More on toulou

So Im all set here to explain finer points about this rig, plus I have some videos of animation tests from certain parts of the body.

So let me first start off with the UV mapping, well that was a real pain the arse, a UV map is essentally your MESH (the actual model) layed out flat so that you can then paintyour texture onto them, there are several different ways of doing this, one is to extract certain body parts off and UV mapp and texture them sepereatly, this couldnt work for me as the systems I was working on couldn't handle it, so the process I had to take was to use the 3D paint tool and paint the basic marking ont o the MESH of there certain areas of clothing adn fur went, this was easy enough until I had to bring it into photoshop to paint onto, becuase the UV mapping doesnt automatical place everything easy and ready to do, you need to CUT AND SEW bits together, I tired so hard to do this but for some reason it just wouldnt work, so i decided to cut my loses and paint what I could adn TRY and make it work, for the most part it did and seeing as this is my first ever MESH Im quite happy, I have the UV map and the Paint layer here for people to look at.

It looks a mess I know but it works trust me... here just take a look at my animation tests :D

Feast your eyes...

The only thing that really needed to do was paint wieghts, that means I basically tell teh skin were to react to any movement and how much to react to it, it is a very very frustrating adn complex thing, I am kind of pissed I didnt get her into a game engine but for my first attempt...

My next 3D project is going to be Human biped, so much easy I would think... and I can really concerntrate on  texturing and painting wieghts properly. I have learnt an incredible amount from this project, all the things that went wrong have still given me knowledge to progress furthure, even if it has been a really struggle.

Done as a done thing

So i've made the decision to leave the rig as it is, I've spent way to much time on this and with the amount of time left I don't feel I have enough to time to paint weights, as it would be my very first time for that and this is a complex model for me (shot myself in the foot there).

The rig is NOT perfect but it moves well, it has all its control points and even 2 set driven key animations on the hands, point and fist. I've taken some snap shots of it at the moment...

I've learnt so so so much from this and I'm kind of glad I gave myself a baptism by fire because I have learnt a vast amount from this, just a bit pissed that I couldn't finish it time :(

Return with shtuff!

Oh my wordy, its been a while since I posted on here last!

Right.. well her model and texturing is done ...

The texturing is rushed, I admit that but I didnt have a lot of time to  finish it. so here it is.

So now I'm on to rigging, which is proving to just as frustrating as modelling and texturing, I've already scrapped 3 rigs because they were just to messed up, but Ive learnt from each one which is better then nothing.

My latest Rig is a bit different from the others as its pelvis, spine, clavical, tail and ears arn't actually connected, they are going to be perented to NURB circles so that they do not influence other joint sections BUT they can be moved using the NURB circles... This I hope will work as I will only have a week to animate a walk cycle and a run cycle. which is going to kill me!

So far so good again

I've not updated for a while so I thought I'd best do. Thouh there won't be any pictures, as I'm at my mums and obviously she doesn't have MAYA. RIGHT! As it stands, the basic modeling is done, All I got to do now is add the fine details, like her gloves and tabi's, belt, seams and eye gadget, that should only take a day or 2, then its Texturing, another say 2 days and then I have to rig her, that is going to be the worst, I' really dreading it as I find rigging really tedius and annoying.

The next update will have screen grabs, and maybe a turnaround of the mesh so far.

Toodles.

So far so awesome!!!!

So far so good, I've had a lot of help from a couple of the guys in the 3rd year, as this is my first Maya model I'm really goddamn proud of it, but I do think its been going on for too long, really need to finish this thing and soon. get on to texturing adn UV mapping, which Im really looking forward to!

As Time Goes By...

Updates

Complete restart for her and its been the best idea Ive had all project!!

Shes back to the original character design and I think its for the best, almost finished with the basic rendering, Then I can go in and put in the fine details and give her that trade mark HUGE tail I've been holding back on modelling.

Restarting

I've decided to take Toulou right back to the begining, I went off model in the first version which i THOUGHT would be a good idea, alter the character a little but it went arse over apex so I took her back to the begining, re draw the image planes and modelled from scratch, looking better already, and I'm taking things slower then before but she still needs to be done soonish.