Pull Enhance your 2D skillset to the benefit of your own 3D animations to develop characters that are technically and artistically dynamic and engaging. With side by side comparisons of 2D and 3D character design, improve your character animation and master traditional principles and processes including weight and balance, timing and walks. Includes practical, hands-on examples, now fully updated to include 3ds Max, Maya and Blender tutorials. Master the fundamental techniques with the companion website which includes short demonstrations, 2D and 3D exercises and 20 fully rigged character models.

Rig it Right! breaks down rigging so that you can achieve a fundamental understanding of the concept. The author will get you up and rigging with step-by-step tutorials covering multiple animation control types, connection methods, interactive skinning, BlendShapes, edgeloops, and joint placement, to name a few. The concept of a bi-ped is explored as a human compared to a bird character allowing you to see that a bi-ped is a bi-ped and how to problem solve for the limbs at hand. Rig it Right! will take you to a more advanced level where you will learn how to create stretchy rigs with invisible control systems and use that to create your own types of rigs. Key Features Hone your skills every step of the way with short tutorials and editable rigs that accompany each chapter. (17+ rigs!!). Read "Tina’s 10 Rules of Rigging" and build the foundational knowledge needed to successfully rig your characters. Visit the companion website and expand your newfound knowledge with editable rigs, exercises, and videos that elaborate on techniques covered in the book. Companion data filled with example files at http://routledgetextbooks.com/textbooks/_author/ohailey/ AR(Augmented Reality) enabled images throughout the book! Coffee is not required – but encouraged.

The de facto official source on facial animation—now updated! If you want to do character facial modeling and animation at the high levels achieved in today’s films and games, Stop Staring: Facial Modeling and Animation Done Right, Third Edition, is for you. While thoroughly covering the basics such as squash and stretch, lip syncs, and much more, this new edition has been thoroughly updated to capture the very newest professional design techniques, as well as changes in software, including using Python to automate tasks. Shows you how to create facial animation for movies, games, and more Provides in-depth techniques and tips for everyone from students and beginners to high-level professional animators and directors currently in the field Features the author’s valuable insights from his own extensive experience in the field Covers the basics such as squash and stretch, color and shading, and lip syncs, as well as how to automate processes using Python Includes a CD with sample projects from the book, models, and textures Breathe life into your creations with this important book, considered by many studio 3D artists to be the quintessential reference on facial animation.

Whether you're a professional Character TD or just like to create 3D characters, this detailed guide reveals the techniques you need to create sophisticated 3D character rigs that range from basic to breathtaking. Packed with step-by-step instructions and full-color illustrations, Body Language walks you through rigging techniques for all the body parts to help you create realistic and believable movements in every character you design. You'll learn advanced rigging concepts that involve MEL scripting and advanced deformation techniques and even how to set up a character pipeline.

Discover the concepts and techniques required to rig engaging CG character models with Maya in this unique book and DVD package. The stunning color images show just what you can achieve, and the detailed step-by-step tutorials show exactly how to achieve them. Every technique and tip is backed up with practical tutorials, using the models, student work and tutorial assets on the companion DVD to offer a crash course in this vital skill. With Cheryl Cabrera you'll learn about: Designing your first Biped Character; Creating your first Biped Character - Modeling Basics, Biped Character Facial Expressions, Texturing Basics; Skeleton setup for a Biped Character Joint Placement; Control Rig setup for a Biped Character - IK and FK; Wrapping up the setup; Skinning your Character

An engrossing analysis of the pseudo-democratic methods employed by despots around the world to retain control Contrary to what is commonly believed, authoritarian leaders who agree to hold elections are generally able to remain in power longer than autocrats who refuse to allow the populace to vote. In this engaging and provocative book, Nic Cheeseman and Brian Klaas expose the limitations of national elections as a means of promoting democratization, and reveal the six essential strategies that dictators use to undermine the electoral process in order to guarantee victory for themselves. Based on their firsthand experiences as election watchers and their hundreds of interviews with presidents, prime ministers, diplomats, election officials, and conspirators, Cheeseman and Klaas document instances of election rigging from Argentina to Zimbabwe, including notable examples from Brazil, India, Nigeria, Russia, and the United States—touching on the 2016 election. This eye-opening study offers a sobering overview of corrupted professional politics, while providing fertile intellectual ground for the development of new solutions for protecting democracy from authoritarian subversion.

In this action-packed fantastically-imagined thriller, fifteen-year-old Will Drake has made a career of breaking out from high-security prisons. His talents have landed him at the Rig, a specialist juvenile holding facility in the middle of the Arctic Ocean. No one can escape from the Rig. But Will Drake likes a challenge . . .

Trying to learn Maya programming from the documentation can be daunting whether or not you are a programmer. The first edition of MEL Scripting for Maya Animators earned the reputation as the best introductory book on MEL, Maya's scripting language. Now fully revised and updated, the second edition also includes new features, such as a discussion of global procedures, new chapters on fixing programming bottlenecks, advanced user interface techniques, and optimizing character rigs. New chapters on utility nodes and Maya's Web Panel feature provide new ideas on how to use MEL in applications. This new edition has kept the popular style of the first edition that offered very clear explanations of programming concepts to those without programming experience. A generous collection of code examples and Maya scene files is included on the companion Web site. This is a book for animators, artists, game developers, visual effects developers, and technical directors who want to learn the fundamentals of Maya, how to automate tasks, personalize user interfaces, build custom tools, and solve problems with MEL. - Fully updated with several new chapters - Profusely illustrated and includes a companion Web site with numerous code examples and scene files - The authors bring their extensive experience in professional production studios to provide expert guidance

"...the best book out there for learning how to do MAYA rigging and animation." --Ian Cairns, Editor, MAYA Association Learning Maya 5: Character Rigging and Animation will teach you everything you need to achieve effective character set-up and animation in Maya. Learn what you need to become a true puppet master! New for Maya 5! Updated from the popular Learning Maya: Character Rigging and Animation, the book's latest edition will allow you to explore powerful new features in Maya 5 such as IK/FK Blending and Parent Constraints. We've also updated Melvin to a polygonal model from a NURBS path model to make him easier to manipulate. In addition, you'll take advantage of updated graphical selectors and controls that will make your rigs more customizable and easier for artists to work with. Features: This book will allow you to explore character rigging that is based on a human character - walking you through the process as you rig arms, legs, a face, and more. Learn the fundamentals of properly setting up a character to avoid pitfalls as you animate. Starting from an introductory level, this book covers advanced concepts in a comfortable format. Each topics is explored in both theory and practice so that you'll be able to complete easy-to-follow, step-by-step tutorials. In addition, you'll take advantage of valuable chapter-by-chapter overviews provided in QuickTime format on DVD-ROM. Offered by one of the book's authors, Bill Dwelly, an Alias|Wavefront(TM) Certified Instructor, these helpful movies will allow you to gain additional insight as you work through the book. With this book you will: * Create Skeleton Chains and edit Joint Orientation. * Render particles with hardware graphics and software techniques. * Set up Single Chain, Rotation Plane, and Spline IK Solvers. * Use Set Driven Key to create powerful control systems. * Use of both Forward and Inverse Kinematics. * Simulated the deformation of clothing using Wire Deformers and Set Drivin Key. * Drive Joint Rotation with a Blendshapte Slider to help consolidate you control windows. * Understand the difference between Smooth and Rigid Binding. * Use Pole Vector constraints as a fast and easy way of achieving realistic motion in arms and legs. * Create a complex and subtle character deformations.