Create animation rigs

This standard is about creating efficient, intuitive and responsive rigs for animated characters, creatures, props, vehicles or environments.

This standard is for those involved in rigging for Animation in VFX and could apply to Junior Animators and Assistant Technical Directors.

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1. confirm what you need to do to meet the brief
2. create systems and structures to drive, control and deform assets in ways that recreate the desired movement, behaviour and characteristics to meet the brief
3. ensure that rigs are intuitive and responsive and will work on screen to meet production requirements
4. check rigs can be used for real-time feedback
5. use software to find solutions for complex rigging problems when required
6. create prototype animations as necessary to check the integrity of any movements that will be applied
7. use scripting to automate rigs when appropriate
8. ensure rigged assets deform correctly from all required camera positions and angles
9. create tools to help animators animate more efficiently
10. share work with others at appropriate time and use feedback to revise rigs when required
11. ensure that work is delivered on time and meets required outputs
12. store and provide work to others in line with processes and procedures for the job and the organisation in which you are working

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1. how to interpret the brief, technical requirements and production parameters
2. the motion characteristics that rigs need to achieve to meet the brief
3. real-time feedback and its importance in the use of VP
4. the importance of acquisition of data sets
5. where to research information about assets and in particular, movement of creatures or characters with which you are unfamiliar
6. how humans and animals move including skeletons, joint articulation, rotation orders and deformation
7. skinning techniques and painting skin weights
8. the physics of motion and resistance and how that relates to anatomy and mechanics
9. the purpose and use of pivots the purpose and use of deformers
10. how animators animate and use rigs
11. how to work with polygons, nurbs, sub-division surfaces and curves
12. the purpose of driven keys and how to use them
13. the hierarchies of objects and nodes
14. how to connect nodes together to drive their attributes
15. the effect that vertex placement and the level of detail have on the model and its rig
16. how the automated creation of rigging by using scripting can make work more efficient
17. how to use industry-standard software to solve rigging problems
18. the value of seeking early feedback
19. efficiency of data usage
20. file naming conventions and data management for the job or organisation

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3

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2027

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Current

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Original

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ScreenSkills

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SKSVFX6

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VFX Technician, VFX Technical Director, VFX Artist, VFX Junior Artist, VFX Assistant Technical Director, VFX Producer, VFX Supervisor, Junior Animator

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rigging; visual effects; VFX; animation; skeleton; movement; assets; brief; outputs; characters; creatures; production requirements; production;

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