Step by Step notes on creating the legs:
The Easy Stuff
Open up Maya and start a new project
Import the legs (legs.obj for object as opposed to mtl for material)
Select Mesh and create a new layer from selected. (Using layers is helpful to keep work flow tidy)
Save! Never hurts to save.
To Create the Skelaton
Go into side view to make it easier to place the skelaton
Select Skelaton - Joint Tool (always safer to reset settings)
Place the Joints where you want them, in this this case, start with the hip, then the knee, then the ball of the foot and then finally the toe. Try to make sure you place the joints correctly first time as it can make things complicated if you need to move them later.
Holding Ctrl + D will add the next joint in a straight line.
Name Joints (Best to name EVERYTHING! this keeps things neat and easier to find later on)
Open outliner (either by going to Window - Outline) or selecting the persp/outline icon on the side bar) to name joints etc.
Add these joints to a separate layer from the mesh.
Organising the Joints
Now we have to make sure the orientations of the joints are facing the correct way
Holding FN + F8 and clicking the "?" will show the orientations of the joints.
To change these select your joints and then select Skelaton - Orient Tool and bring up options (reset tools)
For this we need to change the +y to a -y so that they are facing the right way. Also untick "orient child joints" if ticked.
If one of the joints has not changed, then simply highlight this one joint and change it. In this case the knee orients were still facing the wrong way so I selected this and redid the latest step.
Mirroring
Now we have one leg done, we need to recreate these same joints for the other leg. We could simply follow the previous steps, but an easier way is to use the Mirror Tool.
Select your joints, select skelaton - mirror joints options. Depending on which way you want your joints to be mirrored, select which orients you want. For this we select the YZ option and apply.
If you have named your joints correctly (eg. Knee_Left) you can change the name of the new joints appropriatly by typing in what maya should look for and what it should be replaced with. For example, if you had named the all the joints and ended them with _Left (e.g. Knee_Left) you could type in "Search for: _Left" and "Replace with: _Right" and it will change the names of the joints on the mirrored joints (e.g. Knee_Right) This can save a lot of time and effort of renaming items and keeps your work neat and easy to follow.
Now we have the opposite leg done as well, we can add this to a separate layer. We can also change the colours of these layers make it easier to follow, e.g. red for the left leg and blue for the right.
The Hard Part
Now we have to organize how our joints relate to each other and how they move by creating Handles.
First select the IKhandle tool, double click for options and select an IKRPsolver as opposed to IKSPsolver
(RP stands for Rotate Plane and SC stands for Single Chain. The difference between these is SC Handle's end effector tries to reach the position and orientation of its IK handle where as RP Handle's end effector only tries to reach the position of its IK handle)
First select the Hip and the the Ankle
Create NURBS primatives - select circle
Hold V and drag the NURB over the ankle.
1. Freeze Tranformation (under Modify window) so that this will always be its "home" (everything set to 0)
2. Select the NURB first and then the IKhandle
3. Then go to constrain, point constrain.
Now when you move this NURB the leg shoul move around the hip.
We need the knee to move and rotate, so we repeat this process.
Create - NURBs primatives - circle
(to rotate vertically change the x value to 90 degrees)
Hold V and drag circle over the knee, then pull out infront but away from the knee joint.
Select the NURB and then the Ankle Handle
Constrain, but this time we will select Pole Vector.
Now when you move this circle/handle, the knee will turn along with it.
Then you simply need to repeat these steps for the opposite leg.
Create a spine
Preferably in the front view, create a new joint in between the hips and just above to creat the bottom of the spine. Select the spine joint, and then the hip and press "P" to parent these two joints. (repeat for opposite leg)
Weight Painting
Now we need to bind the mesh to the joints, so that this moves when the joints move.
Select the Mesh and the the Joints
Go to Skin- Bind Skin - Smooth Bind
Skinning Method - Dual Quaternion
When the leg moves, the skin is affected in different ways. In this case, the back of the knee thins out when bent, so we can use weight painting to change how the skin is effected.
Select the mesh and then the Paint Brush Tool
Paint operation - tick "Add"
select which joint you wish to paint on, e.g. Knee_Left and then paint the areas you want to not be effected.
I found most of this easy to follow, and any problems I had were easily rectified and taught me more about the programme and riggings. For example, I was having problems with my handles because I was selecting the Ankle Handle and then the NURB which meant the ankle affected the NURB rather than the NURB affecting the Handle (Hierachy)
We were then asked to create a reverse foot lock so that the foot could roll and look more realistic when moved. For this we used a free online tutoial from rigging101.com. Following the steps was fairly easy, but could be fiddly and sometimes hard to work out which joint or handle you needed to parent together. However, when creating the Reverse foot lock for the second foot, I ran into difficulty, but we soon found out that the problem was because I has been trying to move an already positioned and attached NURB. Deciding it was best to simply recreate the joints and reverse foot lock again made things easier and didnt take too long to do. This time however, I moved the reverse foot lock so that is was inline with the orginal skelaton joints so that the toes rolled rather than pointed into the ground, which they did previously when I had positioned the reverse foot look below the foot.
Friday, 13 May 2011
Sunday, 1 May 2011
A critical look at the video game Dragon Age: Origins
Why it appeals to both genders?
How it is advertised
Representation of female characters in the game
How it is advertised
Representation of female characters in the game
Gaming Culture
Advertising:
Who games are aimed at
Where they are advertised, which channels etc
What do they depict
"Booth Babes"
Reactions of Female Gamers online.
Hassle from other gamers
etc
Who games are aimed at
Where they are advertised, which channels etc
What do they depict
"Booth Babes"
Reactions of Female Gamers online.
Hassle from other gamers
etc
Video Game Spaces: Physical and Virtual
Physical:
History- From playing in arcades to handhelds
Gender and Culture - Gender divides in these spaces (research about Tai cyber cafes)
Technology - how it compares with other technology (ds, similar to iphone)
Virtual Spaces
- Brief History notes
History- From playing in arcades to handhelds
Gender and Culture - Gender divides in these spaces (research about Tai cyber cafes)
Technology - how it compares with other technology (ds, similar to iphone)
Virtual Spaces
- Brief History notes
Pink and Purple Games
Pink games
Pink games focus on the sterotypically femine aspects of our culture such as princess like imagry.
Typical Pink Games:
Barbie Fashion Designer
My Little Pony: Was the first "pink" game I played. It had never crossed my mind that I had not played anything like this "Pink" game before, that all the other games I had played we're primarily aimed at young boys. We had only recently bought a computer for the house....
The game required the player to customise their own pony to play with in Pony land and the objective of the game was to train your pony so that she could cross the bridge from her field into the town where other npc ponies awaited to be played with. The controls were simple, a left mouse click on the ground would make the pony move to that point, and icons at the bottom of the screen would interect with the pony themselves. I remember I would quickly get bored of my pony and its constant need to be fed apples and have its hair brushed, and would constantly click the other side of the bridge in hope that I could finally see what was on the other side. Unfortunatly, this would usually end up with a cowering pony, too young to cross, and a frustrated little girl that couldn't understand why she hadn't advanced enough in the game to continue. This did not stop me playing the game however, I would often start the game again and create a new pony, the customisations were simple (changing the colour of your characters skin and hair) but new and enjoyable, considering none of the previous games I had played let you customise your character at all. After severall playthoughs, once I had learned how the game worked, I finally managed to get my latest pony to cross the bridge. Awaiting the other side were different mini games to play, it was a joy to be able to play these simple yet enjoyable games because I really felt like I had earned it. I replayed the game through again on many occasions afterwards.
Barbie Detective
Pink games focus on the sterotypically femine aspects of our culture such as princess like imagry.
Typical Pink Games:
Barbie Fashion Designer
My Little Pony: Was the first "pink" game I played. It had never crossed my mind that I had not played anything like this "Pink" game before, that all the other games I had played we're primarily aimed at young boys. We had only recently bought a computer for the house....
The game required the player to customise their own pony to play with in Pony land and the objective of the game was to train your pony so that she could cross the bridge from her field into the town where other npc ponies awaited to be played with. The controls were simple, a left mouse click on the ground would make the pony move to that point, and icons at the bottom of the screen would interect with the pony themselves. I remember I would quickly get bored of my pony and its constant need to be fed apples and have its hair brushed, and would constantly click the other side of the bridge in hope that I could finally see what was on the other side. Unfortunatly, this would usually end up with a cowering pony, too young to cross, and a frustrated little girl that couldn't understand why she hadn't advanced enough in the game to continue. This did not stop me playing the game however, I would often start the game again and create a new pony, the customisations were simple (changing the colour of your characters skin and hair) but new and enjoyable, considering none of the previous games I had played let you customise your character at all. After severall playthoughs, once I had learned how the game worked, I finally managed to get my latest pony to cross the bridge. Awaiting the other side were different mini games to play, it was a joy to be able to play these simple yet enjoyable games because I really felt like I had earned it. I replayed the game through again on many occasions afterwards.
Barbie Detective
History of Female Protaginists
Ms.Pacman could be considered one of the first female protagonists. She is from an unauthorised sequel to the great Pac-man, Ms Pacman released in 1981, which features the same game play as its original but with new maze designs. Visually, Ms Pacman looked the same as the orginal Pac-man, yet appeared to have eyelashes, bright red lips and donned a pink bow. However, the arcade machine showed a far more sexier side to this "yellow ball" by giving her legs and pink high heels, and showed the ghosts to be chasing after her. It is unclear why they made her this way, but she seems to be one of the first female video game protagonists to be shown as a "sexy" character.
SamusFirst seen in Metroid. Released in 1986 for the…. Action adventure video game, published by Nintendo. Game was praised for being one of the first video games to have a woman as the protagonist, even though Samus Aran's gender is unknown until the end of the game and only shown if the player can complete the game in only a couple of hours. Although Samus’ has been greatly received not only as a protagonist, but a sex object as well, she spends most of her time in a bulky suit, unlike many other female game protagonists (such as Lara Croft) who are dressed to show off as much flesh as possible or skin tight suits.
The idea for Samus to be female came up partway through the development of Metroid when the developers determined that it would be an interesting twist to reveal her as female at the end of the game. Samus is one of the first major female protagonists in a video game, and her popularity among fans has helped her top several lists of the best video game heroinesGameDaily considers Samus the video game industry's "first dominant female, a femme de force that didn't rely on a man to save her"
Samus' garish space armour falls away and thousands of pre-teen boys had to come to grips with the fact Mother Brain had just been wasted by a cootie-infested girl.
To gamers, Samus is mostly an enigma. Unlike other game heroines, she hasn't spread herself and her secrets everywhere like a high school senior of ill repute. Samus' motivations still command respect and a certain degree of awe.Lara Croft - Tomb Raider
First seen in Tomb Raider. Released in 1996 for the…developed by Core Design and published by Eidos Interactive.
Gard designed Lara Croft to counter stereotypical female charactersLead graphic artist Toby Gard went through about five designs before arriving at the character's final appearance. He initially envisioned a male lead character with a whip and a hat.
Deciding this looked too much like Indiana Jones, Gard made the character female.
The first Lara Croft (seen in the first Tomb Raider) is made up of around 230 polygons.
Eventually, they settled on a tough South American woman in a long braid and hot pants, willing to go to any lengths to win the greatest trophies lost to history. An Olympic-level athlete, an expert of antiquities, a born survivor. Gard named his creation Laura Cruz. Cores Parent company wanted a more UK friendly character, so she became British aristocrat Lara Croft.
While making test adjustments to her girlish figure, a slip of his mouse turned an intended 50% increase to her breast size into a 150% gain. It met with instant approval from the team before he could correct it.
Yuna - Final Fantasy X-2
Yuna is the main character in the game Final Fantasy X-2 and the first female main playable character in any Final Fantasy game. She was originally the romantic counterpart to the main protagonist in the first game Final Fantasy X, but due to her popularity with fans, the creators decided to create a game where she was the main protagonist. Her appearance in FFX was very conservative and her personality calm and gentle. However, she was revamped for the FFX-2 game to "reflect the more carefree world" of the new game. This was met with both praise and critisism. Although her new style showed Yuna's change in personality (she was now much fiestier and unbound by any rules she had previoously had to follow) it also showed a much more exploitative outfit than the style fans had grown to love her in.
Nariko - Heavenly Sword
Nariko is from a game called Heavenly Sword, created by Ninja Theory. Her style and look is refreshing, yet he clothing, or lack of, very similar to that of a Mortal Kombat "babe". It is unclear whether she is meant to be seen as a sexy character because although she looks like one, her attitude in the game does not reflect this. Her attitude is very hotile, aggresive and some-what Tomboy-ish. Hey clothing reflects ancient asian fashions, but with a lot less material, consisting of a one-sleeved top that only covers her breasts, a "skirt" that is very short one side and flows long on the other, tied to her leg to keep it in place, and a pair of knickers to show what modesty she may have left. However, even dressing like this, her "sex" appeal is balanced out by her attitude.
Faith Connors - Mirrors Edge
Lightening - Final Fantasy XIII
SamusFirst seen in Metroid. Released in 1986 for the…. Action adventure video game, published by Nintendo. Game was praised for being one of the first video games to have a woman as the protagonist, even though Samus Aran's gender is unknown until the end of the game and only shown if the player can complete the game in only a couple of hours. Although Samus’ has been greatly received not only as a protagonist, but a sex object as well, she spends most of her time in a bulky suit, unlike many other female game protagonists (such as Lara Croft) who are dressed to show off as much flesh as possible or skin tight suits.
The idea for Samus to be female came up partway through the development of Metroid when the developers determined that it would be an interesting twist to reveal her as female at the end of the game. Samus is one of the first major female protagonists in a video game, and her popularity among fans has helped her top several lists of the best video game heroinesGameDaily considers Samus the video game industry's "first dominant female, a femme de force that didn't rely on a man to save her"
Samus' garish space armour falls away and thousands of pre-teen boys had to come to grips with the fact Mother Brain had just been wasted by a cootie-infested girl.
To gamers, Samus is mostly an enigma. Unlike other game heroines, she hasn't spread herself and her secrets everywhere like a high school senior of ill repute. Samus' motivations still command respect and a certain degree of awe.Lara Croft - Tomb Raider
First seen in Tomb Raider. Released in 1996 for the…developed by Core Design and published by Eidos Interactive.
Gard designed Lara Croft to counter stereotypical female charactersLead graphic artist Toby Gard went through about five designs before arriving at the character's final appearance. He initially envisioned a male lead character with a whip and a hat.
Deciding this looked too much like Indiana Jones, Gard made the character female.
The first Lara Croft (seen in the first Tomb Raider) is made up of around 230 polygons.
Eventually, they settled on a tough South American woman in a long braid and hot pants, willing to go to any lengths to win the greatest trophies lost to history. An Olympic-level athlete, an expert of antiquities, a born survivor. Gard named his creation Laura Cruz. Cores Parent company wanted a more UK friendly character, so she became British aristocrat Lara Croft.
While making test adjustments to her girlish figure, a slip of his mouse turned an intended 50% increase to her breast size into a 150% gain. It met with instant approval from the team before he could correct it.
Yuna - Final Fantasy X-2
Yuna is the main character in the game Final Fantasy X-2 and the first female main playable character in any Final Fantasy game. She was originally the romantic counterpart to the main protagonist in the first game Final Fantasy X, but due to her popularity with fans, the creators decided to create a game where she was the main protagonist. Her appearance in FFX was very conservative and her personality calm and gentle. However, she was revamped for the FFX-2 game to "reflect the more carefree world" of the new game. This was met with both praise and critisism. Although her new style showed Yuna's change in personality (she was now much fiestier and unbound by any rules she had previoously had to follow) it also showed a much more exploitative outfit than the style fans had grown to love her in.
Nariko - Heavenly Sword
Nariko is from a game called Heavenly Sword, created by Ninja Theory. Her style and look is refreshing, yet he clothing, or lack of, very similar to that of a Mortal Kombat "babe". It is unclear whether she is meant to be seen as a sexy character because although she looks like one, her attitude in the game does not reflect this. Her attitude is very hotile, aggresive and some-what Tomboy-ish. Hey clothing reflects ancient asian fashions, but with a lot less material, consisting of a one-sleeved top that only covers her breasts, a "skirt" that is very short one side and flows long on the other, tied to her leg to keep it in place, and a pair of knickers to show what modesty she may have left. However, even dressing like this, her "sex" appeal is balanced out by her attitude.
Faith Connors - Mirrors Edge
Lightening - Final Fantasy XIII
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