Using the connection editor in Maya to connect finger controllers (blue flags) to the joints.
Click on the relevant controller, in this case the Left Pinky Contoller and load it into the left column of the connection editor.
Select the joint you wish to move (showing as 'green' selection) in the model, and within a blue highlight line in the connection editor.
Select which rotation axis you wish it to connect to, on the right hand panel (in this case the Rotation X).
Using the 'Set Driven Key' commands in Maya, to select drivers (in this case the foot control) and the driven (foot locators to make the feet bank)
Creating simple 'expressions' (simple mathematic MEL script) for the forearm joint. An additional forearm joint was inserted into the arm.
Without this additional joint, if the wrist is rotated 90 degrees, then the geometry and associated textures can become very deformed...particularly textures such as clothing or tatoos.
By creating an expression, the forearm can also rotation, say by 45 degrees, keeping the geometry and textures between the elbow and wrist in tact.
Image below shows the Expression Editor floating panel with the objects (left panel) and rotation axis (right panel) and the 'new' expression (script) highlighted in blue.
Flag shaped finger controllers, drawn with nurbs curves (snapped to the grid in the front view panel) and then respositioned. The centre pivot of each flag was moved to the bottom of the flag 'pole' and then snapped to the finger knuckle joint.
Testing the controllers and the rotation of the finger joints
Showing the contollers mirrored.
Blue for left and red for right.
Previs stills - working on the final shots of 'Thaw' and the timings...
I prefer the look of a growing 'shoot', rather than fully formed leafs....and I love this moody, abstract backdrop...
It's been great to scroll through the saved render shots, as it's given me a glimpse of how the water droplets will look once animated, by way of lattice deformers....
I'm now putting a Previs together, using playblasts from Maya and importing into Premiere...
blocking out camera moves, timings and checking against the animatic...
Below are a few screen shots of the original Photoshop images in the animatic, above the corresponding rendered screenshot in Maya...
The Maya shots are yet to be lit correctly, with final materials and comp, but these shots will give me an impression of the timings and where I need to adjust...
Shot_16 (Photoshop image from my animatic). Brendan Body suggested that the ice men are shown in contrast against the background, so that the focus of the scene is clear to the audience; and that the background should be simple and atmospheric...
Shot_17 (Maya render screen shot from the Previs. Woman's hand will be live action and filmed in the green screen studio and comped in Nuke. Using a contrasting, atmospheric and more simple backdrop
When I created the playblast the model disappeared....after reading some frustrated rants in Maya
forums (!) I discovered that other people had the same problem....simply change the renderer settings in the panel from 'Viewport 2.0' to 'Legacy Default Viewport'. It resulted in the model material changing and the ice men looking mysteriously purple (quite nice, but not icy!); but none the less, for Previs purposes this is ok....
Shot_17 (Photoshop image from my animatic) the woman will be live action and filmed in the green screen studio and then comped in Nuke.
Shot_17 Maya screen shot in the Previs
Shot_18 (Photoshop image from my animatic). As shot 16 Brendan Body suggested that the ice men are shown in contrast against the background, so that the focus of the scene is clear to the audience; and that the background should be simple and atmospheric...
Woman to be live action and filmed in the green screen studio
Shot_18 Previs screen shot in Maya (final materials, textures, lighting) to be completed....
Shot_23_water_droplet (Photoshop image from animatic)
Shot_23_rendered_image from Previs. Live action hand to be filmed in green screen studio. Fog, junk and God Rays to be comped in Nuke
Rigging and joint creation for fingers and thumbs...
Showing the joint hierarchy and naming conventions highlighted in blue, in the Outliner
As the movement of the thumb joint, is at an angle, compared to the fingers, the rotation axis within the thumb joints needs to be adjusted.
Below is an example of the handwritten notes I take in class, in addition to the live tutorials and brilliant work sheets that Sean creates...
By listening, watching and writing simultaneously, I can get a deeper understanding of what is required...
Image below of the joints in 'component' mode....and each individual gismo and rotation axis being adjusted.
L_thumb_01_bind joint retains the same orientation in X,Y,Z axis, as the finger joints (e.g Y is vertical, X and Z are at 90 degrees)
L_thumb_02_bind joint (second joint down the chain) has the orientation adjusted, so that the Y (green) axis is rotated outwards to about 45 degrees (perpendicular to what would be the thumb nail).
And the X (red) axis points directly along the chain to the next joint along...
The rotation orientation adjustment was made created in the Perspective view by eye...
Selecting the hierarchy in Outliner and testing the rotation of all joints simultaneously
Creating heel locators, snapping to the ankle joint then repositioning (making sure that the pivot point is also moved)
Time to create my Previs....accompanied by the soundtrack from Bedrich Smetana's "From My Life" ( a composer who became deaf....and continued to write and compose) ...
I discovered this album whilst on my Theatre Design degree at Wimbledon....as we were given the brief to design a contemporary ballet using the music 'From My Life'; depicting Smetana's relationship with his wife.
To portray the onset of his deafness and his internal journey and acceptance around this, I designed a series of Art Nouveau costumes inspired by John William Waterhouse's 'The Lady of Shalott' (incredible creation of 'daylight' with oil paint) and a set which was jet black, apart from illuminated gauzes, each showing an Art Nouveau rose in a varying state of decay....
Each gauze was sequentially lit, using foreground dimmers and backlights...thus making the gauzes magically dissolve, revealing another stage of decay.....real time animation!
Interesting that Thaw also has similar themes, including symbolic flowers...and that I have selected this piece of music to work to today...
