Tradigital Maya

Tradigital Maya

by Lee Montgomery
Released August 2012
Publisher(s): Routledge
ISBN: 9781136126611

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Book description

Explore Disney's 12 principles of animation, while learning how to animate in Maya. You can develop your own leading digital techniques rooted to traditional workflows. From squash and stretch to timing and appeal, you will enhance your creative toolset with strong classics training and cutting edge techniques. Trusted Maya Authority, Lee Montgomery offers the only artistic guide to applying the principles of traditional animation with Maya's tools, which are used in production by the best animators and VFX artists today. Add another webpage to your favourites and expand your digital workflow to include the practical resources of the Tradigital Maya with the robust companion web site that include demonstrations, project files, links to further resources, available at www.tradigitalmaya.com.

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Halftitle
  3. Title
  4. Copyright
  5. Dedication
  6. Contents
  7. Acknowledgments
  8. Introduction – Traditional to Digital
  9. Chapter 1: Arcs – Organic Movement/Natural Motion
    1. Arcs in Object Motion
    2. Localized Arcs – Human Motion
    3. Chapter 1.1 – Animation Test – Bouncing Ball
      1. Animation Preferences
      2. Maya Grid Display
      3. Creating the Bouncing Ball
      4. Animation Preferences – Key Tangents
      5. Selection and Transformation Tools and Settings
      6. Animating the Ball Bounce
      7. Copying and Pasting Keys and Setting Height Key
      8. The Maya Graph Editor
      9. Breakdown Key (In-between)
      10. Playblast
      11. Changing Key Tangent Type
      12. Ghosted Playblack
      13. Refining the Animation Timing – Key Tangents
      14. Squash and Stretch
      15. Looping the Animation
      16. Loop Animation – Curve Edit
      17. Loop Animation – Bounce Across Ground
      18. Viewing and Editing the Trajectory Arc
      19. Validating the Animation and Additional Edits to Refine the Motion
    4. Chapter 1.2 – F16 Fighter Flight Path
      1. Introducing the Asset
      2. EP Curve – Motion Path
      3. Motion Path – Connecting the Model to the Curve
      4. Editing Motion Path Timing
    5. Chapter 1.3 – Character IK Arm Swing
      1. Maya Joint Chains, Forward & Inverse Kinematics, and Additional Controls
      2. Pose Blocking, Timing & Spacing, and Motion Arcs
      3. Animating with Forward Kinematics (FK)
      4. Animating with Inverse Kinematics (IK)
      5. IK Rotate Plane Solver
      6. Blocking in the Poses for the Arm Swing
      7. In-between Pose – Ease In
      8. Validating the Timing and Motion
      9. Motion Trail
      10. Editing the Arc on the Swing
      11. Shifting and Scaling Keyframes
      12. Camera Bookmarks
      13. Editing the Arm Swing – Out/In
      14. Looping the Arm Swing
      15. Editing the New Motion – Arm Swing Back
      16. Follow-through on the Wrist
      17. Elbow Angle (Pole Vector)
    6. Chapter 1.4 – Character – Run Rhythm
      1. Scene Setup and Animation
      2. Lopping the Motion
      3. Hip Sway
      4. Looping Curves and Fixing Tangency
      5. Looping and Extending the Run Animation
  10. Chapter 2: Anticipation – Building the Action
    1. F16 Fighter – Takeoff and Fight Sequence
    2. Head Turn Animation/Animation Appeal
    3. VFX – Dynamics Rocket Smash
    4. Character Animation
    5. Chapter 2.1 – Baseball Pitcher Throw
      1. Reference and Thumbnailing
      2. Character Asset and Display Modes
      3. Full Body IK
      4. Posing and Keying Modes
      5. Effector Pinning
      6. Full Body IK – Effector Pinning in Action
      7. Reach – T/R
      8. Character Pose Blocking Part 1 – Idle Pose to Coiled Readiness Pose
      9. Character Pose Blocking Part 2 – Readiness Pose to Moving Hold
      10. Character Pose Blocking Part 3 – Readiness Pose to Pre-Release Pose
    6. Chapter 2.2 – nParticle – Rocket Launch
      1. Introducing the Asset
      2. Animating the Mechanical Motion for the Rocket
      3. Base Pivot for Pre-rocket Launch
      4. Arm Crane for Pre-rocket Launch
      5. Emitter Setup for nParticles
      6. Emitter Rate
      7. Nucleus Solver – Ground Plane Setup
      8. Tweaking the Effect on the nParticles
      9. Shading and Texturing the nParticles
      10. No Smoke without Fire
      11. Enhancing the Quality of the Smoke Effect
  11. Chapter 3: Animation Editing – Timing & Spacing
    1. Timing & Spacing – Anticipation to Follow-through and Overlap
    2. Timing & Spacing – Appeal – Mood & Characterization
    3. Timing & Spacing – Framing the Action – Camera Cuts and Action
    4. Chapter 3.1 – Timing & Spacing – Analysis
      1. Timing & Spacing Pt. 1 – Jump Animation – Spacing Contrast
      2. Timing & Spacing Pt. 2 – Walk Spacing
      3. Overall Timing for Walks
      4. Timing & Spacing Pt. 3 – Run Spacing – Overall Spacing
      5. Timing & Spacing Pt. 4 – Run Spacing – Foot/Hip Spacing
    5. Chapter 3.2 – Re-timing Action – Character Baseball Swing
      1. Introducing the Character Asset
      2. Timing & Spacing
      3. Object Selection Masks
      4. Editing Timing & Spacing – First Half of Swing Animation
      5. Editing Timing & Spacing – Second Half of Swing Animation
      6. Timing & Spacing – Isolated Elements
  12. Chapter 4: Animation Editing – Ease In & Ease Out
    1. Chapter 4.1 – Ease In & Ease Out – Character Baseball Swing
      1. Overall Timing Edit – Ease In & Ease Out
      2. Viewing Timing & Spacing – Motion Trail
      3. Editing Timing & Spacing – Ease In on Swing
      4. Pose Edits – Ease In
      5. Editing Timing & Spacing – Ease Out on Swing
      6. Post Ease Out (Lead Out) & Moving Hold
    2. Chapter 4.2 – Ease In & Ease Out – Head Turn
      1. Rig Setup
      2. Head Turn Animation – Blocking
      3. Adding In-between Key – Linear Ease In
      4. Smooth Ease In – Weighted Tangency
      5. Smooth Ease In Pt. 2 – Double Take on Turn
      6. Softening the Ease In – Additional Edits
      7. Re-Timing the Motion – Fast Turn
      8. Ease Out on Head Turn
  13. Chapter 5: Staging – Framing the Action and Setting the Mood
    1. Storyboarding
    2. Animatics
    3. Framing the Action
    4. Thumb-Nailing
    5. Chapter 5.1 Thumb-Nails and Storyboards
      1. Thumb-Nails
      2. Storyboarding
      3. Storyboard and Breakdowns – F16 Fighter Sequence
    6. Chapter 5.2 Camera – Advanced Settings
      1. Camera Attributes
      2. Viewport 2.0 Hardware Rendering
      3. Clipping Planes
      4. Focal Length/Angle of View
      5. DOF
      6. Additional Viewport 2.0 Quality Settings – Ambient Occlusion/Anti-Aliasing
      7. Motion Blur
      8. Maya Software/Mental Ray Motion Blur
      9. Rendering with Viewport 2.0
  14. Chapter 6: Follow-Through and Overlapping Action
    1. Follow-Through and Overlap – Object Animation, Simulation, and Dynamics
      1. Squash and Stretch – Maya Muscle Setup
      2. nDynamics – Rocket Smash
    2. Chapter 6.1 – Baseball Pitcher Throw Pt. 2 – Follow-Through
      1. Pose Blocking
      2. Character Pose Blocking Part 1 – Pre-Release Pose to Step
      3. Character Pose Blocking Part 2 – Foot Plant
      4. Re-Timing the Motion
      5. Weight Shift – Throw Readiness
      6. Throw Pose – Corkscrew Follow-Through
      7. Throw Pose – Corkscrew Follow-Through 2
    3. Chapter 6.2 – nCloth – Cape Follow-Through
      1. Modeling the Base Mesh for the nCloth Cape
      2. Nucleus Space Scale Attribute
      3. nRigid – Adding the Character Mesh to the Simulation
      4. nConstraint – Connecting the Cape to the Character
      5. Previewing the Simulation – nCloth Rest Pose
      6. Collision Thickness Attribute
      7. Geometry Cache – Adding the Character Animation to the nCloth Setup
      8. nCloth Attributes and Presets Pt. 1 – Leather
      9. nCloth Attributes and Presets Pt. 2 – T-Shirt
      10. nCloth Attributes – Refining the Simulation to Improve Quality
      11. Increasing nCloth Mesh Resolution and Fixing Collision Thickness
      12. Final Tweaks to the nCloth Simulation
    4. Chapter 6.3 – Prop Follow-Through and Overlap – Character Baseball Swing
      1. Full Body – Major Weight Shifts on Swing and Arc of Bat
      2. Upper Body – Torso Coil Rotation and Arm/Bat Follow-Through
      3. Start Pose to Swing Pose 1
      4. Swing Pose 1 to Swing Pose 2
      5. Swing Pose 2 to Swing Pose 3
      6. Swing Pose 3 to Swing Pose 4
      7. Swing Pose 4 to Swing Pose 5
  15. Chapter 7: Secondary Action – Enhancing the Shot
    1. nCloth Simulation/nDynamics
    2. Layered Animation and Supporting Action
    3. Detail Animation
    4. Chapter 7.1 – Hand Animation Rig Setup
      1. Introducing the Hand Rig
      2. Attribute Connections for Finger Joint Rotation
      3. Working With the Finger Controls
      4. Animating With the Rig Clenching Fist
  16. Chapter 8: Straight Ahead Action and Pose to Pose
    1. Pose to Pose – Walk and Run Cycles and Video Game
    2. Straight Ahead Action and Combining Both Methodologies
    3. Chapter 8.1 – Pose-to-Pose Run Cycle
      1. Leg and Hip Pose
      2. Mirroring the Pose across the Character (Left <> Right)
      3. Copying Pose from Frame to Frame
      4. Foot Plant
      5. Centre of Mass – Weight Rise and Fall
      6. Editing the Motion Curve Through the Graph Editor
      7. Cycling the Motion Curve
      8. Hip Rotation
      9. Upper Torso – Main Pose
      10. Torso and Head Follow Through
      11. Torso Counterbalance Rotation – Part One
      12. Torso Counterbalance Rotation – Part Two
      13. Head Counterbalance
      14. Arm Swing on Run
      15. Mirroring the Arm Pose
      16. Hip Weight Shift
    4. Chapter 8.2 – Dynamics Rocket Smash
      1. Rigid Body Dynamics – Scene Setup and Attributes
      2. Rigid Body Dynamics – Refining and Directing the Effect
    5. Dynamics – Scene Setup and Elements
  17. Chapter 9: Solid Drawing and Design – Form Meets Function
    1. Thumbnailing, Draughting, and Traditional Modeling
    2. Dynamic Posing
    3. Twinning
    4. Character Rigging
    5. Chapter 9.1 – Dynamic Posing
      1. Leg/Foot Angle and Pose
      2. Hip Tilt
      3. Spine = S-Curve
      4. Spine Twist
      5. Hand Posing and Finalization
      6. Finalizing the Pose
      7. Action Pose – 01 Gunplay – Blocked in Posing
      8. Action Pose – 01 Gunplay – Refined Posing
      9. Action Pose – 02 Swing – Blocked in Posing
      10. Action Pose – 02 Swing – Refined Posing
    6. Chapter 9.2 – Twinning
      1. Twinned Motion – Gestural Step
      2. Refined Motion and Posing – Gestural Step
      3. Additional Edit – Timing Offset on Arm Swing
  18. Chapter 10: Appeal
    1. Appeal in Character Design and Animation
    2. Production Design – Lighting
    3. Performance Appeal
    4. Chapter 10.1 – Production Design – Character
      1. Female Heroine
      2. Male Athlete 1 – Baseball Pitcher
      3. Male Athlete 2 – Baseball Batter
    5. Chapter 10.2 – Lighting and Mood
      1. Viewport Renderer and Lights
      2. Viewport 2.0 and Lighting
      3. Lighting – Three-Point Lighting
      4. Lighting and Mood
    6. Chapter 10.3 – Character Performance
      1. Scene Setup and Rig
      2. Surprise/Shock
      3. Austere/Aloof
      4. Dejected/Subdued
      5. Bright/Chatty
  19. Chapter 11: Squash and Stretch
    1. Manual Squash and Stretch and Deformation
    2. Character Posing and Squash and Stretch
    3. Facial Animation – Blend Shapes Setup
    4. Dynamics
    5. Dynamics – Maya Muscle
    6. Chapter 11.1 – Animation Test – Flour-Sack
      1. Squash
      2. Stretch
      3. Twist
      4. Follow-Through and Overlapping Action
      5. Ease In & Ease Out and Timing
      6. Appeal and Performance
    7. Chapter 11.2 Character – Hero Jump
  20. Chapter 12: Exaggeration
    1. Baseball Batter Animation
    2. Walk Cycle Animation
    3. VFX Dynamics
    4. Chapter 12.1 – Exaggeration – Character Baseball Swing
      1. Animation Lead-In
      2. Swing Animation
      3. Exaggerated Torso Rotation
      4. Bat Angle Edited
      5. Pre-Step Pose1 – Left Foot Raise Exaggerated
      6. Pre-Step Pose2 – Hips Shift Forward Slightly
      7. Exaggerated Action Line
    5. Chapter 12.2 – Exaggeration – HumanIK Retarget and Edit
      1. Character Rig – HumanIK
      2. HumanIK – Character Controls Window
      3. HumanIK – Character Retargeting
      4. HumanIK – Retargeting Data to Control Rig – Bake to Rig and Cleanup after Retarget
      5. Editing Animation on Animation Layer with Effector Pinning – Elbow Posing
      6. Animation Edit – Exaggerated Walk – Dejected
      7. Additional Edits 01 – Feet Drag
      8. Additional Edits 02 – Head Lull
      9. Additional Edits 03 – Hip Dip – Weight a Mass
    6. Chapter 12.3 Exaggeration – Dynamics Explosion
      1. Dynamics – Scaffolding Setup Part 1 – Scene Setup
      2. Basic Rigid Bodies Setup – Collapsible Scaffolding
      3. Dynamics – Scaffolding Setup Part 2 – Rigid Bodies – Hinge Constraint
      4. Dynamics – Scaffolding Setup Part 3 – Hinge-Connected Elements
      5. Dynamics – Roof Smash – Fields
      6. Viewing the Additional Simulated Effects in Combination
      7. Follow-Through and Overlapping Action
      8. Secondary Action and Exaggeration
  21. Chapter 13: Conclusion
    1. Chapter 13.1 – Recap – The Principles and Application
      1. Pre-visualization, Scene Layout, and Revision
      2. Character Animation
      3. Dynamics and Simulation
    2. Chapter 13.2 – Industry Trends Moving Forward
      1. Industry Specialization
      2. Digital Pre-visualization
      3. Virtual Cinematography and Performance Capture
      4. Video Games – Real-Time Animation and Run-Time Blending
    3. Chapter 13.3 – Selected Reading and Additional Reference
      1. Timing for Animation, Second Edition by Harold Whittaker and John Halas (Authors), Tom Sito (Editor)
      2. Animation: The Mechanics of Motion by Chris Webster
      3. Drawn to Life: 20 Golden Years of Disney Master Classes, V1 by Walt Stanchfield and Don Hahn
      4. The Illusion of Life: Disney Animation by Ollie Johnston and Frank Thomas
      5. The Animator’s Survival Kit (Paperback) by Richard Williams
      6. Acting for Animators: A Complete Guide to Performance Animation by Ed Hooks
      7. Cartoon Animation (The Collector’s Series) by Preston Blair
      8. The Human Figure in Motion by Eadweard Muybridge
      9. Animals in Motion by Eadweard Muybridge
      10. Industry Periodicals, Websites, and Training
  22. Index

Product information

  • Title: Tradigital Maya
  • Author(s): Lee Montgomery
  • Release date: August 2012
  • Publisher(s): Routledge
  • ISBN: 9781136126611