Category: 1.1 Week 7

This week we worked on the blend shapes. Blend shapes is a standard approach to make facial expressions by deforming the mesh. Usually it is unique for every character and with this you can add personality to a character. As facial expressions are one of the main way of communication thus blend shapes are one of the key things in the rig.

I have worked on several shapes this week include expressions like blink, smile, smirk, frown, angry and with the expressions I have also made phonetics. As this character has a bit of rough personality that is why I have kept the expressions a bit rigid.

Blink

Eyes blinking is the key expressions so I started my process with it. This blinking action sometimes causes problems in between where the eyelid blend shape often intersects with the eye therefore it is suitable to add an in-between blend shape as well.

Frown

Smirk

Angry

Smile

Thinking/Processing/Recalling

Phonetics

After making the expressions I have made phonetics so that I can easily do the lip sync animation afterwards.

Last week we did the blocking of the walk cycle. Our task for this week was to refine it and add in between key frames to make the walk cycle more smooth. I have given my character slightly cartoonish feel through animation.

First Pass

This is the first pass of the animation. Still feeling some abnormal abnormal behaviour in the knees.

Final Animation

I adjusted knee pops and stretches and here is the final animation.