Applied Rigging Techniques for Production

An 8-week course focused on the WHYs behind rigging, teaching advanced techniques that can help you take your rigging skills to the next level

OVERVIEW

INSTRUCTORS

PRICING

BENEFITS

COURSE OVERVIEW

Build cartoony or realistic rigs

THIS COURSE IS IN DEVELOPMENT

This course is intended to not just click buttons and follow the path that Maya lays out, but dig deeper into the different nodes that Maya has and see how we can use this to our advantage to create rigs. Topics in this course are focused on the WHYs of rigging–principles often taught to new hires and junior riggers at VFX studios. At the end of the course the students should have an in-depth understanding of how data flows through Maya and how they can manipulate this. In addition they will have solid ideas and techniques for building and maintaining rigs for production.

Course Format:

Standard

Duration:

8 weeks

Materials:

Maya (ideally 2020 but older versions ,back to 2016, will work)

Lecture Type:

Pre-recorded

Assignment:

Deadlines each week

Skills Level:

Advanced

Feedback:

Live in Q&A sessions

Q&A:

Once a week

Prerequisites:

Students should be able to rig a biped in Maya and have some basic scripting understanding with either MEL or Python. Python will be used in the course. Course Recommendations: Rigging for Games, Python for VFX and Animation

Course Format:

Standard

Duration:

8 weeks

Materials:

Maya (ideally 2020 but older versions ,back to 2016, will work)

Lecture Type:

Pre-recorded

Assignment:

Deadlines each week

Skills Level:

Advanced

Feedback:

Live in Q&A sessions

Q&A:

Once a week

Prerequisites:

Course Format:

Standard

Duration:

8 weeks

Materials:

Maya (ideally 2020 but older versions ,back to 2016, will work)

Lecture Type:

Pre-recorded

Assignment:

Deadlines each week

Skills Level:

Advanced

Feedback:

Live in Q&A sessions

Q&A:

Once a week

Prerequisites:

COURSE OVERVIEW

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

EXPAND ALL COLLAPSE ALL

The more you know, the better.

Week 0 | What should you already know?

Making a basic biped rig with FK/IK blending | Basic scripting with either MEL or Python | Using the node editor

Week 1 | Rigging Theory - Vectors and Matrices

Intro to vector and matrix math | Look at new offset matrix on Maya nodes | Brief into to the Python API

Week 2 | Maya under the hood

DG Theory | Creating and using nodes directly VS using Maya command/buttons | Orig shapes Model update with orig shapes | MA files | Scripts folder in Maya install

Week 3 | Character upgrade and pipeline

Week 4 | Spine

Control setup for spine | Reverse FK and variable FK setups | Curve spine | Blending Stretchy/Fixed length

Week 5 | Limbs

Week 6 | Skinning and Deformation

Rough to decent skinning | Creating poly cages for skinning | Intro to ngSkin Tools | Copying skinning between meshes

Week 7 | Deformation - Realistic

Week 8 | Finishing up

Applied Rigging Techniques for Production

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

Instructor