How to Cheat in Maya 2017: Tools and Techniques for Character Animation

by Paul Naas

Overview

This is not a book about Maya software with a few animation pointers thrown in here and there. This is a guide to Maya software written by professional animators. This book provides you with complete, set-by-step walkthroughs of essential animation techniques that increase your speed and efficiency while using Maya 2017 for character animation. From curves to constraints, this book covers all of the methods available in the latest version of Maya. Featuring gold-mine coverage this book teaches you new techniques for working with characters in animation tests and short films. Accompanied by a companion site, this is the one and only guide to get you up to speed.

Key Features

Complete step-by-step, walkthroughs of essential techniques every animator needs to know.

Features interviews with leading experts and experienced animation leads.

Companion web site including all exercise/example scene files and extras such as video tutorials and animation files.

Interlude articles covering everything from Reference Video to Resumes.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780815379942
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	07/31/2018
Series:	How To Cheat
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	522
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 10.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Paul Naas is an animator, illustrator, professor, and author of two previous books on Maya. He is currently the Program Coordinator for the Digital Art & Animation program at Cañada College in Redwood City, California. Prior to teaching, Paul worked for nearly 20 years as a professional animator in games, independent film, TV spots, and location-based entertainment. He continues to work frequently on freelance and independent projects.

Table of Contents

Contents

How to Cheat and Why............... ix

Acknowledgments..................... xiii

How to Use This Book.................xv

1 Animation

Principles........................1

Squash and Stretch......................2

Anticipation....................................6

Staging............................................10

Straight Ahead/

Pose to Pose..................................15

Overlapping Action/

Follow-through........................... 22

Slow In/Slow Out....................... 26

Arcs.................................................. 30

Secondary Action....................... 33

Timing............................................ 38

Exaggeration............................... 42

Solid Drawing ............................. 46

Appeal............................................ 50

Interlude........................................ 54

2 Splines.......................... 59

How Splines Work.......................61

Splines and Spacing.................. 67

Tangent Types .............................74

Tangent Handles........................ 82

Spline Technique ....................... 89

Spline Reference ........................ 92

Interlude........................................ 95

3 Graph Editor.............. 103

Graph Editor Windup..............104

Visual Tools................................. 107

Working with Keys....................116

Value Operators........................ 120

Buffer Curves............................. 124

Speed Cheats............................. 128

4 Techniques................ 133

Auto Key...................................... 134

Timeline Techniques............... 138

Cartoony Motion......................144

Trax Editor................................... 147

Copying Curves........................ 151

Editable Motion Trails............. 159

IK and FK...................................... 167

IK/FK Switching......................... 171

Character Sets........................... 178

Grease Pencil Tool.................... 182

Grease Pencil and Trails......... 190

Interlude...................................... 196

5 Constraints................ 201

Parenting.....................................202

Parent Constraints...................207

Constraining a Prop................ 212

Constraint Weights.................. 216

Animating with

Constraints................................. 221

Interlude...................................... 231

6 Rigging Cheats......... 235

Rig Testing..................................236

Sprucing it Up...........................248

Rigging Props............................256

Interlude......................................259

7 Standing Out............. 263

Adding BlendShapes..............264

Adding Clusters........................272

Wrap Deformer.........................282

Adding Hair and Cloth...........288

Interlude......................................296

8 Workflow................... 301

Planning/Reference.................302

Converting Cycles.................... 310

Stepped Keys............................. 313

Stepped Preview......................320

Moving Holds When

Splining....................................... 324

Moving Holds with the

Retime Tool.................................334

Refining Arcs in Polish............ 337

Final Texture...............................342

Interview.....................................346

9 Cycles.......................... 355

Cycle Basics................................356

Stride Length.............................363

Walk Cycle...................................372

Flying Cycle................................378

Quad Cycles...............................388

10 Referencing............... 393

Referencing Basics...................394

Offline Edits................................401

Saving Reference Edits...........407

Interlude...................................... 413

11 Facial Animation.......417

Planning and Prep................... 418

Core Poses..................................422

Lip Sync 1—Jaw Motion........428

Lip Sync 2—Mouth

Corners........................................432

Lip Sync 3—Mouth

Shapes..........................................436

Lip Sync 4—Tongue................441

Blinks............................................445

Blink and Brows........................450

Eye Darts.....................................459

Final Touches.............................465

Interlude...................................... 470

12 Animation Layers..... 473

How Animation

Layers Work................................ 474

Animation Layer Basics.......... 476

Cheating a Cycle.......................483

Layers for Texture..................... 491

Interlude......................................496

Index..............................................501