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 where rigging becomes part of their own job description. In the past six years, there have been several books released that cover intermediate and advanced concepts which build on a foundation that doesn’t seem to exist in other materials. Because of this, I’ve decided to put my classroom materials together and present them to the reader, hopefully answering most of the questions that come with introductory learning of character rigging.
The assignments in this book have been tested by students in my classroom. Over several years they have evolved from basic course notes into thoroughly detailed step-by-step instructions. During this progression, some of the same problems kept arising for students. These issues are clearly indicated in boxes throughout the book. However, because new issues come up with every student and version of the software, I have created a website to support this book for FAQs and other postings. Please make sure to visit and check things out: www.mayacharacterrigging.com
Instead of covering only basic rigging, I included the first four chapters to provide an overview of a simple character design and creation process. In these four chapters you will find a simplified approach to design, modeling, and texturing a character. The last four chapters cover joint placement, control rig creation, clean-up, and the skinning process. Each chapter begins with explanations of the tools used during the assignments. The assignments of each chapter, when put all together, will result in a character ready for animation. The glossary words are highlighted in red throughout each chapter, and a summary is provided to recap the main points. This book is intended to be worked through from beginning to end. However, the workflow overview below provides a flowchart toward completion, as some of the chapter assignments can be done simultaneously with other chapters when using File Referencing (explained in Chapter 5).
The enclosed DVD provides example files to work along with the assignments using the clown character, Bobo, which I have created exclusively for this book. In addition, there are finished student animated shorts that can be used to capture your imagination and provide inspiration for creating your own characters. The shorts shown on the DVD are unique because these shorts were all made by students, and for most of them, were their very first completed animations. Many of them have been accepted to festivals, and some have even won awards.
An instructor manual is available for this book by contacting the publisher. If more information is necessary or if you have any further questions, please contact me via this email: [email protected]
Workflow overview.