Cousteau Face Setup Demo High
(6.8 MB Quicktime video)
Cousteau Face Setup Demo Low
(1.7 MB Quicktime video)
In other words, I'm sort of done with Cousteau's facial setup, although it would be great if I'd have more time to refine the deformations. I ultimately ended up using the Adaptable Facial Setup (AFS) developed for Maya by the awesome dudes at the Animation Institute/Filmakademie Baden-Wurttemberg (to whom I extend my thanks :D ), who were so kind as to offer the Maya community one absolutely amazing software. It's a free "Face Robot" with a lot of goodies, and pretty much using Maya's toolset, so it communicates perfectly with Maya. For corrective shapes I used Daniel Pook-Kolb's BCS (thanks Daniel!!!) instead of Maya's blendshapes, and it was a wiiiiise choice, I'm tellin' ya. I ended up needing to create combination-corrections that are normally impossible... in any 3D application. Not many, but essential ones ;) Of course, he could use many many more, for a really fine-tuned setup. The hardest thing about Cousteau's face turned out to be his creases, managing all that creasingpalootza was tough. Ammm, one thing I still should try to fix is the loss of volume in his cheeks, and the overall look of his cheek-area. The AFS, as is right now, I think, and I'm not sure... has a weakness here (as well as with the sliding skin on the forehead), but on the other hand, the overall fleshiness of the AFS is impressive.
I still need to add a cluster that will rotate/move his mouth with a falloff, for more irregularity (so I can have him speak more on the left for example). This cluster thing is an idea I had a while ago and it's so simple and efficient, with such easily obtained impressive results... that I should be nominated for an Academy Award or somethin'... :D He he he... So, anyway, including the cluster, eyes controllers and the neck controller, all this setup has 18 (!) controllers only, arranged in good'ol'fashioned Osipa style (on-face), driving 30 facial action units (10 of which also have left-right divisions).
Cousteau's body rig is also... sort of done, but I have some wicked plans for a freeform rig I want to try my hand at. If it works... and if I can also animate with it (if it's not too wacky)... ho ho ho, badaboum bang yeapahdeedooooooo :D