Syllabus

The Art Institute of California – San Francisco

Course Syllabus

Course Number: GA3314

Course Title: 3D Character Rigging

Class Meetings:

Friday 1pm – 5pm Room 401

Session/Year: Spring 2015

Instructor Name: Greg Lemon

Email Address: glemon@edmc.edu

Instructor Availability Outside of Class: email me!

Course Description:

This is a beginner/intermediate grad level course in 3d character rigging. The course will focus on the demonstration and application of industry-standard character rigging techniques.

Course Length: 11 Weeks

Contact Hours: 44 Hours

Lecture:22 Hours

Lab: 22 Hours

Credit Values: 3 Credits

Course Goals: Students should enter the class with a basic understanding of animation concepts and good grasp of basic skills for creative animation design. Students will finish the class with a solid understanding of the various techniques and methodologies used in the field of 3d character rigging.

Course Competencies:

Upon successful completion of this course, the student should be able to:

Understand and incorporate various industry-standard rigging techniques into their own work

Course Prerequisite(s): None

Text(s): Suggested:

Maya Secrets of the Pros, Edition 2.

The Art of 3-D Computer Animation and Effects, Third Edition ; Isaac Victor Kerlow

Materials and Supplies: Storage medium , notebook and sketchbook and drawing materials.

Estimated Homework Hours: 4 Hours

Technology Needed:

Hardware: PC Linux / Windows, (Mac as applicable)

Software: Maya or other 3D software, After Effects, Shake, Renderer (Mental Ray / Renderman Mtor & Slim), Photoshop.

Grading Scale:

All assignments must have clear criteria and objectives to meet. All students shall be treated equitably. It will be that student’s right to know his/her grade at any reasonable point that information is requested by that student. The criteria for determining a student’s grade shall be as follows (on a percentage of total points basis):

CCAD Grading Scale

October 23, 2014

Grades: Calculating, Recording, and Distributing

Effective January 1, 2015. To ensure consistent grade calculations, recording, and distribution across the CCAD campuses, all campuses will follow the grading scale required below and indicate it on the course syllabi. This scale is a system-wide scale as well as being established at Argosy University.

Grade	Grading Scale	Grade Calculations
A	100 – 93	4.0 points
A-	92 – 90	3.7 points
B+	89 – 87	3.4 points
B	86 – 83	3.0 points
B-	82 – 80	2.7 points
C+	79 – 77	2.4 points
C	76 - 73	2.0 points
C-	72 – 70	1.7 points
D+	69 – 65	1.4 points
D	64 – 60	1.0 points
F	59 and below	0.0 points

Process for Evaluation:

Class participation – 10% of final grade

Project 1 – Simple Biped Rig - due week 2 – 15 % of final grade

Project 2 – Intermediate Biped Rig - due week 4 – 20% of final grade

Project 3 – Advanced Biped Rig - due week 7 – 25% of final grade

Project 4– Final Project - due week 11 – 30% of final grade

Student Evaluation/Grading Policies:

Class time will be spent in a productive manner.

Grading will be done on a point system.

Points for individual activities will be announced.

All work must be received by the set deadlines.

Late work receives a grade of zero.

ABSOLUTELY NO WORK WILL BE ACCEPTED AFTER THE FINAL CLASS MEETS WEEK 11.

Classroom Policy:

No food allowed in class or lab at any time. Drinks in recloseable bottles allowed in classroom.

Edible items brought to class or lab must be thrown out.

If student elects to eat/drink outside class or lab door, missed time is recorded as absent.

Attendance is taken hourly. Tardiness or absence is recorded in 15-minute increments.

Break times are scheduled by the instructor at appropriate intervals.

No private software is to be brought to lab or loaded onto school computers.

No software games are allowed in lab (unless in course curriculum).

Headphones are required if listening to music during lab. No headphones are allowed in lecture.

Any student who has special needs that may affect his or her performance in this class is asked to identify his/her needs to the instructor in private by the end of the first day of class. Any resulting class performance problems that may arise for those who do not identify their needs will not receive any special grading considerations.

Disability Policy Statement:

“It is our policy not to discriminate against qualified students with documented disabilities in its educational programs, activities, or services. If you have a disability-related need for adjustments or other accommodations in this class, contact the Disability Coordinator, Suzanne Raffeld, at 415 276 1060 or see her at at Room 609.”

Project Breakdown

The projects for this class will be based around rigging and binding biped characters. Students will use a designated, pre-built human mesh for their rigging. Students who wish to use a different mesh must have it approved by the instructor before rigging begins.

Project 1 – Simple Biped Rig - due week 2 – 15% of final grade

Rig a simple biped character. The rig should include the following (all _R joints and controls should have a _L mirror):

• Skeleton hierarchy:
  • JT_pelvis (root)
    • JT_leg_R
      • JT_knee_R
        • JT_ankle_R
          • JT_ball_R
            • JT_toe_R
    • JT_spine_lumbar
      • JT_spine_thoracic
        • JT_clav_R
          • JT_arm_R
            • JT_elbow_R
              • JT_wrist_R 
        • JT_neck
          • JT_head...end
• Smooth bind

Project 2 – Intermediate Biped Rig - due week 4 – 20% of final grade

Create a more advanced biped rig. Rig should include previous features, along with the following:

Finger and thumb joints

Finger SDK controls
IK leg controls with foot roll SDK, ball twist, and knee pole vector controller

Curve controls for all non-finger/non IK joints

Curve controls for all additional controls

Project 3 – Advanced Biped Rig - due week 7 – 25% of final grade

Create a more advanced biped rig. Rig should include previous features, along with the following:

Previous skeleton, with the following additions:

• 11 – joint spine
• jaw bone
• eyelid bones

IK/FK arm controls + switches + pole vector CTLs
IK stretchy spline control for spine
Face blendshapes for:

• wide mouth (L + R)
• purse mouth (L + R)
• brow raise (L + R)
• brow purse (L + R)

Face GUI

Character Set
All node

Project 4– Final Biped Rig - due week 11 – 30% of final grade

Rig a new bipedal character OR create an autorig system using MEL/python

Suggested Course Outline

Week 1:

Lecture: Course overview

Introduction to rigging concepts – hierarchies, skinning.

Naming conventions.

Creating, organizing and parenting joints.

Joint quantity/placement strategy.

Understanding and fixing joint orientation.

• Modify>Freeze transformations
• Skeleton>orient joint
• Flipping local rotation axis in the script editor.

Mirroring skeletons.

Skinning and weight painting.

Exporting, importing and mirroring skin weights.

Homework: Create skeleton and bind character. Correct skinning issues with weight painting.

Week 2: Project 1 – Simple Biped – DUE TODAY

Lecture:

FK vs. IK.

Setting up IK for feet.

Grouped IK structure + foot controls
IK pole vector setup
Freezing transforms to zero out controllers. 

Locking and hiding attributes.

Lab: Continue working on rig.

Homework: Work on rig.

Week 3:

Lecture:

Adding finger joints.

Adding influences with locked weights.

Finger SDK controls.

Using curve controls to drive joints.

Lab: Continue working on rig.

Homework: Work on rig.

Week 4: Project 2 - Intermediate Biped Rig - DUE TODAY – 20% of final grade

Lecture:

IK/FK control + switches switches for arms

Lab: Continue working on rig.

Homework: Work on rig.

Week 5:

Lecture:
Adding jaw and eyelid bones.
Facial blendshapes for:

• wide mouth (L + R)
• purse mouth (L + R)
• brow raise (L + R)
• brow purse (L + R)

Facial rig + GUI
Lab: Continue working on rig.

Homework: Work on rig.

Week 6:

Review, help session
adding new spine joints
IK stretchy spline control for spine

Character Set
All node

Lab: Continue working on rig.

Homework: Work on rig.

Week 7: Project 3 - Advanced Biped Rig – DUE TODAY – 20% of final grade

Lecture:

Creating joints at odd angles
Lab: Continue working on rig.

Homework: Work on final.

Week 8:

Lecture:

Facial rigging continued.

SDK- based muscle simulation blendshapes for bicep and hamstring

Character set with sub-character sets for body and face

Lab: Continue working on rig.

Homework: Work on final.

Week 9:

Lecture:

Twist joints for arms and forearms

Scalable “all” node

Lab: Students will Work on an area of interest in their chosen project.

Homework: Finish character rig, cleanup for submission.

Week 10:

Lecture: work on final

Lab: work on final

Homework: Relax!

Week 11:

Lecture: Final Presentation of final character rigs.

Lab: Project presentation and evaluation.

Homework: Relax!