Optimization of facial rigs for low budget production animated series

Abstract

Optimization of facial rigs for low budget production animated series is the name of a Master's degree dissertation that presents rigging as being a process of designing and building a set of controllers to facilitate animation. It begins with the modeling of the character, and it is the first step in the animation process. This study attempts to find tendencies in the movement of the human face in order to create a facial animation rig that permits one to animate very quickly when under pressure, but, perhaps, because of this, compromising the versatility of the movements to a certain extent. Initially this dissertation exposes the historical, theoretical, technical and artistic context. The main topics of this chapter are: - the superficial anatomy of the human face ( bones and muscles); - facial expressions of emotion and acting; - 3D modeling, rigging and animation (mostly related to the face); - examples of studies by other artists and riggers. Later, the study presents the production phases of a film called Ptolmus, where the optimization of a facial rig for a low budget production series is given emphasis. It also presents the inspirations for the rig. The software used is Blender, since it is an open source software (free), unlike most popular commercial 3D creation packages. This facial rig built for the film is a proof of concept. The final result works well, although it could possibly continue being improved. This study can not be considered finished, for better ideas and tools emerge regularly in this growing field (3D animation).