User Set Up Code

I learned about user set up scripts when I took my first python class in CGMA.  The very concept of what this script really does and how powerful it is went right over my head.  I was a total beginner at scripting at the time.  When I was at FIEA working on my very first artist proof tool, which was my controller generator tool, I wanted it to have it's own shelf and to be able to update every time I open maya.  With this in mind I went back to my CGMA class and looked at how a user set up code works and then I began making my own one.  

My user set up code is not a script I show in it's own demo reel since it is very much a back end pipeline script and it is something I want to continue to grow and add more custom tools and shelves.  The user set up script is multiple scripts working together to allow me to have the ability to:

• Have my tools update every time I open Autodesk Maya
• Create a custom shelf that I can store all my custom tools in
• Create a drop down menu that I can use to also access different tools and keep my tools organized
• Have tools not disappear when resetting maya preferences. 
• Easy to update my scripts to add more custom shelves and drop down menu options

So what do my scripts do?  Well, this is a quick break down of what they do and how they talk to one another.  

Two of my scripts are in a folder that I keep in a safe place and I label it something so that others would know to not touch that folder.  The reason for this is because if that folder or any of the scripts in that folder are moved, the user set up code will break.  

Do Not Touch Folder

So what's in this folder?  This folder holds all my scripts for my custom tools.  Any tool that I create and want to add to my user set up code will be added to this folder.  My other script that is in this folder is my script that creates both my shelf and drop down menu.  It also checks to make sure that I don't have duplicate windows open in maya and it connects my custom tool to both the drop down menu and the shelf.  It also adds a custom icon for my tools.  

Gif of Autodesk Maya 2022 Custom Shelf and Drop Down Menu

So what is my other script?  The script that does the magic of bringing my tools, shelves, and drop down menus is the script called the userSetup.py.  This code is placed in the maya application folder in the script folder for version of maya currently being used.  This file needs to be called userSetup because maya will look for this name and bring all of my scripts into the program. The userSetup script I created looks for my folder my tools and menu scripts are in and creates a new environment variable.  It then imports my menu and shelf.

These series of scripts is something I want to work on more to add my new custom tools and continue to learn about scripting in maya. 

Rigging the Pink Haired Girls Face Part 2

 This week my goal is to create some blend shapes for my facial rig.  I will be using ZBrush to create all my shapes and then export them back into Maya.  

Maya 2022 Completed Blendshapes

Maya 2022 Gif of Head with Blendshapes

To start off this week I need to export my model into ZBrush.  I went back to my original file with my typology I used for my rig to make it easier to work with rather than going into my rigged file.  I will be exporting the basic model without the hair.  This includes the eyes, and teeth.

Maya 2022 With My Original Typology

To start my process of exporting my model to ZBrush, I cleaned up my scene a little to make it easier.  I combined the two eyes together and then combined the upper and lower teeth together.  

Maya 2022 Combined Geometry

For this next part I exported the eyes and the teeth separately as an obj.  I used the default settings for both of these exports.  Before I actually export my model I created some masking on certain areas on the face to help my workflow when I'm in ZBrush.  Doing this allows me to manipulate the face but not move areas I don't want to move. I selected the edge in the eyelids and then clicked to faces.  I then increased my selection and added a new material to the the selection.  I colored it blue so it's easier for me to differentiate my selections.

Maya 2022 Eyelid Mask

I then followed the same steps and created a mask for my lower lip/jaw.

Maya 2022 Jaw Mask

For importing my head into ZBrush I made sure that in my Preferences under Import I had the Import Mat As Groups selected. I created a Polymesh 3D and then imported the head.  For the eyes and teeth I appended a 3D star shape and then imported each of them.

ZBrush with Head Model

I then went into Edit Mode and pushed Shift + F to draw polyfill.  From my class I learned about the power of ctrl + shift + select for selecting parts of the face to isolate.  I then used ctrl to paint over them to create a mask.  To make working on the face easier I went up to Transform and turned on Symmetry.  I also created some layers to make exporting easier and so I can have many expressions in one file.  For the brush I'm using, I'm using the Move brush.

ZBrush File Set Up

Using the layers I set up, I made sure the innerBrowRaiser layer was set to 1 and was recording.  The innerBrowRaiser was the first facial shape I created.  I sculpted the face and pulled the inner brow area and the mid area between the left and right brows upwards. 

ZBrush InnerBrowRaiser Blendshape

For the outBrowRaiser, I pulled the outer brow area upwards and then smoothed it out a bit so that it was not changing the shape of the head.  

ZBrush Outer Brow Raiser Blendshape

I then checked both blendshapes together to see how they look when used at the same time.  I tweaked both blendshapes in some spots to make them blend better with each other.

ZBrush Inner and Outer Brow Raisers Used Together

For the Brow Lowerer, I brought in the eyebrows and tried to create a wrinkle.  I also moved them down a little bit and tested it with my inner brow raiser.  This is a shape I think I could improve.

ZBrush Brow Lowerer Blendshape

For the negative inner brow raiser I focused on the shape of the eyebrows and brought them down towards the eyes.  I made mine very exaggerated.

ZBrush Negative Inner Brow Raiser Blendshape

The negative outer brow raiser is more subtle.  I sculpted it and then checked it with the negative inner brow raiser and then went back in and adjusted.

ZBrush Negative Outer Brow Raiser Blendshape

For the sad blendshape, I took the inner brow raiser, brow lowerer, and the negative brow raiser and duplicated those shapes.  I then merged the duplicates into the sad blendshape.  From here I made some tweaks to improve the shape of the brows.  

ZBrush Sad Blendshape

For the angry blendshape, I duplicated the brow lowerer and the negative inner brow raiser and then merged them.  When combining these two blendshapes at their max, the face did break so I smoothed and tweaked the geometry to create the angry look.  

ZBrush Angry Blendshape

Once I got my brow shapes, I began to create my mouth shapes.  The first one I worked on was the lip stretcher.  When I think about it's movement, I see it moving horizontally.  To start my process I created a new layer and unfroze the jaw mask.  I sculpted the horizontal movement but also made sure I added a little movement going inwards with the shape of the head.  I also added the small details of the nose slightly flaring and the lips getting thinner as they stretch.  

ZBrush Lip Stretcher Blendshape

The lip tightener is the opposite of the lip stretcher since I am bringing the lips inwards instead of outwards.  With the Pink Haired Girl I have to think about the fact that by design, she already has a smaller compressed mouth.  When making the blendshape, I also gave more volume to the lips and made the nose also slightly move. 

ZBrush Lip Tightener Blendshape

The lip corner puller is a bit strange on this character because her design is frowny.  This shape was the hardest for me to get correct because she did look creepy.  I manipulated the corners of her mouth as well as inflated her cheeks.  I also moved her mouth up and had her nose flare slightly.  Because her cheeks inflate I had to smooth the geometry around her eyelids and cheeks.  

ZBrush Lip Corner Puller Blendshape

Because my character is already frowning, I did not go too crazy with the lip corner depressor.  I pulled the corners of the lips downwards and then pulled the skin around the cheeks downwards to follow.  I also moved the nose a litttle bit and moved the lips downwards.  For the top lip I moved it downwards and the bottom lip I moved slightly upwards.  This is a blendshape I think I could improve some more.  

ZBrush Lip Corner Depressor Blendshape

After getting my mouth shapes I began to work on my lip shapes.  The first one I sculpted was the upper lip depressor.  I pulled the lips up towards the corners and pulled the skin back so that it moves.  I did adjust the middle of the lip so that it does not move with the corners.  A separate blendshape will be used to create that.  I also tried to make sure that I don't move the nose too much.  

ZBrush Upper Lip Raiser Blendshape

Since I created the upper lip raiser, I then worked on the upper lip raiser middle blendshape.  To make the middle shape, I left the upper lip raiser blendshape turned on and on it's own layer I moved the middle part of the lip upwards so that it created a more square shape with the corners.  This is used for making the face look angry.

ZBrush Upper Lip Raiser Middle Blendshape

For the nose wrinkler blendshape, I left the upper lip raiser and the upper lip raiser middle blendshape turned on.  On it's own separate layer I sculpted the shape. I mostly pulled the corners of the nose upwards and then created a wrinkle with the geometry right behind the nostrils.  I also moved the nose slightly upwards.  

ZBrush Nose Wrinkler Blendshape

Since the lower lip depressor works with the lower lip and not the upper lip or head, I unfroze the jaw area and then froze the head so that it would not move.  I made this blendshape a bit extreme.  I mostly pulled down the lips on the side and smoothed out the geometry.  I moved some of the geometry under the lips to give some movement.  I also very slightly moved the middle of the lower lip.  

ZBrush Lower Lip Depressor Blendshape

Similarly how I worked on the lower lip depressor, on it's own layer I unfroze the jaw geometry and then froze the head geometry for the middle lower lip depressor.  I left the lower lip depressor turned on so I can properly blend the two lip depressors together.  I moved the middle of the lip downwards and tried not to flatten the middle of the lip too much.  I also adjusted the lip depressor blendshape after I got the middle lip depressor where I wanted it to be.  

ZBrush Middle Lower Lip Depressor Blendshape

For these next two blendshapes I worked with the cheek area.  For the cheek puff I pulled the cheeks outwards.  I adjusted the masks around the characters eyes and jaw so I could move the geometry in those areas slightly.  For this blendshape I had to be careful about moving the eyelids, nose and mouth too much.  After doing some research I found a video from FlippedNormals on Youtube about Erasing from Layers in ZBrush.  Using the technique shown in the video I was able to adjust the geometry around the mouth, nose and eyelids after creating the cheek puff shape so it is less influenced.  I smoothed out the geometry after erasing on the layers so it looks more blended. 

ZBrush Cheek Puff Blendshape

The last blendshape I created was the cheek suck blendshape.  I went closer to the lips and brought the cheek geometry inwards.  I then adjusted the jaw mask a little bit to move the geometry in that area.  I also tried to make sure that there looked like there was a cheek bone.  Using the erasing from layers in zbrush technique I made sure that the lips where untouched by the geometry being moved around.  To get some extra tweaking on this blendshape I turned on the lip tightener blendshape and moved the geometry around the lips to better blend those two blendshapes.  

ZBrush Cheek Suck Blendshape

After I created all my blendshapes, I brought them into maya using the FBX exported in zbrush.  Once I brought the blendshapes in I tested them out on my rigging head to see how they were working.  Overall this had been my first real experience creating blendshapes for a facial rig.  I really enjoyed this process and it does takes a lot of time.  There is so much more for me to learn about blendshapes and with more practice the blendshapes will only improve!

Hades Facial Rig Reel

Hades Facial Rig Reel

UPDATED RIG REEL

Hades is my first facial rig I have ever worked on.  I created him while I was in the tech art specialization at FIEA.  When I began to work on him I was extremely excited because I didn't know a lot about facial rigging.  The small amount of facial rigging I did do was in undergrad when I rigged parts of Lucy's face and a small assignment where we rigged a smile and frown on a character named Victor.  When choosing a character to facial rig, I actually asked an alumni named Ky Campbell if I could rig one of the characters they modeled and so I got to rig Hades.  You may have seen Hades if you are familiar with FIEA's capstone projects as he is one of the characters from a capstone game called Kore by Penguin Void Productions.  The rig I created for him is a joint based styled facial rig so all of this controllers except for two are manipulating joints in his face.  Two of his facial shapes are created from blendshapes which gives the animator a squash and stretch controller.  Overall he has 70+ controllers and tweakers.  In my demo reel I can't show them all but I show a few of the controllers that have bigger movements.  Because Hades is king of the underworld, I decided to be fun with the music I put to his reel.  I choose the instrumental to Highway to Hell from AC/DC.  Overall, I learned so much from rigging Hades.  Rigging a joint based facial rig has made me very excited for creating other styles of facial rigs and continuing to grow this skill.

Rigging Demo Reel 2021

Rigging Demo Reel 2021

This is my rigging demo reel for 2021.  It shows my two biggest projects I have worked on as well as a facial rig I created.  The music used in my demo reel is called Summer Time by MorningLightMusic.

My first rig shown is the hellhound named Lucy from UCF's Character Animation short animated film Delivery.  I am responsible for her animation and rig.  This is a test animation I created for Lucy when working on the film.  I took this animation further when I worked on it in animation class while at UCF's Florida's Interactive Entertainment Academy.  

My second rig shown is Zenko from Zenko: A Fox's Tale.  I created his rig while on the Wolf Packtics team at UCF's FIEA program (Florida's Interactive Entertainment Academy).  I am also responsible for his animation fixes and clean up.  The Zenko cinematic was done in Unreal Engine 4.

My third rig shown is for a character named Hades.  He was modeled by Ky Campbell.  Hades is a character from an indie game called Kore by Penguin Void Productions.  Kore was also a game created in Florida's Interactive Entertainment Academy.  

Feel free to also check out their individual reels on Youtube, Vimeo, or Instagram to see more of their rigs!

Troubleshoots for Having Your Blendshapes from ZBrush work on a Hero Head in Maya

 This week while working on my facial rig for the pink haired girl, I ran into an interesting problem.  When importing my blendshapes for my rig I found that the blendshapes imported in pieces when exported as an obj.  This completely breaks my blendshapes when I hook them up to my hero head.  I tried a couple of ways to fix this problem and I'm going to talk about all of them.

To describe the problem I had,  when I originally brought in the blendshapes they were multiple groups.  When I selected the faces to check the the flow of the typology I also found that it was chopped up into pieces.  

Maya 2022 Checking the Edge Flow on Blendshape

When I tried to attach the blendshape to the head and manipulated it, Half of the head cripples.

Maya 2022 Crippled Blendshape

After doing some research I found three ways to fix this for exporting from Zbrush, if that doesn't work then there are a few things to check in maya. 

The first setting I would check is your export settings.  Turning off group and turning on Qud, Txr, and Mrg.

ZBrush Export Settings

Besides looking in your tools, you can actually look for solutions in the Zplugin tab.  Exporting your blendshapes as an FBX also fixes the problem.  

ZBrush FBX Import/Export

Another cool way to export is to use the blendshape exporter Zbrush has built in.  It is also in the ZPlugin.  It saves a lot of time since it does export all the blendshapes and then opens them all in a maya scene.  I have found that it looks like it works.  Always make sure on your actual rigging head that it is actually working.  

ZBrush Blendshapes Export

Another setting I have heard of but haven't looked into is the Polygroups setting in your tools if these options do not work.  

For connecting your blendshapes to the head in Maya if exporting is not the issue is to check:

• Frozen Transformations
• Deleted History
• Check to make sure your heads are the same because blendshapes move based on vertices points.  If the verticie points do not match up it will break the blendshapes.