1st Edition

How to Cheat in Maya 2017 Tools and Techniques for Character Animation

By Paul Naas Copyright 2018
    522 Pages
    by CRC Press

    522 Pages
    by CRC Press

    This is not a book about Maya software with a few animation pointers thrown in here and there. This is a guide to Maya software written by professional animators. This book provides you with complete, set-by-step walkthroughs of essential animation techniques that increase your speed and efficiency while using Maya 2017 for character animation. From curves to constraints, this book covers all of the methods available in the latest version of Maya. Featuring gold-mine coverage this book teaches you new techniques for working with characters in animation tests and short films. Accompanied by a companion site, this is the one and only guide to get you up to speed.

     

    Key Features

  • Complete step-by-step, walkthroughs of essential techniques every animator needs to know.
  • Features interviews with leading experts and experienced animation leads.
  • Companion web site including all exercise/example scene files and extras such as video tutorials and animation files.
  • Interlude articles covering everything from Reference Video to Resumes.
  • Contents

    How to Cheat and Why............... ix

    Acknowledgments..................... xiii

    How to Use This Book.................xv

    1 Animation

    Principles........................1

    Squash and Stretch......................2

    Anticipation....................................6

    Staging............................................10

    Straight Ahead/

    Pose to Pose..................................15

    Overlapping Action/

    Follow-through........................... 22

    Slow In/Slow Out....................... 26

    Arcs.................................................. 30

    Secondary Action....................... 33

    Timing............................................ 38

    Exaggeration............................... 42

    Solid Drawing ............................. 46

    Appeal............................................ 50

    Interlude........................................ 54

    2 Splines.......................... 59

    How Splines Work.......................61

    Splines and Spacing.................. 67

    Tangent Types .............................74

    Tangent Handles........................ 82

    Spline Technique ....................... 89

    Spline Reference ........................ 92

    Interlude........................................ 95

    3 Graph Editor.............. 103

    Graph Editor Windup..............104

    Visual Tools................................. 107

    Working with Keys....................116

    Value Operators........................ 120

    Buffer Curves............................. 124

    Speed Cheats............................. 128

    4 Techniques................ 133

    Auto Key...................................... 134

    Timeline Techniques............... 138

    Cartoony Motion......................144

    Trax Editor................................... 147

    Copying Curves........................ 151

    Editable Motion Trails............. 159

    IK and FK...................................... 167

    IK/FK Switching......................... 171

    Character Sets........................... 178

    Grease Pencil Tool.................... 182

    Grease Pencil and Trails......... 190

    Interlude...................................... 196

    5 Constraints................ 201

    Parenting.....................................202

    Parent Constraints...................207

    Constraining a Prop................ 212

    Constraint Weights.................. 216

    Animating with

    Constraints................................. 221

    Interlude...................................... 231

    6 Rigging Cheats......... 235

    Rig Testing..................................236

    Sprucing it Up...........................248

    Rigging Props............................256

    Interlude......................................259

    7 Standing Out............. 263

    Adding BlendShapes..............264

    Adding Clusters........................272

    Wrap Deformer.........................282

    Adding Hair and Cloth...........288

    Interlude......................................296

    8 Workflow................... 301

    Planning/Reference.................302

    Converting Cycles.................... 310

    Stepped Keys............................. 313

    Stepped Preview......................320

    Moving Holds When

    Splining....................................... 324

    Moving Holds with the

    Retime Tool.................................334

    Refining Arcs in Polish............ 337

    Final Texture...............................342

    Interview.....................................346

    9 Cycles.......................... 355

    Cycle Basics................................356

    Stride Length.............................363

    Walk Cycle...................................372

    Flying Cycle................................378

    Quad Cycles...............................388

    10 Referencing............... 393

    Referencing Basics...................394

    Offline Edits................................401

    Saving Reference Edits...........407

    Interlude...................................... 413

    11 Facial Animation.......417

    Planning and Prep................... 418

    Core Poses..................................422

    Lip Sync 1—Jaw Motion........428

    Lip Sync 2—Mouth

    Corners........................................432

    Lip Sync 3—Mouth

    Shapes..........................................436

    Lip Sync 4—Tongue................441

    Blinks............................................445

    Blink and Brows........................450

    Eye Darts.....................................459

    Final Touches.............................465

    Interlude...................................... 470

    12 Animation Layers..... 473

    How Animation

    Layers Work................................ 474

    Animation Layer Basics.......... 476

    Cheating a Cycle.......................483

    Layers for Texture..................... 491

    Interlude......................................496

    Index..............................................501

    Biography

    Paul Naas is an animator, illustrator, professor, and author of two previous books on Maya. He is currently the Program Coordinator for the Digital Art & Animation program at Cañada College in Redwood City, California. Prior to teaching, Paul worked for nearly 20 years as a professional animator in games, independent film, TV spots, and location-based entertainment. He continues to work frequently on freelance and independent projects.