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“I've watched Alex Alvarez's
training DVDs on Dynamics... and they are
amazing! I've learned so much from the lectures, they have
helped make me a better visual effects artist. I started
using Maya for effects animation when I joined Square USA
for the film "Final
Fantasy" about
4 years ago. I wish I had these DVDs then. Well, better
late than never.”
- Andy Chen
Effects Animator
Dreamworks Feature Animation
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For characters with dialogue
or shots which require the expression of emotion, head and
facial rigging is crucial. Again working with a Smooth Skin,
we look at how the weights can be designed for the jaw, head
and neck. Once weighting is complete, we then move on to eyeball
deformations and the interior of the mouth. Techniques for
rigging the teeth, gums, throat and tongue are demonstrated,
with a tongue rig which allows for any possible range of tongue
movement. We then look at how facial muscle control can be
set-up using a Blendshape based technique which is quick and
intuitive.
Product Code: SKI03
Paint Weights
Component Editor
Blendshape
Smoothbind
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Parenting
Joint Tool
Spline Handle |
 01:
Introduction
02: Paint Weights
03: Eyes
04: Mouth
05: Tongue
06: BlendShape
07: Patch Model
08: Credits
Click here to
view a sample clip from this DVD. Note that while this
clip is 640x480 the actual movie size is 720x480 with
higher quality compression. View the stills to the right
to see the actual resolution.
Alex is founder and director of The Gnomon Workshop
and of Gnomon School of Visual Effects in Hollywood. Alex has been published
in industry magazines, websites, and books - plus he has taught courses
at several major trade conferences. His character animation projects
have appeared on many computer graphics websites, on the cover of the ‘Maya
Character Animation’ book published by New Riders, and his 'Zufuhr'
project was commissioned by Alias for their Siggraph stage presentations.
Alex is president of the Los Angeles Alias Users Group and sits on the
Advisory Board for Highend3D.com. Prior to Gnomon, Alex worked for Alias,
as a consultant and trainer for studios in the Los Angeles area. Alex
is an alumni of the Art Center College of Design and the University
of Pennsylvania.
For more of Alex's work, visit:
www.alexalvarez.com.
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