Maya: Soldier Arm Rig Complete

Yesterday me and Ethan were trying out a new rig for the arms of our characters, we think this will make animating our characters quite easy because the arms are using IK controls. The rig has some similarities with the old arm rig, mostly the clav and the wrist, but everything else is different. The arm can bend much easily and the hands can stay in their position while we are moving the body of the rig.

Administration: New Timetable for the Next 6 Weeks

Hello guys, here is an important anouncement:
In this post is the timetable for the next 6 weeks, where we will attempt to reach the final stage of our animation trailer. However, I hate to be the one saying this but due to one of our members be away from doing project work for a couple of weeks and where he failed to complete the task given to him last week. we had a meeting and decided to redo the timetable with only 3 members, this doesnt mean he is excluded however the project management and administration of the project are skeptical if he will do anything, though if this is proven wrong, we will quickly give him some work to do.

If any of the members got any questions just ask!

So here is the timetable for the next 6 weeks, where B3D Studios, have to work 100% or even more to achieve the animation at the studios standards, So I wish you all good luck and a Merry Christmas! !


 

Legend:

Shahbir-     
Ethan-        
Ruben-       
Ethan & Ruben-       

Maya: Soldier Rig Complete

Finally finished rigging the Soldier character, it was long and hard but I was able to do it in the end. However while rigging the model I notice that the hand of the Soldier is placed wrong, it is slightly off center of the hand mesh, I need to talk to Ethan about it but other than that the rig is perfect. All that's left is to skin the bones to the mesh.

Maya: Character Skeletons

While I've been busy finishing off my three characters UV maps, I have also been placing the joints too.
It's taken quite some tweaking.

The soldier


The Scientist


The Spaceman


Shahbir has been busy too. Finishing off the modeling. Officially this weeks schedule had Shahbir rigging while Ruben and I skinned the characters.
So to speed things along I've asked them to send their completed models to me to be UV mapped and to place the joints. Since that's what I've been doing all week, I've had the most practice. We all agreed that it would be a good idea if I continue to do that with everyone else's characters. It also gives me a chance to check over the models in more detail.
I have checked over Shahbirs Generic Male character.
There were a couple of minor alterations. Nothing to do with the shape, but just how clean it was. The main alteration was that I added more edge loops in the bottom half of the coat. It was necessary so there would be enough detail for it to deform.



Shahbir has at the moment begun rigging the soldier. This is going to be a sort of test run to see how long it takes and if there are any problems with the rig, so that we can better schedule and organise when the rest of the characters will be rigged and to what level of detail.

Maya: Assistant Final Model

Last couple of days, I have been working on modelling the assistant's face. as it shows on my previous post. from that point I had to tweak some of the features and create the hair for her.

And so we arrive at the stage where she is ready for rigging/ skinning and texturing. however first she will need a UV layout treatment. 

Wireframes ( Not Smooth)

Wireframes (Smooth)

Maya: Assistant Face Modelling Progress

After the final tweaks on the Assistant's body, I took the next step of modelling her face.
The first stage was to do the eye and the mouth.

1st Stage- Eye and Mouth Modelling 

Wireframe                             Smooth Model

 

2nd Stage- Nose Modelling

Wireframe (not Smooth)

Wireframe (Smooth)

And here is the model as it is now, where I added the ears and the neck, but also tweak some of cheek and the top of the head.

Smooth

Wireframe

Now it's time to give her some hair and then connect her with the finished and already scaled to animation proportion scale.

EDIT: Here is the character after the tweak the lips and cheeks.