Character Rigging 1

This Month we were to Rig a Rabbit character, In order to properly rig the Rabbit character we had to learn where the best places to lay joints, ask that when we get the geometry to follow the joint system that it deform in a way that would be functional and still look great. We created a Proxy Rig which is a faster but still a great way to rig, as it still accomplishes the purpose of bringing a character to life, and could be sent to the animator while the Rigger finishes up on the bound rig.
          We created an IK system for the legs which I think is great, as it makes the animators job of having grounded a lot easier than an FK systems. For the feet I created and rfl system which basically allows you to accomplish a Foot Roll which is essential for walking animation; we also included banking, which makes your feet able to move in a more versatile manner.
          Whats very important is that we created an FK/IK switch for the arms, which is extremely important as it gives the animator more control over the arm movements, and allows him to tackle different animations in different ways. The FK system allows you to control the individual Control Icons, and gives you more precision in animation(but may take longer to animate); While the IK system gives you a faster way to animate, and has pole vectors for controlling the elbows (pretty great for less complex arm motions).
          Also whats pretty awesome is that this month we created a Stretchy Back system for the Rabbit. Which can help really bring out the cartoon qualities of a rig, you can make S or C shapes with the back by moving the control icons on the inner part of the normal spine controls. What I really love about the Stretchy Back system is that its perfect for squash and stretch, and allows you to go well past what you thought the limit for the Rig was.

           Now I'll post a couple of Poses I made with the Rabbit Rig I created:

The first picture is a view of the Rig layout, like where the controls are on the Rabbit will give you some hints as to how it controls.

The rest of the pictures are more focused on the poses themselves and What type of movements the rig is capable of. I think it can pull off some really great stuff, and is great enough that the Animator should feel confident in what he can accomplish with this rig.

                Pretty happy with the what I created in the Rabbit rig, and I'm glad to see all the different types of movements he can make. Although I am retaking this class I needed a refresher in Rigging anyway, and Im pretty happy with the outcome. We also learned how to write script for Python (which is used in a lot more programs than Mel which is Maya's personal code and only Maya's. It allows you to create Tools that you can use in the future to help make your job a little easier (its just very convenient).