This week you will be working on facial expressions. There are six main expressions as defined by Gary Faigin: joy, sadness, anger, disgust, surprise, and fear. You will be using the Nebbish rig instead of the Basic Guy for these expressions. This is so you can begin to familiarize yourself with the main character of your production and get a feel for how he emotes. Keep in mind that even the slightest details can change how the face is read. Use the mirrors in the lab and yourself as reference. Also remember that the position of the head can change how an expression is read, so feel free to rotate the neck joint.
One important note for any animation you do using the Nebbish rig: Create a new file and import the rig from the server. Do not use and save over the original. You may also just download and use the standalone Nebbish head rig linked above. Link on the server:
\\ntdfs\cs\unix\projects\instr\production1\nebbish_production\rigs\characters\nebbish\face_rig.mb
Also, below are a couple of scripts you may find useful (the same used by Dave in class). This script selects all the face controls:
// select all controls
select `ls -o -r true "*.animNode"`;
This script unlocks the translate channels of the currently selected object/control. For example, this would be useful for unlocking the translate controls of the jaw. Just paste it into the script editor and run:
// select control, run script to unlock translate channel
setAttr -k true -l false .tx;
setAttr -k true -l false .ty;
setAttr -k true -l false .tz;
Do a still pose of the Nebbish face for each of the six expressions. They should be in the same file using stepped keyframes (place each expression approximately ten frames apart). Take a screenshot of both a front and side view. The camera needs to be close-up on the face, as that is the main focus of this assignment.
This week each of you has been assigned an "animation signature shot". Here is the list of assignments. These are different from the signature shots in 459, as the focus is solely on character animation. This is to give you practice animating both action and acting, and to give you a chance to help define the personality of the Nebbish. Keep in mind that since this is just an exercise much of your motion may not be used in the final film. However, in the end you will have a better understanding of who the Nebbish is and how he moves, in addition to having further honed your animation skills.
Though the signature shot animation will not begin until next week you will need to start coming up with ideas and planning the motion in your assigned shot. If you take a look at the video reference from Gary Schwartz's Saturday sessions on the server you will see that there are many different ways to approach the same shot.
Plan for your shot next week. Take video reference of yourself performing the actions you had in mind OR draw up a planning sheet. Though only one is required, both are highly recommended.
After you pose the six basic expressions, do a pass of your signature shot's facial animation using the Nebbish rig (only facial animation, minimal neck movement if you feel its appropriate to the expressions). Though his face might not be visible in your shot, animate the head as if it were.
The timing of your face animation should be about equivalent to the story reel's timing. Some of the shots involve transitions between multiple expressions. Remember that the animation principles still apply. The face should have overlapping motion when transitioning expressions instead of all moving at once (e.g. the mouth, then the eyes, then the eyebrows, etc). Timing is just as important here as it is with body movement, so you will need some reference to study. It would be best if you took a video of yourself going to the extreme for the expression you are assigned.
Animate the face and playblast a front view close-up.