3D animation basics

Rigging and Binding
Jeremy Cantor and Pepe Valencia, in their book Inspired 3D short film production, they say in relation to rigging and binding which are the process of converting your model from character in a puppet, so you can put it in a determined position and encourage you effectively and efficiently.

Build a skeleton perfectly functional, capable of reproducing movements natural and efficiently controllable, is the purpose of the rigging process, while the binding stage corresponds to the exhaustive process of adhering to the geometry of the character u object to the rig or skeleton. In this process it is required, in addition of a refined patience, a software with tools of flexible, effective and efficient rigging and binding.

Some software also have with two complementary techniques. The first consists of a kind of morph (blended shapes) where the surface is deformed in itself without the need for a skeleton. This is achieved by modeling different deformations from the duplication of the same surface and then combining them to make the original surface memorize the other deformations; this technique is widely used for facial expressions. The other is to build driven keys, where an element driver is programmed to control or move another or others (driven) to a predefined position; this can used to achieve simultaneous movements of different objects in the scene.

When geometry is attached to the rig, there are usually problems of deformation of the geometry, for which the software must have tools of correction, such as painting the influence of each bone on each specific area of geometry (wight paintting).

Animation
It is here where it is encouraged, brought to life, from a logo lonely to an entirely inhabited city. During the animation process, any object or attribute is available the desired shape, and is recorded as a keyframe. The Computer does the filling between one keyframe and another, which is called inbetweens.

We don't try to go through the abysses of animation, but yes, emphasize that any software professional features tools like curve editors of animation (Graph editor) or the manipulation sheets of the time (digital dope sheets), designed to be able to apply without limiting the principles of animation (stretching and contraction, anticipation, overlay of action, deceleration and acceleration, etc.).

Understanding these tools, along with solid training in animation, will serve widely once we understand that the pictures of animation filled in by the software (inbetweens), between keyframes assigned by the animator (keyframes), no they always generate the desired result.

Various software allow motion programming, widely used when animation by keyframes or key frames would be extremely exhausting, like the animation of the limbs of a centipede.

Each software has options to real-time preview, with which it is possible constantly test the progress and results of the process before of the final render.

Lighting
The purpose of enlightenment is to convey a state of mind, a depth, a time and a composition.

The different packages of software usually have some inabilities to recreate on its own the behavior of the light, preventing the light from bouncing on surfaces and disperse. However, they exist not only techniques to distort this effect a little and achieve a satisfactory result, but, in addition, companies such as Discreet have developed software compatible with the main animation packages, to solve this type of drawback. This is the case of Mental Ray.

The theme of shadows is so important as that of the light itself and these depend greatly measure render times. There are basically two types of shadow: Dmap Shadows or simulated and shadows by Ray Tracing, which are of higher quality.

Render
Rendering is a process by which the software translates all the previous work of animation, lighting, modeling, texturing, etc., in sequences of images or layers of images that then, when shot one after another, finally come to life. Keep in mind that not only the quality of the The result varies from one software to another, but also the use of available resources translated into render time, it can also vary.

Plug-ins
They are programs designed, not to work on their own but supported by a professional animation software, which will give you give this extra capabilities, impossible with the original software configuration. Among them is the already mentioned Mental Ray, which fulfills functions of simulation of realistic lighting, but there are also others for hair simulation such as shag:Hair; of behavior of fluids and particle system such as Real Flow; Muster for render resource allocation, and A.I. implant for mass simulation, among many others.

The main software of Animations have a specific section on their sites internet, with enough information about its Plug-in Partners.

The software
When I first tried to answer my concern in Related to the software I was to implement, I found that the difficulty of the answer lay in the wide offer available in the market, which today has such strong brands such as Houdini, Pixels3D, Blender, Carrara, Hash, Calgari, Formz, Rhinoceros, Cinema 4D, EIAS, Lightwave3D, SoftImage XSI, 3D max and Maya, among others.

Trying them all wouldn't be an idea sensible, unless time and resources are available; but yes it may be interesting to consider the following opinions:

• Nothing speaks better of a software that the sum of projects in which it has been employee, as well as the degree of visual sophistication of them.
• If the particular needs for which you will employ the software, you will find it easier to choose; is say, if you are going to animate characters with hair, by example, only packages with hair or fur le modules will be useful.
• To the extent that a software have greater distribution, your users will have a wider volume of tools and aids through the same communities on the internet.
• Alliances between giants industry are an indicator of where will target animation technology in the coming years.
• It is never enough to find out about of which of these software houses have a track record, with academy awards or similar.
• The compatibility of the most important plug-ins with the software that has been chosen.

Now, which brands comply satisfactorily with most of these features?

Maya, deserving the Academy Award for Technical and Scientific Development, has stood out as the leading software in digital animation for film and television and is positioned as the most complete, with dynamic object simulation modules (soft and riggid bodies), paint effects, fluid simulation (fluids), simulation of clothing (cloth) and hair (hair). Maya now features optional plug-ins such as Mental Ray and recently Renderman, de Pixar; there is also the mass simulator module AI Implant, and Muster, qube and rush as administrators of resources for rendering, among other options. Its manufacturer, Alias, just acquired Kaydara and its Motion Builder software, which allows to wait in the next versions of Maya, advances in aspects such as rigging, animation editing and animation of Characters. The cost of Maya Unlimited 6 is US$ 6,999 and the Complete version (without the fluids, fur, cloth and hair modules) is of US$1,999.

SoftImage XSI se has begun to establish itself as Maya's most robust competitor in the film and TV industry. This software, developed by a independent company, which passed into the hands of Microsoft and after Avid, it has a special non-linear module animation: animation mixer, and an integrated module of composition; but it does not have plug-ins for hair or Fur. During the past Siggraph 2004, in Los Angeles, XSI reduced drastically its price at US$ 495.

3d max is the most popular software, especially among amateurs and in the video game industry; however, it has been employed in television and film alike. This software, apparently so strong like Maya or SoftImage, actually requires several plug-ins to be just as robust. Add the value of the plug-ins when making your budget. A notable advantage is the integration with composition software such as Combustion, also manufactured by Discreet. The price of 3Dmax 7, without no plug-in, is US$ 3,055.

Lightwave, it's very popular in TV production. But it still lacks several tools and modules, which allow you to at least reach the category leader. Its price is US$ 1,595.

The others, despite having special features not mentioned here, do not have such a prominent position within the industry, not only in technology and innovation, but especially in incursion of markets and positioning.

The answer
But what then was the conclusion? What is that? software with which you will guarantee the applause for your next project? Actually, none, or any, that it's up to you, as the success of an animation project it's not in the software, or the hardware, or the sophistication of the facilities.

Despite how much I've heard in relation to the convenience of one software or another, I think blindly that the important thing will continue to be the talent, the team and the organization behind the project. What really valuable is creativity and recursion to take advantage of the tools available. That is, the best of the projects of animation, just like the worst, could have been developed with the same software. Therefore, my advice goes aimed at emphasizing the importance of everything that we difference from a computer: talent, understanding artistic and the study itself, which must permeate each of the stages of the process.

Once you have the team suitable (sculptors for modeling, painters for texturing, actors to animate, etc.), choose the software that is at the level of your equipment, without oversizing or limiting it, reinforcing the idea that software is just that, a tool, and that the applause will always be for the team behind them.