Setting the attributes for foot roll, toe tap, toe twist, heel twist in Maya

I'm using Sean's great handouts to follow the steps on how to create IK controllers for the legs and feet, plus I've just managed to make the foot roll!

Now I've done some simple tests of the ice men melting, and I've realised that they can't melt too quickly, it may be best to show some melting and then cut away to a close up reaction of the woman; and then cut back to various shots of different parts of the ice figures melting.

I think the rig will come in useful for various poses...

Toe Tap

Toe Twist

Heel Twist

Maya rigging: creating heel locators

Creating heel locators....

Maya Outliner and Rigging

I've begun to try out some deformation tests using the lattice. However, I still want the option of using a rig, particularly on the arms, and to create a good sitting position.

I'm going to use the actual controllers that we created in Sang's class over the past two weeks and, thought this would be a good opportunity to practice rigging.

The image below has taken just over an hour...

Onwards...

Lattice Deformers and Image Planes

"Keep it simple. Cheat like mad"

So today I'm going to create four different ice men. Starting with the same T pose geometry, each one will be deformed using a 'Lattice Deformer' (green grid below), the vertices of which I will select in component mode and keyframe. I'm using the photoshop image that I created for my animatic, as an image plane for reference.

Here goes!

Facial Rigging in Maya

Facial rigging:

Create new eye joint, from existing head joint. Create 'locator' inside of eye ball geometry and 'contstrain point' Maintain Offset 'OFF'.

Parent constraint the eye joint to the eye geometry.

Do not 'parent' in the outliner, as the hierachy will become complicated and messy. In the outliner, keep all geometry together and all joints together.

Create an eye controller (mask shape with circular eye holes) using Nurbs cuves, in component mode and scaled/stretched to created shape.

Modify centre pivot and snap to centre of eyeball: then move in the Z axis away from the geometry. Clear history and freeze transformations, once the controller is in the final place.

Create tongue joints, 1,2,3, and 4. Parent constraint.

Parent constraint to the root

Create head controller using nurbs curves. Start with a polygon primitive pyramid. Turn off wire frame mode and select CV curve tool, 1 point linear. Snap curve to each point on pyramid; it's fine to duplicate lines. Once complete, rename nurbs curve in outliner and then delete pyramid. Centre pivot and snap to head_bn joint.

Delete history and freeze transformations.

Contstrain orient and maintain offset 'ON'

Repeat for jaw controller, root, spine, chest, neck and global controller.

Parent controllers in outliner, choosing the 'child' first, then CTRL and select the parent. Press 'P'

To bind:

In outliner, show only joints (*bn)

Select all joints, then select geometry.

Skin bind.

Skin weights next!

What's the story that links Hoover, Bros and Vikings VFX?!!

Random connection of the week:  

There was a Hoover randomly stood in our hallway the other night. It reminded me of a story that Deborah Melsom told to me, when we were both in the art department on Pie in the Sky III.
Deborah lived in a block of flats, and 'Bros' (80's trio - as pictured above...lol) also lived there too. Deborah said she had to fight her way through screaming fans to get to her car each morning. She told me of the morning that she was taking her Hoover to the repair shop, and during the chaos of getting through screaming teenage girls, promptly forgot to put the Hoover in her car, and left it stood on the pavement. When she called the security guard on the gate, to check if her Hoover was there, and he confirmed that, yes it was, indeed, still there,  she asked him if he'd mistaken it for a Bros fan...hahaha.
So remembering her story, I looked her up on IMDb; and in this process found Julian Parry; who was the Art Director on Pie in the Sky III. He's now in VFX and was responsible for theVfx content Vikings – including vfx bid breakdowns, ‘on-set’ supervision – Vfx direction & addition 2nd unit director.
I got in touch and we are now connected again!
And all because of a Hoover.

(love how the Hoover image, is a silver and red 'V' shape, as per the Vikings image too)

Masters Project THAW: Camera shots and timings

I've put together a visual shot list, in preparation for the live action shoot in the green screen studio at DJCAD on Feb 23rd...
These timings are likely to change, however, with this list, I'll have a good idea of how long to shoot each particular shot.
This has also flagged up that I'm going to need an extra plate after shot 9, which will involve bright sunlight and snowy trees.
I think some timelapse photography up at Glenshee would be a good idea fairly soon!