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Beginning character animation rig question


tmTim

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What would be a good rig to start with for starting to play with character animation? I have the 2001 rig that came with AM but I also see the Squetch which sounds like maybe it's the new thing. I would like to learn the right way so figured I'd ask here, Should I just make my own rig instead?

 

I couldn't find any stickies really explaining what "Squetch" is, only updates and other threads that assume that I know what it is. Maybe I'm not looking hard enough though.

 

thanks all!

-Tim

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What would be a good rig to start with for starting to play with character animation?

If you want to get started animating NOW, use one of the already rigged characters that come with A:M. Have you done the tuts in TAoA:M, like "Pitch", "walk", or "the door is stuck"?

 

 

I have the 2001 rig that came with AM but I also see the Squetch which sounds like maybe it's the new thing. I would like to learn the right way so figured I'd ask here, Should I just make my own rig instead?
Don't start animating with your own rig. rigs that are easy to animate with are not easy to invent. There's much more to a rig than the visible bones. Use 2001 or squetch. The fundamental use of either is pretty much the same.

 

Try going thru the tuts on each one with a simple character and see which you prefer to install. Better yet try a character already rigged in each one and see which you prefer to use. Squetch has many useful features like IK-FK switching.

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What would be a good rig to start with for starting to play with character animation? I have the 2001 rig that came with AM but I also see the Squetch which sounds like maybe it's the new thing. I would like to learn the right way so figured I'd ask here, Should I just make my own rig instead?

 

I couldn't find any stickies really explaining what "Squetch" is, only updates and other threads that assume that I know what it is. Maybe I'm not looking hard enough though.

 

thanks all!

-Tim

 

The 2001 rig is a good basic rig to start learning rigging, if that's what you're looking for. There is also TSM (The Setup Machine), which is no longer being updated, but can still be purchased from the Anzovin site. TSM is a good rig with a cool installer that a lot of people swear by.

 

The Squetch Rig is a rig that has squash and stretch, "squetch", built into every bone/joint (and eight divisions of each limb), a built-in face rig and FACE controllers, Steve's Hand Gizmo (Foot Gizmo on some versions as well), bowing of limbs, auto-hips, "scale-to-reach" Poses for the limbs, a five setting spine with built-in squetching, seamless switching between FK and IK, built-in support for facial motion capture files exported from Zign Track/AM Track...and a lot of things that are slipping my mind at the moment.

 

There is a Wiki page linked in my signature that has links to example videos, all presently released versions of the rig, Squetchy Sam (an example rigged character) and some slightly outdated tutorials for installation. The installation tutorials are about to be updated, but the old tutorials, combined with what is included with the rig and the information on this forum are enough to get it installed.

 

If you have any questions, post, PM or e-mail and I'll do my best to answer them, Tim.

 

 

---------------------------------

EDIT

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Robert posted while I was typing. If you are looking to just animate, then using Squetchy Sam (Squetch Rig) or one of the characters rigged with the 2001 rig will do the job.

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The 'Setup Machine' skinny:

 

http://www.rafhashvideotapes.com/setupmachine10.html $60 disc only (no downloads) Serial number sent thru email. NO SUPPORT. Available only until 'elimination of stock'...

 

The Setup Machine 2 is(was) a quick and easy rigger for A:M from the father-and-son 'Anzovins'. After Steve's untimely death in 2005, young Raf now leads the company and has left A:M for Maya. Being Animators and programmers, their software not only works well but is designed with the animation process in mind...much like A:M!

 

TSM2 rigged characters are great to animate with, the installer makes implementation painless. IK, FK switching, spine and limb stretching, bi-and quadruped, tails etc.

 

I have not intalled TSM2 in V15 yet, and have heard that it does still work. The above link claims it will NOT work with current versions, so the method would be to use it in V13 and import models up to V15...

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I'll add one more thing, no matter what rig you use, the task of attaching your CPs to the bones and weighting them smoothly is a bit of an art in itself.

 

You can start animating today with an available character, and in the meantime model your own character, learn to rig it and weight it and when you finally figure that out you'll already have some animation experience from having used the available character.

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Thanks guys,

I was just curious as to what is the popular method/rig to use. I went with the 2001 and haven't looked back, it is easy enough to take it apart and understand how it works. I think on my next character I will be able to create my own rig. It is just so much more straight forward in AM compared to other packages like Lightwave which I also use.

 

I wonder if this setup will be good, AM for character modeling and animation and LW for the environments. I would want to composite the character renders over my lightwave scene. I just wonder if there is an easy way to animate the AM camera to follow along with my Lightwave camera so that the 2 scenes will composite seamlessly.

 

Or I may just do all of my character work in AM, including the environments.

 

-tmTim

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As long as you're compositing the two, it should work. But you won't be able to easily get AM animation into LW or LW scenes into AM. AM supports the BVH animation standard. Maybe you could use that for the camera moves?

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