Exercise 13: Show Some Backbone

[Rodney]

Here's a great extension to Exercise 13 that will help take you to the next level in rigging.

 

Caroline recently completed her TSM Workshop.

There she runs through the process of using The Setup Machine to rig a character from start to finish.

 

Even if you don't need to rig a character yet you owe it to yourself to review the material. Then when you are at the point of rigging your character you'll be informed and ready. You'll certainly know more of the options available.

 

Caroline has posted her tutorial (in PDF format) and her Project file in the first post of the Workshop so don't miss that! In the posts that follow you can follow along as she goes through the workshop herself.

 

Thanks Caroline!

 

Link: TSM Workshop

[number]

Name: Tim Roberts

 

Exercise Completed: Exercise 13: Show Some Backbone

 

Date Completed: Nov 18, 2008

 

Instructor: Manual, forum

 

Comments: OK, lots of problems w/ AM 15. Don't know why, but this was difficult. I attempted three times. Twice in V15 and once in V11.1 as a test. V11.1 seemed more successful. Any known issues w/ 2001 rig and AM 15?

 

Problems:

1. IK Hands Offset (see image)

2. Weird sliding of the hips during animation. (see video)

 

ex_13_resolute_walk_rigging_broken.mov

 

AM 11.1 video:

 

ex_13_resolute_walk_rigging_take2.mov

 

V15 model:

 

My_BonelessThom3_arm_complete_leg_complete_weighted.mdl

[number]

I used the 2001 rig in V15 w/ TREx model that I'm working on. A little more challenging model to rig. Maybe some hope here for the simple rig?

 

I completed the rigging and a walk cycle. Current test below. I still see some slippage during the walk. I'm still having some challenges getting this completely right.

 

dino_walk_test_rigging_take3_low.mov

[Rodney]

If you are wondering where to go after you've completed TaoA:M and find yourself back to rigging again you'll want to check out Holmes Bryant tutorials on Rigging a Face.

 

Installing a Lite Face Rig (18 page PDF file)

 

Weighting A Face (24 page PDF file)

 

Thanks Holmes!

[Rob_T]

This was a pretty cool lesson... although I get the sensation that it is just scratching the surface of Rigging.

 

I had the same problem with the arm position when I turned IK Hands on that Tim Roberts had a few posts up. I just translated the arm near the point and it kind of "popped" back into place. Wierd but easily resolved.

 

I did the resolute walk and it worked just fine (once I moved the leg hinges where they are supposed to be... the video had this instruction but the manual did not and since I was working off the manual after watching the video I forgot to do it in my first run which left poor Tom doing the resolute walk in an extremely "knock knee'd" fashion).

 

Once again, easily fixed.

 

I will say that of all the lessons I think this is the one with the most differences between the book and video. I was able to boil it down to one plan of attack though.

 

One thing about the video, it completely skipped the portion on smart skinning which annoyed me. He glossed over it in the plant exercise and skipped it here saying "we'll cover that in a future tutorial."

 

I really don't feel comfortable with smart skin... I'd really like to see a good demo of how it's done... is that coming up in a future lesson? Can anyone tell me which one?

 

I didn't want to show a vid of the resolute walk. I've done walk cycles. I wanted to try something else. So I made Tom a Hula hoop and had him hula. I even slapped a little music in there (for you Robcat to keep Ms. Gish away). I also threw a bunch of cheesy transitions in there because almost any self respecting video editor will tell you we hardly ever get to use anything but dip to black.

 

I created an action, where my Tom did the hula and the hoop moved around him. The effect looks good if not perfect. But it did bring up a question or two.

 

Since my action involved 2 distinctly different models how do I bring those models into a choreography and then apply the action? I tried and got errors. If anyone knows I'd love to hear an answer. I imported the models, tried to size them properly and then imported the action but it was a complete no go.

 

Also, Animation: Master hated this lesson for me. In the lower left corner where the FPS keeps getting updated I kept getting errors when I was using the advanced manipulators to scale and translate the bones. Ever few minutes the system would lock on a bone and no amount of clicking would allow me to deselect that bone. I started saving a lot more on this lesson than usual. I found the best way out of that bone lock was to go back to the standard manipulator and it usually freed things up but I did do a couple reloads before I figured that out.

 

All in all an enjoyable and informative lesson.

lesson13showsomebackbonefinal.mov

[robcat2075]

Nice Hula. coincidentally, A hula motion was the first one Martin used to test out "constraints" which were added in V5.

 

 

 

 

This was a pretty cool lesson... although I get the sensation that it is just scratching the surface of Rigging.

Yes. Huge field.

 

 

I will say that of all the lessons I think this is the one with the most differences between the book and video. I was able to boil it down to one plan of attack though.

Problem child no more!

 

One thing about the video, it completely skipped the portion on smart skinning which annoyed me. He glossed over it in the plant exercise and skipped it here saying "we'll cover that in a future tutorial."

 

I really don't feel comfortable with smart skin... I'd really like to see a good demo of how it's done... is that coming up in a future lesson? Can anyone tell me which one?

Smartskin is cool inthat you can relate ANYTHING, not just mesh, to a bone rotation. There's a lot one can know. You might ask/search in the tutorial forum if there is a SS tut already.

 

 

 

Since my action involved 2 distinctly different models how do I bring those models into a choreography and then apply the action? I tried and got errors. If anyone knows I'd love to hear an answer. I imported the models, tried to size them properly and then imported the action but it was a complete no go.

For this circumstance, "Action Objects" were created. you'd make an action with a character then drag the hoop model into the action. This sounds like what you've done already.

 

in the chor you drop the action on the character and it will bring in the hoop automatically. I'd have to see what you did to know what went wrong.

 

Also, Animation: Master hated this lesson for me. In the lower left corner where the FPS keeps getting updated I kept getting errors when I was using the advanced manipulators to scale and translate the bones. Ever few minutes the system would lock on a bone and no amount of clicking would allow me to deselect that bone. I started saving a lot more on this lesson than usual. I found the best way out of that bone lock was to go back to the standard manipulator and it usually freed things up but I did do a couple reloads before I figured that out.

 

Advanced? Standard? are those terms in the manual?

 

 

All in all an enjoyable and informative lesson.

 

FWIW, for all your future rigging needs look into one of the more recent rigs such as Squetch, 2008, Lite or TSM2 (my favorite). AM2001 is a bit of a primitive dinosaur among rigs.

[Rob_T]

Nice Hula. coincidentally, A hula motion was the first one Martin used to test out "constraints" which were added in V5.

This was a pretty cool lesson... although I get the sensation that it is just scratching the surface of Rigging.

Yes. Huge field.

I will say that of all the lessons I think this is the one with the most differences between the book and video. I was able to boil it down to one plan of attack though.

Problem child no more!

One thing about the video, it completely skipped the portion on smart skinning which annoyed me. He glossed over it in the plant exercise and skipped it here saying "we'll cover that in a future tutorial."

I really don't feel comfortable with smart skin... I'd really like to see a good demo of how it's done... is that coming up in a future lesson? Can anyone tell me which one?

Smartskin is cool inthat you can relate ANYTHING, not just mesh, to a bone rotation. There's a lot one can know. You might ask/search in the tutorial forum if there is a SS tut already.

Since my action involved 2 distinctly different models how do I bring those models into a choreography and then apply the action? I tried and got errors. If anyone knows I'd love to hear an answer. I imported the models, tried to size them properly and then imported the action but it was a complete no go.

For this circumstance, "Action Objects" were created. you'd make an action with a character then drag the hoop model into the action. This sounds like what you've done already.

in the chor you drop the action on the character and it will bring in the hoop automatically. I'd have to see what you did to know what went wrong.

Also, Animation: Master hated this lesson for me. In the lower left corner where the FPS keeps getting updated I kept getting errors when I was using the advanced manipulators to scale and translate the bones. Ever few minutes the system would lock on a bone and no amount of clicking would allow me to deselect that bone. I started saving a lot more on this lesson than usual. I found the best way out of that bone lock was to go back to the standard manipulator and it usually freed things up but I did do a couple reloads before I figured that out.

Advanced? Standard? are those terms in the manual?

All in all an enjoyable and informative lesson.

FWIW, for all your future rigging needs look into one of the more recent rigs such as Squetch, 2008, Lite or TSM2 (my favorite). AM2001 is a bit of a primitive dinosaur among rigs.

 

Problem child! LOL Yeah I woldn't give up that title just because a couple of lessons went smoothly.

 

I really hope to learn more about the smart skin. I assumed the guy in the video was referring to a specific tutorial when he said "we will cover that in a future tutorial." I was hoping it was one of the upcoming lessons. I guess not. I'll have to search the forum and see if I can come up with anything.

 

It's funny because I've never heard the term "action object" before anywhere but for sure I certainly did see it last night when I made the action. The hoop was filed in the project workspace under action objects. Since I had no idea what it was or meant I just went with it. I'm assuming (but plan to confirm later today) that perhaps the reason it the action did not work was because when I was in the choreography window I had already brought the hoop in and I tried to drop the action on Tom and the hoop at the same time. I bet that's what caused the error. I'll try adding the action without the hoop in the choreography to see if it works the way you said it should. I'll let you know how it goes.

 

Advanced, Standard? Your sense of humor is as bad as mine. You need to put a winky or something after you say stuff like that. I can't tell if you are joking here. Of course those are the terms used in both the manual and the videos. LOL. On the off chance you are serious; the Translation, Scale and Rotation manipulators are referred to as the "advanced" manipulators and the "Standard" manipulator is referred to as the standard manipulator. And as I said, the program really disliked this lesson. I'm glad I found a way out of that bone lock or I'd probably still be working on this lesson.

 

Thanks for the advice on the rigs. I will need help with this once I get going on my own characters and I want the best rig I can get for what I'll be doing. I'm going to have to rig a cat and a couple dog characters too. But that's cart before the horse right now.

 

Thanks again for all the help.

[robcat2075]

no, really, I didn't know those were being called "advanced". Is Standard just the highlighted bone?

 

 

compression settings:

 

[Rob_T]

no, really, I didn't know those were being called "advanced". Is Standard just the highlighted bone?

compression settings:

 

 

THANK YOU! for the compression settings. I assume this is the preferred format for putting stuff on the forum. I will put it to good use.

 

I tried just sticking Tom into a choreography as we discussed and applying the action and just as you said the hoop popped right in on its own and Tom was hula-hooping in no time. Looks even better with the lighting and shadows as evidenced in image below.

 

All throughout the entire lessons the guy on the vid and in the manual have been referring to the maipulators as "Standard" or "Advanced." I had no idea you weren't aware of this. It's referred to so often I thought it was a given.

 

This lesson was especially important because the standard manipulator (or standard mode as pictured below) only moved one item as the "advanced manipulators" moved both the bone and its children. So in both the vid and the manual much was made about using the "advanced manipulators" as opposed to the standard mode manipulator (they just referred to it as the standard manipulator) because of the problems that would be created if one bone was moved and none of its children were dragged along for the ride.

 

As I was saying about the errors I had... the rotation manipulator wasn't much needed because the 2001 Skeleton was pretty close to the way Tom was laid out already. But the scale and translate "advanced" manipulators were used quite often and when I used them I sometimes got errors (about 20% of the time) in that area of the screen where the frames per second is updated (lower left) and when it happened Animation: Master would lock on to whatever bone I had selected and wouldn't let me click on any other bones as long as I remained in whatever advanced manipulator mode I was in when I made my most recent change (and yes I made sure I was clicking on things "outside the box" surrounding the currently selected bone).

 

The solution I found was to switch back to the Standard Mode and it immediately deselected the bone for me. Worked every time once I figure it out.

 

I still am not entirely certain you aren't playing a game of mess with the newbie but if you aren't I'm glad I was able to tell you something for once. Even if it was small and not really all that important.

[Timekiller]

Show some backbone

complete 14 Feb 10

walk.mov

[robcat2075]

Show some backbone

complete 14 Feb 10

 

Looks like a successfully rigged Thom!