3ds Max Animation with Biped

3ds Max Animation with Biped

by Michele Bousquet, Michael McCarthy
Released March 2006
Publisher(s): New Riders
ISBN: 9780321375728

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Book description

3ds Max is a leader in 3D animation for game development, design visualization, and visual effects and enables users to outperform the competition when it comes to high-volume visual effects production. From 3D storyboards and digital matte paintings to realistic digital environments, believable characters, and impressive crowds, this all-in-one software is professional and fast! The powerful Biped module in 3ds Max 8, with pre-linked and realistically constrained skeletons and its suite of motion tools, dramatically speeds up the animation process. In this book and accompanying CD, author and award-winning animators Michele Bousquet and Michael McCarthy look at the Biped, Physique, Crowd, and Motion Mixer tools and demonstrate how to animate character models quickly. They start with the basics of Biped, and then move on to footstep animation, freeform animation and the use of crowd behavior simulation tools. Readers will also learn how to use all the new tools of Motion Mixer for mixing motion files, and the Workbench for adjusting biped function curves, and learn specific animation techniques, including how to adjust physique for perfect deformation, fit a biped to any character model, create realistic motions, combine motions on any character, create crowd scenes automatically, and more!

Table of contents

  1. Copyright
  2. Introduction
    1. A Brief History of Character Animation
      1. Jointed Characters
      2. Model Controls
      3. Skeletons and Skinning
      4. Character Studio
      5. Biped Today
    2. Biped Basics
      1. Terminology
      2. Choosing a Mesh
      3. Setting Up the Mesh
    3. Production Workflow
    4. Using This Book
  3. Getting Started
    1. Character Studio Basics
      1. Quick Start
      2. Biped Basics
        1. Changing the Biped Structure
      3. Linking and Hierarchies
        1. Animating a Biped
        2. Kinematics
        3. Kinematics and the Biped
      4. Creating a Walk Cycle
        1. IK and FK Keys for Biped
        2. Building a Better Walk Cycle
          1. Adjusting the Stride
          2. Using Trajectories and Key Mode
          3. Adding arm and head movement
    2. Posing the Biped
      1. Setting Biped Parameters
      2. Fitting the Biped to the Mesh
        1. Fitting a Biped to a Mesh
          1. Create the Biped
          2. Position the Center of Mass
          3. Position the Biped’s Legs
          4. Fit the Legs
          5. Adjust the Arm and Spine
          6. Scale the Biped Parts
          7. Pose the Fingers
          8. Pose the Head
          9. Pose the Feet
      3. Nonhuman Bipeds
        1. Biped for Quadruped Character
        2. Fit a Biped to a Dog Mesh
    3. Skinning
      1. Associating the Mesh
        1. Skin Morph and Skin Wrap
        2. Preparing to Use Skin
        3. Associating Biped and Mesh
      2. Working with the Test Animation
        1. Setting Up a Test Walk
      3. Correcting Skin Problems
        1. Check the Deformation
        2. Adjusting the Head Envelope
        3. Vertex Weighting
        4. Copy and Paste Envelopes
        5. Using ENV Files
  4. Footstep Animation
    1. Basic Footsteps
      1. Gaits
        1. Footstep Practice
      2. Editing Footstep Placement
        1. Moving and Rotating Footsteps
        2. Walking in Circles
        3. Biped Does the Splits
      3. Footstep Sequences
        1. Footsteps for the Gymnast
        2. Adjusting Footsteps After Key Creation
    2. Footstep Timing
      1. Displaying Footstep Keys
        1. Looking at Footstep Keys
      2. Changing Footstep Timing
        1. Time Between Footsteps
        2. Leapin’ Biped
        3. Adjusting Footstep Timing
        4. Dancing Gymnast
      3. Animating Feet and Legs
        1. Animating Legs and Feet
        2. Additional Exercises
        3. Backflip
        4. Hopscotch
    3. Advanced Footsteps
      1. Manual Footstep Placement
        1. Footstep Placement Practice
      2. Advanced Footstep Timing
        1. Footstep Key Parts
        2. Footstep Timing
          1. Your Dance Timing
      3. Accelerating Gravity
        1. Changing Jump Height
      4. Balance Factor
        1. Standing Up
      5. Converting to Freeform
  5. Freeform Animation
    1. Animating with Freeform
      1. Using Freeform Mode
        1. Creating a Freeform Animation
      2. Exploring Forward and Inverse Kinematics
        1. IK Blend and Body/Object Parameters
        2. Push-Ups
      3. Animating the IK Settings
        1. Walking the Dog
      4. More Freeform Tools
        1. Animating Pivot Points
        2. Doing an Articulated Walk
        3. Jumping Dog
      5. Freeform Between Footsteps
        1. A Refreshing Swim
      6. Converting Freeform to Footsteps
    2. Body Animation
      1. Working with Keys
        1. Track View
        2. Function Curves in Biped
      2. Adding or Changing Keys
        1. Working with Existing Keys
        2. Animating Arms
      3. Copying and Pasting Postures
        1. Copy and Paste Arm Postures
      4. Working with Layers
        1. Animating with Layers
      5. Using Apply Increment
        1. Adjusting Arms
    3. Arms and Hands
      1. Linking Objects to the Biped
        1. Picking Up a Ball
        2. Link the Ball
      2. Pinning the Hands to Objects
        1. Riding the Subway
      3. Making a Hand or Foot Follow Another Object
        1. Swingin’ Biped
        2. Use OSO to Attach Hands
        3. Rock the Biped
        4. Pose the Backswing
        5. Loop and Finish the Animation
      4. Animating OSO Settings
        1. Pushing the Swing
        2. Set More OSO Keys
        3. Copy Arm Positions
        4. Loosen Up, Mom
      5. Bulges
        1. Workout Woman
        2. Edit the Bulge
  6. Combining Motions
    1. Motion Mixer and Motion Flow
      1. Comparing Motion Mixer and Motion Flow
      2. Motion Files
        1. Working with Motions
      3. Motion Mixer
        1. Working with the Motion Mixer
        2. Weighting Tracks
        3. Working with Trackgroups
        4. Mixing Upper and Lower Body Motions
        5. The Balance Track
      4. Mixdowns
        1. Performing a Mixdown
        2. Time Warps
        3. Adding a Time Warp
      5. Motion Flow
        1. Creating Transitions
        2. Creating Straight-Ahead Motion Flow
      6. Looping Animations
        1. Looping with Motion Flow
    2. Basic Crowds
      1. Crowds Overview
      2. Crowd Setup
        1. Behaviors
        2. Creating a Simple Crowd Scene
      3. Changing Multiple Delegates
        1. Speeding Up the Delegates
        2. Making a Vector Field Space Warp
        3. Defining the Space Warp Behavior
        4. Setting Up a Vector Field for Moths
        5. Varying Vector Direction for the Moths
      4. Behavior Weights
        1. Refining the Moth Vector Field
      5. Simulation Troubleshooting Tips
        1. When Good Delegates Go Bad
      6. Linking Objects to Delegates
        1. Aligning and Linking Moths
        2. Scatter Tool
        3. Scattering Delegates
    3. Complex Crowds
      1. Cognitive Controllers
        1. Setting Up Cognitive Controllers
        2. Creating the Transition Script
        3. Making a Simple Cognitive Controller
          1. Set Up the States
          2. Create the Transition
      2. Circular Transitions
        1. Doing Simple Circular Transitions
      3. The MAXScript Listener
        1. Making Delegates Stay or Fly
      4. Animation States
        1. Tips for Using Animation States
        2. Working with Bird Animation States
    4. Biped Crowds
      1. Working with Random Scripts
        1. Creating Multiple Transitions
        2. Shared Motion Flow for Multiple Bipeds
        3. Generating Random Scripts
        4. Making a Cheering Audience
        5. Tips for Random Scripts on Multiple Bipeds
      2. Transition Probabilities
        1. Making the Bipeds Sit More
        2. Adjusting Position
        3. Editing Multiple Transitions
      3. Using Motion Flow with Crowds
        1. Making an Effective Flow Graph
        2. Biped Priorities
        3. Create Jogging Bipeds
  7. Resources
    1. Files
    2. Web Sites
    3. Books

Product information

  • Title: 3ds Max Animation with Biped
  • Author(s): Michele Bousquet, Michael McCarthy
  • Release date: March 2006
  • Publisher(s): New Riders
  • ISBN: 9780321375728