WEEK
3
WED:
1.
Session Goal: To
familiarize you all with Maya’s animation tools and basic technical concepts
such as rigging
2.
Fun Fact! Every
piece of geometry has two nodes: a shape node and transform node
a.
The shape node is
where the geometry’s structural information is stored and manipulated, such as
the number of edge loops to make up the polygons
b.
The transform node
is where the geometry’s special information is stored, such as its translation,
rotation, scale, etc.
3.
Intro to rigging
a.
Create a joint
chain
b.
it’s good to click
and drag when selecting things (help to keep you from injuring your wrist)
c.
Naming conventions
i.
Very important
especially as rigs and scenes become more complicated
1.
Basic naming
convention: rootName_element_TYPE
a.
Ex: maleBG_body_GEO
2.
Complex: rootName_element_subElement_subElement01_sideOrientation_relativeOrientation_TYPE_#
a.
Ex: littleDaughter_eye_lash_wavyHair02_R_top_GEO_01
3.
Types examples:
a.
_GEO = geometry
b.
_CTRL = control
c.
_MAT = material
d.
_ETC…
ii.
Search and replace
names on a joint chain
1.
Select the first
joint >>> modify>>>Search and replace
d.
CTRL+shift
shortcut creation
i.
adds shortcut buttons
to your active shelf (try to only add to your custom shelf)
ii.
We did delete
history, freeze transform, center pivot, and the outliner in class
e.
Pick walking
i.
When you have an
object selected, press the up and down arrows to move up and down the hierarchy
f.
Basic Parenting
i.
Select the object
you want as the child>>> then select the parent object>>>
press P
g.
Constraints
i.
when creating
contraints, the selection sequence is the opposite of basic parenting: you select
the parent first then the child.
ii.
Constraint nodes
in the outliner appear as a red !
1.
parent constraint
2.
point
3.
aim
4.
orient
5.
scale
a.
expressions =
purple =
b.
muted = brown –
c.
blended = green –
d.
constrained = blue
e.
locked = blue gray
f.
connected = yellow
g.
keyed = red
h.
nonkeyable = light
gray
h.
Joint Attributes
i.
Will point down
the hierarchy
ii.
Joint radius can
be adjusted per by changing the radius attribute
1.
Global joint
radius can be adjust by going to display>>>animation>>> joint
size
i.
Skinning
i.
Create a joint
chain
ii.
Create a plane and
scale it so it spans the joint chain
1.
NOTE: do not
change your plane’s subdivisions to 0! Some of you did this in class and it
caused your mesh to not deform with the joint chain)
iii.
Delete history,
freeze transformations, and center pivot on the mesh ONLY
iv.
Select the first
joint in the chain and type “select –hi” (without quotes) into the command line
1.
Make sure the box
to the left of the command line says MEL and not Python. If it says Python just click that text
v.
Once all the
joints are selected shift + select the plane geo
vi.
Skinning
1.
Animation set menu
(or hold space for the hotbox shortcuts)>>>Skin>>>smooth bind
options>>>
4.
Intro to Cycles
a.
Controllers
i.
The rig has 8
controller
1.
Root_MOVER – only
translates the rig (from the waist)
2.
Hips_CTRL - only rotates the waist
3.
PVC : pole vector
constraints – these move the knees
4.
IKFK switches –
switches the rig from IK mode to FK mode
5.
Foot – only translates
the foot
6.
Ball Roll – keeps
the toe on the ground, but picks up the heel
7.
Toe_Roll – pivots the
whole foot from the tip of the toes
8.
Heel_Roll – pivtots
the whole foot from the heel
b.
IK vs FK
i.
Inverse kinematics
vs forward kinematics
1.
IK animation is
when the child node effects the movement of the parent node
a.
E.g. you move the
foot control and the knee and hips will follow
2.
FK animation is when
the parent node effects the child node
3.
IKFK switch will
blend your animation between IK and FK animation.
c.
Start the walk
cycle
i.
The first and last
frames must be exactly alike
ii.
Start with the
contact poses, then move onto the in-betweens, then the finer interpolations
