Sharing custom attributes in Maya
Sharing custom attributes in Maya
The goal of a functional character rig is to provide the animator with the maximum control from the simplest interface.
This tutorial will demonstrate how to create custom object attributes. We will also be writing some simple expressions to connect those attributes to the node we want to control.
Let's say we want to create a control that will allow the animator to lean this pumpkin character from side to side.
When the pumpkin leans to the left, we want him to pivot from the contact point on the left side. And when he leans to the right, he should pivot from the contact point on the right. If he always rotates from the same pivot point in the middle, we have intersection with the ground plane.
Of course, the animator could always just rotate and translate the pumpkin by hand. But aside from being a lot of work, it's bound to look "floaty" in the end. Our task is to make the animator's job easier.
Ok, so how do we achieve multiple pivot points?
The best way is to parent the pumpkin under a couple of null nodes. Select your object and group it twice. Select the inner group and rename it "LeanLeft." Select the outer group and rename it "LeanRight." Now select the pivot points and move them where we want them. (On a PC, hit the "insert" button to toggle the pivot mode.
Now, we can select the LeanLeft node and rotate to make the pumpkin lean to the left. Select the LeanRight node to make the pumpkin lean to the right.
Excellent! We have the desired effect in place using the group nodes with different pivot points. The pumpkin is able to lean from side to side. But it's still not easy to animate. We don't want the animator to have to be selecting different groups to lean each way. It would be great if we could control the lean with one attribute.
This tutorial will demonstrate how to create custom object attributes. We will also be writing some simple expressions to connect those attributes to the node we want to control.
Let's say we want to create a control that will allow the animator to lean this pumpkin character from side to side.
When the pumpkin leans to the left, we want him to pivot from the contact point on the left side. And when he leans to the right, he should pivot from the contact point on the right. If he always rotates from the same pivot point in the middle, we have intersection with the ground plane.
Of course, the animator could always just rotate and translate the pumpkin by hand. But aside from being a lot of work, it's bound to look "floaty" in the end. Our task is to make the animator's job easier.
Ok, so how do we achieve multiple pivot points?
The best way is to parent the pumpkin under a couple of null nodes. Select your object and group it twice. Select the inner group and rename it "LeanLeft." Select the outer group and rename it "LeanRight." Now select the pivot points and move them where we want them. (On a PC, hit the "insert" button to toggle the pivot mode.
Now, we can select the LeanLeft node and rotate to make the pumpkin lean to the left. Select the LeanRight node to make the pumpkin lean to the right.
Excellent! We have the desired effect in place using the group nodes with different pivot points. The pumpkin is able to lean from side to side. But it's still not easy to animate. We don't want the animator to have to be selecting different groups to lean each way. It would be great if we could control the lean with one attribute.
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