"It's ALIIIIIVE!"

I just had some help from Sean with using EP curves to make facial controls. This is a method I had never used before so I decided that would be the way to go, as the main point of me being here is learning anyway. 

To create these controls I need to start by using the EP curve tool on the linear setting, and snap to at least 5 vertices in a row, and a linear curve will follow them. This is my bind curve. After I have my bind curve I use the EP curve tool again, but I use cubic 3 in the tool settings, and snap to at least 3 vertices along the same line. This is my control curve. I will use my control curve to move the bind curve, and the bind curve will move the geometry. I should add clusters to the control curve, and parent them under the controls that I want to use.

Once I have my two curves I go to the create deformers menu and select the wire tool. I click on the bind curve and press enter, then the control curve and press enter. This links the two curves together.

An important step to allow this to work is to go into my skincluster input, and make sure that use components is turned on. If it's off, then the bind curve won't affect the mesh at all. 

Once I have the two curves connected and my mesh is allowing the use of components, I select the bind curve, then the mesh, and add influence. I make sure that my weights are locked so that it doesn't ruin the skinning that I did previously. 

As soon as it's added to the skin, I can open up the paint weights tool settings, select the curve, unlock it and paint weight in the appropriate area. 

At this point it's ready to go. 

Shout out to Sean Davies for teaching me this process. I really appreciate it man. 

17th June 2015

This morning I started off by fixing the file that I worked on yesterday after a team mate accidentally saved over it, but it didn't take too long as I remembered how I fixed it previously. I did a quick re-skin, and was caught up after only a couple of hours. I then began texturing the male character.

16th June 2015

Today I did the main skinning for the male character, but when I did a test, I encountered some issues with the root control, AGAIN. 

I discovered some hierarchical issues after pulling my hair out for a while, and finally managed to get it running correctly.

I need to add some SDKs in the hips to get him working, but other than that I can get started on his facial rig! whoop whoop. 

12 June 2015

OOPS! 

It's okay.

His days of t-rex arms are over. 

Had some issues with my rig so I re-rigged the entire thing today. I have started skinning again, which shouldn't be too much of an issue. It should be all ready to go by the end of the weekend :) 

11th June 2015

Today I started by deleting the ribbon/curve spine that I had been using from one of Craig's scripts, as it wasn't bending in an appealing way. I replaced it with a simple FK spine, which makes bending and stretching the spine very simple.

I then ended up finishing off my skinning, and made sure that everything worked. All I have to do now is complete facial controls and test the rig. 

I am going to attempt to use control curves to control the face. This isn't a technique I'm super experienced in, which is one of the reasons I have decided to use it. I have seen it used on other rigs, and I think it has a lot of merits compared to using blendshapes and other methods of creating facial rigs. I guess I'll find out. 

10th June 2015

Today I have made a lot of progress towards my skinning. 

9th June 2015

Today I have started skinning the male character. I really need to finish these characters, as they should have been done a while ago. I would have been on track but didn't expect that I would be sick. As soon as he is skinned I can start on the facial controls for him, then do the same for the female character. There's still some work to be done on his skinning.