An Essential Introduction to Maya Character Rigging

Cheryl Briggs

• Publisher: CRC Press
• Year: 2021
• ISBN:
  9781317675280
• Edition: 2
• Topic: Arte
• Subtopic: Arte americana

While some rigging books focus too much on the theory of rigging and provide little instruction, others do the exact opposite and offer no reasoning behind the button-pushing. An Essential Introduction to Maya Character Rigging, 2nd Edition, however, offers a perfect balance. Cheryl Briggs' text is built for the classroom, with step-by-step tutorials that guide the reader through the rigging process. With vibrant screenshots and a plethora of helpful tips, this book provides a strong foundation in character rigging for anyone who wants to pursue 3D animation or more advanced rigging topics.

Features

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• Provides readers with fundamental techniques to give them a firm grasp on Maya character rigging.

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• Thorough step-by-step tutorials, which provides instruction on how to create biped, quadruped, and prop rigs.

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• Continuous updates and further support can be located at www.cherylcreates.com

Cheryl Briggs (formerly Cabrera) is an award-winning animated short film director. She has advised and guided aspiring animators, game artists, and visual effects artists for 20 years. Since 2009, Cheryl has taught all aspects of production in the Character Animation specialization in the School of Visual Arts and Design at the University of Central Florida. She also taught as Professor of Animation at the Savannah College of Art and Design from 2001 to 2009. Cheryl is currently on the Board of Directors for the Animation Hall of Fame. She also is a member of the Special Interest Group on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques (SIGGRAPH), the International Animated Film Society (ASIFA-Hollywood), Women in Animation, Women in Film and Television, and the Society for Animation Studies.

Cheryl is also an Autodesk Certified Professional and an Autodesk Certified Instructor in Maya. She is the author of An Essential Introduction to Maya Character Rigging (Focal Press, 2008), Reel Success: Creating Demo Reels and Animation Portfolios (Focal Press, 2013), and Animating Short Stories: Narrative Techniques and Visual Design (Bloomsbury Academic, 2019).

Cheryl holds a B.A. and M.Ed. in Education and an M.F.A. in Computer Art with a specialization in 3D Animation. She is a digital artist and animator that blends the lines between digital imagery and the traditional painting medium. She has participated is numerous group and solo exhibitions in the United States and her work is featured in several private collections. Her award-winning students have been featured in animation festivals worldwide, and many have gone on to work within the entertainment industry.

CHAPTER 1

Skeleton Setup

• Former Student Spotlight: David Bokser
• Workflow
• Introduction
• Analyzing Motion
• File Referencing
• Setting Up Your Work Area
• Working with Joints
• Summary

FIGURE 1.1 Power-up! Concept art illustration for Lucy Furr by Sanne Methorst, 2019.

Former Student Spotlight: David Bokser

Short films are tough. They always take way longer than expected and always require more work than planned for. No matter how small in scope, a short film is always a large collection of moving parts involving every aspect of CG production – from writing and concept to modeling, animation, lighting, and rendering. The rigger/tech artist is a bit of the unsung hero of the production phase. While modeling, animation, and lighting often get a lot of the love, the tech artist is often the one in the rafters making sure the scaffolding doesn’t fall onto the stage and that the lights turn on.

Rigging and Tech Art is primarily about problem solving, not just putting joints into characters and painting skin weights. While working on personal short films and professional productions, the technical skills that I learned by starting with rigging have expanded to almost all other areas of production. I’ve had to write tools to help modelers convert meshes into dynamic hair curves, joint-based muscle systems because the rendering engine didn’t support deformers, and back-end software that allowed artists to automatically check their work for errors as they send their assets through the pipeline. There are a million tiny cracks in CG production that a technical artist can fill throughout the course of their careers.

Making short films helps with getting your hands dirty in all of the details of a full CG production. It has helped me find those cracks that I could explore in parts of production that otherwise never held my interest, and it has helped me expand my knowledge and skill sets. If you do decide to make one, my suggestion would be to keep it simple. Don’t try to create an epic with your first film; a 30–60 second short would be great. Try to use it as a learning process instead of “your great contribution to the art world.” You might end up finding a niche that you didn’t expect.

Biography

David Bokser graduated from the Savannah College of Art and Design with a BFA in Computer Art and a minor in Animation. His short films have been screened at numerous festivals including the SIGGRAPH Electronic Theater, the Palm Springs International Shorts Festival, and the SCAD Film Festival. He has animated and rigged on commercials for Coca-Cola, Apple, and AMC and has directed commercial and interactive media projects for Nintendo, PopCap, and Ubisoft. His interests are currently in VR experiences. His work can be seen at www.davidbokser.com (Figure 1.2).

FIGURE 1.2 Love in the Time of Advertising 2015, directed by David Bokser.

Workflow

Figures 1.3 and 1.4

FIGURE 1.3 Joint Placement Workflow part 1.

FIGURE 1.4 Joint Placement Workflow part 2.

Introduction

The first character you choose to rig should be simple. Keep it SIMPLE. This rule applies to anything in life. You will encounter many obstacles while learning, so why complicate the situation, unless, of course, you thrive on challenges and have no problem tackling these obstacles on your own. Generally, however, this leads to frustration and a strong desire to quit. Begin simple, then build on that knowledge with practice and add additional challenges later.

A biped is a great character for beginning riggers to start with because of the varied problems that will be addressed during the process. It is also one of the easiest of which to gather research since you are bipedal. When you have a question about how something moves, you simply have to study your own physical mechanics. Many of the rigging solutions that are used for a biped can be reused with other types of creatures and props.

A quadruped can be easier to rig because you may not have to necessarily worry about IK/FK switching, fingers, or other features that are needed for bipedal motion. It is important to stick to simple and stylized design ideas when learning. The more realistic and detailed the character becomes, the more difficult it is to set up for animation (Figure 1.5).

FIGURE 1.5 Biped model by Kenna Hornibrook, design by Crissy Peters, and Quadruped model by Ashley Lupariello, design by Alina Morales, 2019.

Analyzing Motion

The most important thing you need to remember about rigging is to analyze the character for the motion that will be necessary and create only the controls that are needed for movement. Too many people spend way too much time creating rigging features that are not needed or necessary for a particular character or prop.

The best way to go about analyzing the motion for a character is to create or acquire reference video to study. Of course, you then have to already know what action will be needed; otherwise, you have to consider all possible motions that a character can do and create a rig that can do everything, which could be a waste of time. On the flip side, you may miss adding something to a rig that is needed during production. In some cases, you can add these features later to a rig. This is a great example of why preproduction is necessary for whatever project you are working on. The more you plan, the more you know what you will need, and the less time you will waste in all aspects of production (Figure 1.6).

FIGURE 1.6 Still frames from reference video can be used to analyze motion.

Identifying Pivot Points and Rotations

After you acquire reference video, take a look at the motion of your reference actor. Reference video can be created or found. From this video, you can advance frame by frame and take notes about what is moving and what is staying still. Pay attention to where the pivot locations occur during rotational movements. Notice where the center of gravity is located during the motion (Figure 1.7).

FIGURE 1.7 Still frames from reference video can be u...