For this assignment we are to develop a skin and deformations. I have no clue where to start! There’s not enough resource freely available online, does this mean I have to go to the library?
Modeling
I thought modeling was the toughest part of this assignment and ended up spending most of my time on it. Although my model is nowhere close to what I wanted it to be, here’s what I got.
I started off with a skeletal model I found on www.highend3d.com and built my model on top of it, so that the proportions were maintained. However, this assignment required me to have at least two fingers and a thumb, so I decided to add a thumb to my t-rex.
Rigging
As this is a skinning assignment, the rig is probably not as important, so I decided to go on with jus plain old FK on this one. Here’s my basic rig for the model.
I developed a rig with the bones to mimic the rib-cage, the jaws, and the spines in the neck. I did this with the idea that it would help me retain volumes somehow, and behave like the real bones inside the body. I’m not quite sure if this is the right way to go about it.
Skinning
For the purpose of developing an animation, I just smooth bound the skin to the bones, and created a small animation. Here’s the first demo. There are a lot of issues here, as the skin is not controlled under the arms and on the back. However, I kinda like what the neck and the jaw is doing. This is before skin weights have been painted. Click the image to watch the playblast.
