Facial Animation in Maya
In this Maya tutorial we will learn tips an techniques for creating believable facial animations. Software required: Maya 2012 and up.
What you'll learn
This tutorial will cover the process of animating a face in Maya. We will build the animation step by step, covering time-saving and proficient techniques like smart blocking, using a checklist, how to work with reference and checking for arcs. We will even cover what to do when we encounter issues where an expression that was not anticipated calls for the control rig to be revised. By the end of this tutorial, you we will be equipped with the knowledge you need to build your own facial animations that are convincing and entertaining. Software required: Maya 2012 and up.
Table of contents
- Helpful Notes / Reviewing the Checklist 3m
- Getting the Scene Ready for Animation 5m
- Studying the Reference 1m
- Modifying the Cheek Controls for an Inhaling Shape 1m
- Starting on the Extreme Pass 7m
- Blocking in the Animation as the Character Starts to Speak 7m
- Blocking in Frames 26 Through 36 10m
- Blocking in Frames 44 Through 65 9m
- Blocking in Frames 69 Through 86 14m
- Blocking in Frames 98 Through 103 9m
- Finishing the Extreme Pass 18m
- Creating Controls for a More Pronounced Lip Purse 14m
- The Breakdown Pass 8m
- Starting on the Initial Polish Pass 6m
- Correcting the Arcs of the Head 10m
- Finishing the Head Pass 8m
- Polishing the Animation of the Eyes 10m
- Refining the Brow Animation 4m
- Tweaking the Mouth's Animation 7m
- Finalizing the Animation 5m
About the author
Delano works avidly as an animation author at Pluralsight. Starting his career at animation studios like Shilo, Delano has developed a strong passion for his talents. His animation and rigging background help him teach and create some of the most-watched training on Pluralsight. A few of his favorite projects that he has contributed to include: Character Interaction in Maya and in Softimage, Rigging the Human Face in Maya, Rigging Sea Creatures in Maya, and Rigging and Animating Transforming... more