Rigging, part 1

One of my big responsibilities at the GAIF was teaching Rigging; a task which involved learning a great deal about rigging, for starters. In the process, I recalled a major qualm I had had with my own education; that all students interested in animation were expected to build and rig their own models, or locate such rigs online. While this was good for building generalist skills, it resulted in talented animators working with inconsistent, unreliable rigs; and generally deciding they didn't want to be animators after all.

Enter these guys: Dan and Alex.

Working from a sketch my co-worker Dan Roth drew (he draws himself in a specific style, which I wanted to re-create.) I constructed the model of Dan. Later, loosely based on that style, I built a model of myself. (Note: the huge muscles aren't just a result of an absurdly high self-esteem; the students needed a character with different bodily proportions, and my scarecrow-physique wouldn't have cut it.)

I'll post more about the specifics of their rigs and a little about how they work later.

-alex