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    3D Buzz :: Houdini :: Houdini Advanced Character Rigging I: Initial Character Setup and Limb Control    
     

     
   
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  Houdini Advanced Character Rigging I: Initial Character Setup and Limb Control  
   

Welcome to Advanced Character Rigging I, the first in our 2-part series demonstrating how to create complex character rigs for your animations. In this first volume, we show you how to create rig setups for the arms and legs of your character using a variety of features including stretchy bones, FK/IK blending, matching to FK and IK controls, and a customized setup for the wrist that combines IK positional control with full FK rotation!

Please note that this volume only focuses on creation of arm and leg rigs. For the complete rig, including the spine and the process of finalization and creation of a digital asset, please be sure to join us in Advanced Character Rigging II!


Instructors: Steve Twist
Approx. Running Time: 8.2 hrs
Software: Houdini 9.x
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Advanced Character Rigging I
Advanced Character Rigging I provides an in-depth look at complex limb creation for your character rigs. Focusing strictly on arms and legs, you will see how these appendages can be set up for animation in such a way that gives total power to the animator in a way that is intuitive and effective.

We start with creation of the leg, which uses a reverse-foot style setup involving a series of FK controls for the foot itself connected to an IK-driven leg. This rig uses stretchy bones for the leg, with independent control over stretching the upper and lower leg bones. This stretchiness also includes a blending system, allowing the animator to easily blend between stretchy and rigid systems. Also included is the setup of a knee controller that remains at the front of the knee, but with its pivot point offset to the axis of the IK twist rotation, allowing for intuitive adjustment of the knee’s twist from the hip.

With the legs complete, we move on to the arm, which uses not only a stretching system similar to that of the leg, but also includes full FK/IK blending, as well as positional and rotational matching of both FK to IK and IK to FK. This makes it easy for an animator to get maximum use out of both systems quickly and easily. The arm stretch can be handled either automatically, such as when the arm’s end effector is moved beyond its limits, or manually via a custom parameter.

Since this rig is applied to both a stretchy cartoonlike character as well as to a biologically inspired skeleton, much research has gone into various sections to create realistic motion. In this rig, special attention is paid to the forearm. Our rig simulates the actual behavior of not just the ulna, but also the radius as it swivels about the forearm. This attention to biological behavior will lead to much more realistic motion once the rig is attached to the character.

Once we get to the wrist, you’ll see how to create a complex control system that allows for control of the IK handle position and rotation control both in world space and the wrist’s own local space. The rotation control includes the ability to match the result of either of the two rotational spaces to the other. For the hand, we show how to create a multiple level-of-detail system in which the animator can decide how much control they need on the fly, ranging from a simple universal finger curl to individual finger curl, and then on to individual knuckle control! And to help speed up the setup of this process for the remaining fingers, we’ll show you how to create a Python script that does the bulk of the work for us! Once the arm and leg are created, you’ll see how to mirror all of your controls over to the other side of the character.
   
     

     
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Are there any prerequisites for watching this content?

A solid foundation in Houdini is assumed of the viewer. While the concepts and techniques taught in the videos will be thoroughly explained, you should be comfortable with the Houdini interface and have a good understanding of networks before undertaking the content provided in the videos. You will also need a basic understanding of the python programming language.

What version of Houdini is used in the content? Will I need the same version?

The content was recorded using Houdini 9. With the major reworking of Houdini since the prior version, we cannot guarantee that you will be able to follow along when using an older version of the application. You can, however, use any version of Houdini 9 including the completely free Houdini Apprentice, which can be obtained from Side Effects Software.

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