Computer Graphics II
Project 2
Layered(Character) Animation
In this project we have tried to animate a moving lizard using Maya software.
The whole animation is divided into various steps:
1.Model Generation
The model of lizard is generated using subdivision surface.
For this first of all generate a crude polygonal mesh model of the lizard using transformed cubes and then subdividing it and extruding some of its faces to give a proper shape to it.
The limbs are generated separately (again using subdivision surface) as these have to be replicated for left-right symmetry. These limbs are then joined to the base model using the standard technique of deleting the faces to be joined on both the subdivision surfaces and then merging their edges and finally attaching the surfaces together to get a single subdivision surface.
The complete model of the lizard
Model of a separate limb that will be joined
with the base model
2.Putting a middle layer on the model for smooth deformations
'Wrap-deformers' are used as the middle layer. The model was divided into a set of vertices e.g. those associated to head, tail, various limbs and main body, and these are separately and exclusively wrapped by different objects.
The white and green objects form the middle layer of the model to be attached to the skeleton
3.Skeleton formation
Now the bone-structure of the lizard is modeled using joints. The whole skeleton is a sort of tree structure of joints whose root is a joint in the lizard's back labeled as mainJoint.
The joints are shown in green color in the above image
4.Skinning
Now for associating the skin(model) with the skeleton, we bind all the wrap objects to the skeleton using smooth binding. The model will be indirectly bound to the skeleton.
5.Texture Mapping
The lizard is then given a texture for coloring.
With another texture and bump mapping and the ground, the rendered image is like this..
6.Animation
For moving the character we have used inverse-kinematics handles on the limb joints and the tail joint.
The mosquito is moved procedurally in a circle which the lizard has to catch.
There are two phases of motion of lizard, in the first phase the lizard moves slowly following the mosquito and when it comes sufficiently near to the mosquito, it changes its motion and starts accelerating towards the mosquito and eventually grabs it.
Downloads: