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Assignment 2

Crab Modelling, Texturing & Rigging from scratch

Final Result:

Walk

Bounce

 

https://skfb.ly/pxuO9   – low poly version of my crab on sketchfab

 

https://skfb.ly/pxuOy – high poly version of my crab on sketchfab

Reference:

I aimed for a more stylized crab design rather than replicating a specific species in a very realistic way. However, I did use several real crabs as references during the process, including the Atlantic Ghost Crab, various species of Fiddler Crabs, and the Christmas Island Red Crab.

Originally, I also planned to animate the crab dancing, inspired by the popular “Crab Rave” video. Unfortunately, due to time constraints and other assignments, I wasn’t able to fully realize that part of the project. Still, I did my best to incorporate as much as I could within the time I had.

Sculpting Process:

I started by creating a cube for the main body and a few smaller cubes to form the legs. I chose to build the model from scratch instead of using ZSpheres because I find this approach more intuitive. Additionally, since I’m aiming to specialize in 3D creature sculpting, I saw this as a valuable exercise to strengthen my foundational skills.

I find it quite distracting to constantly take screenshots during the sculpting process, as it’s a very iterative workflow for me—I’m frequently going back and refining details. Because of this, I haven’t been able to capture as many progress shots as I’d like. However, here are a few that I managed to take at different stages of my workflow.

 

Adobe Substance Painter – Texturing

After exporting both the low-poly and high-poly versions of my crab model from ZBrush and completing the UV unwrapping, I organize each version into separate folders. I then set up a new project in Substance 3D Painter to begin the texturing process.Since Maya uses the OpenGL format for rendering, I make sure to set the normal map format to OpenGL in Substance Painter to ensure consistency across both softwares. I also enable the UV tile workflow and select the ASM PBR Metallic Roughness template. With these settings configured, I’m ready to import my model and begin texturing.

I begin by importing the low-poly crab model, which is approximately 250,000 polygons. This serves as the base for texturing, as anything significantly higher—such as a 1-million polygon model—would be too heavy and impractical to work with once brought into Maya.

To begin the baking process, I navigate to the top-left corner of the screen and select Mode > Baking to open the baking menu. As mentioned earlier, I’ll be working with the low-poly model for the rest of the workflow, since the high-poly version is too dense for rigging or animation in Maya. However, the low-poly model lacks the fine surface details—like the subtle textures and scale patterns on the crab’s body—that were present in the high-poly version.To preserve those details without increasing the mesh density, I bake the high-poly data onto the low-poly model. This allows the low-poly version to retain a lightweight topology while using texture maps to simulate the appearance of high resolution.Under High Poly Parameters, I click the folder icon in the High Definition Meshes section and select my high-poly model. Once it’s loaded, I hit Bake Selected Textures to begin transferring the detail.

Once the baking process is complete, I can see that the lost detail has been successfully restored on the low-poly mesh, allowing me to move forward with texturing.

As a precaution, I exported the baked mesh and imported it into Maya to ensure everything was working correctly. I wanted to catch any potential issues early, before progressing too far into the texturing stage. Fortunately, everything imported smoothly, and I was able to continue without any problems.

I didn’t take a lot of screenshots throughout the texturing process because I find it distracting from my work however I’ve completed textruing my crab using mostly ….

Autodesk Maya – Rigging:

I begin by importing my 3D crab model into Maya and cleaning up the naming conventions of all elements. This helps me stay organized and on track throughout the rigging process. I also assign all necessary materials before diving into the rig itself.

First, I make the model a live surface, which allows me to draw the rig bones directly onto the crab’s geometry, ensuring proper placement and avoiding misalignment.

I start with the legs and claws, creating joints for each. Next, I build a spine and parent the legs and claws to it. Finally, I create a rig for the eyes and parent it to the topmost joint of the spine to keep everything connected logically.

Once I have the base skeleton set up, I add inverse kinematics (IK) handles to the legs. This allows for more natural movement—when I move one part of the leg, the rest of the segments follow automatically.

Next, I create control guides using NURBS curves. I select a circle curve and rotate it 90 degrees to align properly with the leg. These guides make the rig easier to control without displaying the skeleton, which keeps the interface clean and user-friendly. I place a circle under each leg and parent the corresponding IK handle to it, enabling intuitive control over leg movement.

 

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Week 1 – Introduction to the module

Key things that the module will cover:

• Mocap
• Rigging
• ZBrush Creature sculpting

Create robot by the end of next week.

 

What is rigging?

Rigging is a fundamental process in the 3D animation pipeline that involves creating a digital skeleton (or “rig”) for a 3D model so that it can be animated. Think of rigging as building the underlying structure that allows a character or object to move, bend, and deform in a realistic or stylized way. Without a rig, a 3D model is essentially a static sculpture—it cannot move or interact with its environment. Rigging bridges the gap between a static model and a fully animated character, providing animators with the tools they need to bring the model to life.

At its core, rigging involves creating a system of joints (or bones) and controls that animators can manipulate to pose and animate the model. These joints are connected in a hierarchical structure, mimicking the way bones work in real life. For example, a character’s arm might have joints for the shoulder, elbow, and wrist, with each joint influencing the movement of the ones below it. The rig also includes controllers, which are user-friendly handles or interfaces that animators use to move the joints and create animations. These controllers simplify the animation process, allowing animators to focus on the creative aspects rather than dealing with the technical complexities of the rig.

Rigging is not limited to characters; it can also be used for objects, vehicles, and even environments. For example, a rig for a car might include controls for opening doors, rotating wheels, and steering, while a rig for a tree might allow its branches to sway in the wind. The complexity of a rig depends on the needs of the project. A simple rig might only include basic joints and controls, while a complex rig could involve advanced features like inverse kinematics (IK), facial controls, blend shapes, dynamic simulations, and more.

One of the key aspects of rigging is skinning, which is the process of binding the 3D model’s geometry (the mesh) to the rig. This involves assigning each part of the mesh to the joints that will influence its movement. For example, the vertices of a character’s arm would be bound to the shoulder, elbow, and wrist joints. Once the mesh is bound to the rig, the animator can move the joints, and the mesh will deform accordingly. However, skinning is rarely perfect right away—riggers often need to spend time painting skin weights, which determine how much influence each joint has over the vertices of the mesh. Proper skin weighting is crucial for ensuring that the model deforms smoothly and realistically during animation.

Rigging also involves setting up constraints and relationships between different parts of the rig. For example, a rigger might create a constraint that makes a character’s eyes always look at a specific target or set up a relationship that causes a character’s fingers to curl naturally when the hand is closed. These constraints and relationships add layers of realism and automation to the rig, making it easier for animators to create believable movements.

In addition to creating the rig itself, riggers often build user interfaces or control panels that allow animators to interact with the rig more efficiently. These interfaces can include sliders, buttons, and other tools for controlling facial expressions, finger movements, or other complex parts of the rig. A well-designed rig not only functions well but is also intuitive and easy for animators to use.

Rigging is a highly technical and creative discipline that requires a deep understanding of anatomy, physics, and animation principles. A good rigger must balance technical skills with artistic sensibilities, ensuring that the rig not only works correctly but also supports the animator’s vision. Rigging is often an iterative process, with riggers and animators working closely together to refine the rig and address any issues that arise during animation.

In summary, rigging is the backbone of 3D animation. It transforms static models into dynamic, animatable characters and objects, providing the structure and controls needed to bring them to life. Whether it’s a simple rig for a bouncing ball or a complex rig for a fully articulated character, rigging is an essential step in the animation process, enabling animators to create the movements and performances that tell compelling stories.

What is HumanIK?

HumanIK is a sophisticated inverse kinematics (IK) system built into Autodesk Maya, specifically designed for rigging and animating humanoid characters. It provides a standardized skeleton structure and a set of tools to create, control, and retarget animations for bipedal characters. HumanIK is part of Maya’s animation toolkit and is widely used in games, films, and other 3D animation projects.

 

 

 

Exercise 1 – Quick Rig with HumanIK

In Quick Rig Tool, I complete the following steps:

1. 1. Geometry – Select geometry and press add (plus icon )

2. Guides – In Embed Method select ”Polygon Soup” which can capture more detail, then create/update to apply the changes.

3. Symmetry Points

4. Skeleton and Rig Generation – In skeleton settings, select Skeleton Only

 

 

 

 

I select create character definition wehr eI iwll assign bones

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Quick rig tool

step by step

polygon soup – highest level of complexity

create/update

adjustr  pivot points

 

skeleton only > create (it creates the bones)

 

skinning > create (bind the mesh to the bones)

 

bring in motion capture

import data

System are the cameras (delete not needed0 ulabeled markers (delete not needed)

delete all markers on the james mocap, only leave th ebones

 

Create character reference

select the mmocp data > rotate – 0 > select hips > rotate 90

in human ik > create character definition > right clicl the pivot point of the mesh and in human ik right click and check assign selected bone for corresponding bones

 

Character; Skeleton

Driven by: Mocap

 

 

 

• You have to 0 out the bones everywhere by rotating on all axis by 0 otherwise the quick rig assigning bones ownt work

 

Excercise 2 – 

 

 

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Zbrush Part of module – Sculpt & rig scorpion

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Week 2 – VFX Pipeline

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Week 3 – Substance, Maya & Nuke Workflow

 

 

 

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Week 4 – Blend Shape Workflow

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Week 5 – Assignment 1 Workshop

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Week 7 – ZBrush and ZSpheres

Adaptive skin > make adaptive skin

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Week 8 – Leg Anatomy & Blendshapes

Leg Anatomy

 

 

Blend Shapes

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Week 9 – Rigging

 

 

Inverse Kinematics

 

 

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Assignment 1

Final Result:

Development Work:

Robot Model

Robot Texturing

Textured model brought back and rendered in Maya

Rigging

I rigged my robot using HumanIK. I started off by pressing the HumanIK Icon and then going into ”Quick  RigTool

Inside the quick rig tool, I complete the following steps:

1. Geometry – I select my desired geometry and click the Add button (plus icon)
2. Guides – I select Polygon Soup for the guide type, then click Create / Update to generate the guides.
3. User Adjustments of Guides – I symmetrize the guides to the opposite side to ensure symmetry on both sides.
4. Skeleton and Rig Generation – I select the Skeleton Only option and click Create / Update to generate the skeleton and the rig.
5. Skinning – I skip the skinning process, leaving the character unskinned.

Applying Motion Capture

Tracking Real Life Footage: