Maya® Studio Projects:

Character Pipeline

The details of a character pipeline vary based on the character and change from company to company, and artist to artist, but for the most part, the overall process doesn't change. In this book, the pipeline is as follows:

PHOTO REAL PIPELINE

1. Establish the geometry.
2. Build a skeleton with basic functionality.
3. Add traditional skin weighting.
4. Create the facial anatomy.
5. Set up skin simulation.
6. Add facial hair using Fur.
7. Create and style hair.
8. Dress the character.
9. Implement secondary character effects.
10. Capturing a performance.
11. Add lighting and rendering.

Traditional skin weighting or binding only goes so far. The character in this book is fully clothed; therefore, his body doesn't need intense skin deformations. But the character ...