NOTE* - one of the arms was IK and the other FK (perhaps purposefully?) but the switch turned out to be not that hard to find (on the ground). My favorite so far for ease of use.
http://www.creativecrash.com/maya/downloads/character-rigs/c/moom-v4-0-3-by-ramtin
I'm used to seeing, 1, 2, or 3 big, obvious ctrls somewhere in the area of the character's feet. I see a ROOT but it's in his middle and with IK legs, it only moves the middle. My apologies if it's staring me in the face and I just can't see it!
http://www.bockstyre.com/james/maxformaya/
HEAVY: from Team Fortress - might be some copyright infringement going on here but it's fun to play with.
http://www.creativecrash.com/maya/downloads/character-rigs/c/heavy-character-rig
Lovely rigs but not recommended for school:
STEWART: *NOT FOR SCHOOL USE :(
Meet Stewart, Animation Mentor's new rig from their "Tribe" family. It's a very versatile athletic rig with lots of bells and whistles like bend bows, stretchy everything, double gimbals, IK/FK switching and more.
Be sure to include their attribution for non-commercial use. Download it here: http://www.animationmentor.com/free-maya-rig/
MALCOLM: * NOT FOR SCHOOL USE :(
AnimSchool has a very cool rig up for grabs as well: Malcolm. Its only 2 negatives are that it is a fully-decked-out feature rig complete with 1000 ctrls and it might be a bit over the heads of students just learning Maya. The other negative is that it's the ONLY free feature-quality rig out there, imho, which makes it extremely popular. The 11-second club winners use it almost exclusively.
I am using it myself, but the female mod which looks a bit like this:
http://www.animschool.com/DownloadOffer.aspx
BUCKID: Buckid is a super simple Maya rig for people just starting out. 1 major flaw: lack of independent hips. The one hip CTRL drives all the ones above. That means if you use hip rotation in your walks, you will need to counter animate the upper spine and head. But aside from that it is a fun, snappy, simple rig with stretchy limbs and spine that is really fun to work with.
http://www.creativecrash.com/maya/downloads/character-rigs/c/buckid
Conclusion:
I'd have to vote for either ELEVEN or MOOM.
Morpheus is also worth another look if you don't mind that interface.
Try-em out for yourself and let me know what you think!
They're all similar but oh, so different.
A great way to get ready for rigging your own characters is to try a LOT of rigs. Learn what you like and don't like. Peek into the Outliner and see how organized it is (or not!). Check out how usable it is for animation. Then you'll be ready to borrow ideas for your own rigs.
Please note if you use any of these rigs they are not for commercial use and must be properly credited!
3 sites with lots of rigs for you to try:
Animation Buffet
FLOUR SACK:
Beautifully made flour sack rig (at last!) Created for Maya 2013 by Joe Daniels - check out his cool video clip as well!
Created as a group collaboration project by members of the 11SC community!I love the look of this super cute girl/guy rig!
It looks like a lovely rig so far. Very teensy compared to some other rigs. Fast, easy to use. Nice rig. We use this rig a lot at school.
http://elevenrig.blogspot.com/
NORMAN:
by Leif Jeffers, Morgan Loomis, Peter Starostin, and Neal Thibodeaux
This rig isn't much to look at but it's packed with features -- maybe too many? He's even got 'bend bows' for arcing limbs, sweet! The GUI is totally customizable and you really ought to be able to do anything with this rig.
Only a couple of problems -- the head CTRL -- you know, the one you might need to grab like 1000 times a day, is on the BACK of his head ??? So, unless you love working in XRAY mode or wireframe, you have to do a little tumbling every time you want to grab it.
People have customized Norman into all SORTS of amazing models. Check them out!
https://sites.google.com/site/normanrig/
MORPHEUS:
Wow. Just wow. This is a very distinctive.. and unique GUI. Is this a good thing? I'm not sure. I find it distracting. Good news -- it's just to customize the rig into all sorts of different 'looks'. Then you can hide that sucker.
The rig is very slick and there are more ctrls than you can shake a stick at.
http://www.joshburton.com/projects/morpheus.asp
MOOM:
by Ramtin Ahmadi
This ugly-on-purpose rig has a very slick GUI and it's easy to find your way around right out of the box. *NOTE* - one of the arms was IK and the other FK (perhaps purposefully?) but the switch turned out to be not that hard to find (on the ground). My favorite so far for ease of use.
http://www.creativecrash.com/maya/downloads/character-rigs/c/moom-v4-0-3-by-ramtin
MAX: (Maya or Max)
by Peter Starostin and James Hunt
Last but not least, this well-used rig has a lot to recommend it.
I liked how easy it was to find everything ... except one very important thing... the MAIN CTRL!
I'm used to seeing, 1, 2, or 3 big, obvious ctrls somewhere in the area of the character's feet. I see a ROOT but it's in his middle and with IK legs, it only moves the middle. My apologies if it's staring me in the face and I just can't see it!http://www.bockstyre.com/james/maxformaya/
HEAVY: from Team Fortress - might be some copyright infringement going on here but it's fun to play with.
http://www.creativecrash.com/maya/downloads/character-rigs/c/heavy-character-rig
SQUIRRELY by Josh Burton:
This is a great opportunity to test out Anzovin's popular autorig, the "Setup Machine". Very quick and easy to use, also the setup machine rig can be purchased and used with any of your own characters.
This is a great opportunity to test out Anzovin's popular autorig, the "Setup Machine". Very quick and easy to use, also the setup machine rig can be purchased and used with any of your own characters.
STEWART: *NOT FOR SCHOOL USE :(
Meet Stewart, Animation Mentor's new rig from their "Tribe" family. It's a very versatile athletic rig with lots of bells and whistles like bend bows, stretchy everything, double gimbals, IK/FK switching and more.Be sure to include their attribution for non-commercial use. Download it here: http://www.animationmentor.com/free-maya-rig/
MALCOLM: * NOT FOR SCHOOL USE :(AnimSchool has a very cool rig up for grabs as well: Malcolm. Its only 2 negatives are that it is a fully-decked-out feature rig complete with 1000 ctrls and it might be a bit over the heads of students just learning Maya. The other negative is that it's the ONLY free feature-quality rig out there, imho, which makes it extremely popular. The 11-second club winners use it almost exclusively.
I am using it myself, but the female mod which looks a bit like this:
http://www.animschool.com/DownloadOffer.aspx
BUCKID: Buckid is a super simple Maya rig for people just starting out. 1 major flaw: lack of independent hips. The one hip CTRL drives all the ones above. That means if you use hip rotation in your walks, you will need to counter animate the upper spine and head. But aside from that it is a fun, snappy, simple rig with stretchy limbs and spine that is really fun to work with.http://www.creativecrash.com/maya/downloads/character-rigs/c/buckid
Conclusion:
Well, the jury's still out. People have certainly created some fantastic animation with all of these rigs.
I'm looking for a simple interface like Moom that has a neater look like Eleven.
I'd have to vote for either ELEVEN or MOOM.
Morpheus is also worth another look if you don't mind that interface.
Try-em out for yourself and let me know what you think!
WEEK 7: Game Project Development DESN 3010: Milestone 2 Due Today!
Today is an in-class critique of Milestone 2 and hopefully we'll have time to talk about your ideas for Milestone 3.
Please post your work to Trello so we can share ideas and accountability. :D
Milestone 3: ex 5-10 second piece of animation
Value: 20%
DUE DATE: WEEK 10 Nov 7th @ BEGINNING OF CLASS
Value: 20%
DUE DATE: WEEK 10 Nov 7th @ BEGINNING OF CLASS
* Late submissions will receive ZERO marks.
In-class you would want to show:
WEEK 7: thumbnails
WEEK 9: rough posing in 3D
WEEK 10: final animation - Playbasts are fine. No rendering required.
In-class you would want to show:
WEEK 7: thumbnails
WEEK 9: rough posing in 3D
WEEK 10: final animation - Playbasts are fine. No rendering required.
FILE NAMING:
3010_ m3_lastnamefirstinitial_001.mov (mp4, m4v, etc)
ex: 3010_m3_donovant_001.mov
Here's something to think about over the break...
ex: 3010_m3_donovant_001.mov
Here's something to think about over the break...
Enjoy your break! See you on Hallowe'en!
WEEK 7: Asset Development 1 DESN1083: Assignment 2 Due Today! Assigment 3 begins..
 |
| examples of finished models |
NEW BERETTA 3D Model: 35 Marks
DUE DATE: WEEK 12 November 21st
@ BEGINNING OF CLASS
Assignment 3 is to produce a high poly model (3D Studio Max) based on the final weapon concept you designed in Assignments 1 & 2.
Polygon limit: 5000
File Type: FBX, JPG (Screengrab OK)
FILENAME:
ASSIGN3_NEWBERETTA_MODEL_YOURNAME.FBX
ASSIGN3_NEWBERETTA_MODEL_YOURNAME.JPG
File Type: FBX, JPG (Screengrab OK)
FILENAME:
ASSIGN3_NEWBERETTA_MODEL_YOURNAME.FBX
ASSIGN3_NEWBERETTA_MODEL_YOURNAME.JPG
ex -
ASSIGN3_NEWBERETTA_MODEL_TARADONOVAN.FBX
ASSIGN3_NEWBERETTA_MODEL_TARADONOVAN.JPG
ASSIGN3_NEWBERETTA_MODEL_TARADONOVAN.FBX
ASSIGN3_NEWBERETTA_MODEL_TARADONOVAN.JPG
NEXT WEEK IS INTERCESSION WEEK - See you on Hallowe'en!
Monday, October 14, 2013
WEEK 7: Motion Studies DESN1136 Assignment 3 Due Today! + QUIZ
Your cartoon anatomy studies are due today in class. It's ok if you need time to work on them in class. :o)
Please be ready to take our quiz which should only take about 30 min. Once you've handed in your assignment and taken the quiz you are welcome to leave or stay and work on other projects.
CLICK HERE TO TAKE THE QUIZ - responses closed until quiz is in progress
Anyone interested should attend tonight's storyboarding seminar:
The Art of Storyboarding with James Caswell - An Animatic T.O. Event
https://www.facebook.com/events/1414030428815095/
$10 (Cheap!)
@ The Victory Cafe - 581 Markham Street
(Bloor & Bathurst behind Honest Ed's)
Doors 7pm
Talk Starts 7:30pm
Enjoy your break! See you on the 29th of October
Please be ready to take our quiz which should only take about 30 min. Once you've handed in your assignment and taken the quiz you are welcome to leave or stay and work on other projects.
CLICK HERE TO TAKE THE QUIZ - responses closed until quiz is in progress
Anyone interested should attend tonight's storyboarding seminar:
The Art of Storyboarding with James Caswell - An Animatic T.O. Event
https://www.facebook.com/events/1414030428815095/
$10 (Cheap!)@ The Victory Cafe - 581 Markham Street
(Bloor & Bathurst behind Honest Ed's)
Doors 7pm
Talk Starts 7:30pm
Enjoy your break! See you on the 29th of October
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
WEEK 6: Game Project Development DESN 3010: Assignment 2 Due next week!
So you should be blocking now. A lot of animators use this method of stepped keys to block out their animation with solid posing and all the major details such as facial expressions, hand gestures, eye direction but NOT lip sync. They check and recheck for strong silhouettes and keep honing their timing until it seems perfect before moving forward.
Here's a great example of blocking from Kevin Webb.
He describes this video as the result of a day's work. I think you will agree that was a productive day indeed.
Animation scene blocking from Kevin Webb on Vimeo.
Here's the final result. Notice all the beautiful overlapping action - it's not just pose-to-pose, he's layered on texture in the timing and made everything fluid and lifelike. 14 seconds, no textures, no lighting, no background, no bs. Just great acting and great animation.
Zooey Lipsync from Kevin Webb on Vimeo.
Here's a great example of blocking from Kevin Webb.
He describes this video as the result of a day's work. I think you will agree that was a productive day indeed.
Animation scene blocking from Kevin Webb on Vimeo.
Here's the final result. Notice all the beautiful overlapping action - it's not just pose-to-pose, he's layered on texture in the timing and made everything fluid and lifelike. 14 seconds, no textures, no lighting, no background, no bs. Just great acting and great animation.
Zooey Lipsync from Kevin Webb on Vimeo.
WEEK 6: Asset Development 1 DESN1083: Assignment 2 Due Next Week in Class!
This week you should be starting to put the polish into your weapon concept art. It should have a clean silhouette that you can use as a mask for any finishing effects like gradient lighting. Start thinking about presentation. Here are two examples.
The first image has blueprint-style images and a photo texture of some paper in the bg. It also has nice lettering and a strong sense of compositional balance. The second image is more loose in rendering style but again has a nice balance in terms of image placement and the use of gradients over a simple rough painted texture in the bg.
There's a lot of leeway in the presentation of this piece. Be sure to follow your hand-in parameters very carefully. Watch naming conventions, file sizes and compression guidelines.
Any questions, just ask.
Good luck!
Monday, October 7, 2013
WEEK 6: Motion Studies DESN1136 Assignment 2 Due Today!
Your second assignment is due today in class.
We do have one small topic to cover before we dive into 3D animation in Maya after the break:
Anatomy! You've already covered anatomy in your drawing classes so this will be a review. We'll be using various tools to revisit terms you should have learned last year and start working on a specialized drawing based on your character design: an anatomical cartoon study. Next week we'll wrap up with a little 10-question quiz on everything you've studied.
DESN1136 Assignment 3 & 4: Anatomy Study + Quiz
Description:
We do have one small topic to cover before we dive into 3D animation in Maya after the break: |
| cartoon characters have skeletons, right? |
DESN1136 Assignment 3 & 4: Anatomy Study + Quiz
% of final grade: 5% each, TOTAL: 10%
Assigned: Tuesday, Oct 8, 2013
Assigned: Tuesday, Oct 8, 2013
Due:
WEEK 7, Oct 15th at the end of class
*Late assignments are worth 0
Quiz will also take place in the first hour of class. You may write it in either class period. Once your quiz and your assignment are handed in, you're free to go!
Quiz will also take place in the first hour of class. You may write it in either class period. Once your quiz and your assignment are handed in, you're free to go!
Max 1200 px along longest edge @ 72 dpi
Filenames:
Filenames:
1136_a3_donovant_anatomy_001.jpg
Cartoon characters have skeletons, don't they? Of course they do. Draw what's under your
character's skin. This is great preparation for rigging as you consider the joint placement and proportions of anatomy that may need alterations to adapt it from the familiar human skeleton. Don't just phone it in, make it a nice looking piece of art to go in your portfolio. Draw over the character in PS with the lower layer's opacity very low. Label if you want. And you're not limited to human skeletons - you might need animals, dinosaurs or other skeletons to help you.
Rubric:
Choose one image of your character in a pose and draw a cartoon study of its anatomy. Aim to make your drawing a portfolio piece that shows both your knowledge and your artistic skill.
Exemplary - thorough and well-drawn study of your character's skeleton that shows the skull and major bones of the skeleton adapted to your character's anatomical form and design, special limitations or extra capabilities
Excellent - a good study of the character's skeleton including all the major landmarks
Acceptable - a simple drawing that attempts to follow the skeletal form
Not Acceptable - a sparsely detailed or poorly constructed drawing that doesn't follow the character's form
Choose one image of your character in a pose and draw a cartoon study of its anatomy. Aim to make your drawing a portfolio piece that shows both your knowledge and your artistic skill.
Exemplary - thorough and well-drawn study of your character's skeleton that shows the skull and major bones of the skeleton adapted to your character's anatomical form and design, special limitations or extra capabilities
Excellent - a good study of the character's skeleton including all the major landmarks
Acceptable - a simple drawing that attempts to follow the skeletal form
Not Acceptable - a sparsely detailed or poorly constructed drawing that doesn't follow the character's form
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
$10 Sketching at the Royal Fair!! Nov 1-10 2013
Sketching at the Royal Fair!! Only $10 for GBC students, alumni and friends. They mail me all the prepaid tickets before the event. You can pick them up from me at school. You can either hand me your $10 bills or use this handy online form to book your spot: https://rwfsketching2013.eventbrite.ca
WEEK 5: Game Project Development DESN 3010: Assignment 2 Due in 2 weeks
Reminder: Today is the last day to drop courses.
I hope you're all digging into the planning stages for your next project. It's a lot of work, thumbnailing, but I suggest you draw at least a basic plan before diving into the 3D world. Remember the little Wall-E clip I showed you - before they started posing they drew thumbnails of their ideas and worked out potential poses in rough before taking it to the next level. This week I want to see everyone upload a basic plan to Trello so we can have a look at your WIP. Next week please have your basic blocking done.
I hope you're all digging into the planning stages for your next project. It's a lot of work, thumbnailing, but I suggest you draw at least a basic plan before diving into the 3D world. Remember the little Wall-E clip I showed you - before they started posing they drew thumbnails of their ideas and worked out potential poses in rough before taking it to the next level. This week I want to see everyone upload a basic plan to Trello so we can have a look at your WIP. Next week please have your basic blocking done.
If you're doing an alternate to animation - such as particles, dynamics, etc. please make a real plan without even turning on the computer. I want a strong concept and not just a tech demo. You can do a lot with a little creativity. I'm happy to work with you to make your piece look great. We'll get you working with a mentor who's been through the process before. Keep an eye on the new advancements in real-time dynamics - there have been a lot of tech papers and demos released recently you'll want to know about, such as here:
http://physxinfo.com/news/
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