The Art of Rigging + DVD: A Definitive Guide to Character Technical Direction with Alias Maya (Volume 2)

The Art of Rigging Volume II picks up after Volume I by taking readers deeper into the techniques used to create animation rigs with Alias Maya. Whereas The Art of Rigging Volume I introduced the fundamental concepts used by professional technical directors, Volume II will take these concepts a step further by applying them to a truly production-quality example. Readers are guided through the creation of a battle robot, dubbed SP-23 (as seen on the cover). The majority of the book concentrates on the processes used to rig this gargantuan model. In the process, readers will learn how to handle such extremely large assets by implementing a multi-resolution pipeline. Mechanical rigging, dynamic simulations and plenty of MEL scripting are all covered in complete detail. In addition to following the creation of the SP-23 rig, The Art of Rigging Volume II includes several bonus sections, video lectures and many included scene files. Bonus sections include discussions of muscle rigging and smooth skinning for organic characters. The included DVD contains many hours of video lectures, all scene files and plenty of custom MEL scripts. The Art of Rigging Volume I solidified CG Toolkit as the premiere training provider for discriminating technical artists. This sequel both compliments and extends these ideas while introducing many new scripts and techniques.