Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
Load the file
ball_v04.mb
from the Bouncing_Ball project on the CD to see an example
of the finished bouncing ball. Although the bouncing of this ball looks okay, it could def-
initely use some finesse, a little timing change, and so on. Open the file, open the Graph
Editor, and edit the file to get a feel for how the ball bounces and rolls. For example, it
could continue rolling with no bouncing for another 20 frames or so.
Throwing an Axe
This next project will exercise your use of hierarchies and introduce you to creating and
refining motion to achieve proper animation for a more complex scene than the bounc-
ing ball. The workflow is simple but standard for properly setting up a scene for anima-
tion, also known as
rigging
, especially for more complex objects, as you'll see later in this
and the next chapter when you rig the locomotive for animation. First, you'll model an
axe and a target, and then you'll set up the grouping and pivots for how you want to ani-
mate. Then, you'll throw your axe!
Why won't you throw the NURBS axe you've already created and textured? Because
later in this chapter, you'll need it for an exercise on importing and replacing an object in
Maya while keeping the animation intact.
The Preproduction Process
To begin the animation right away, you'll create a basic axe, focusing on the animation and
the technique. Toward this end, connect to the Internet if you can, and look up axes and the
art of axe throwing to get more familiar with the task at hand. You'll also need to create
a simple bull's-eye target at which to throw your axe, so look for some references for a
target as well.
Create a new project; choose File
➔
Project
➔
New. Place this project in the same folder
or drive as your other projects, and call it Axe. Click the Use Defaults button to fill in the
rest, and click Accept. Click the Animation Preferences button, and set the frames per
second to 30fps. Later, you'll replace this simple axe with a finer NURBS axe model to
learn how to replace objects and transfer animation properly in Maya.
Setting Up the Scene
To get started, model the axe and target from primitives, and set up their grouping and
pivots. When your scene is set up properly, you'll animate. It's important to a healthy
workflow that you make sure the scene is set up well before you begin animating.
Making the Axe
The axe will be made of two polygon primitives: a cylinder and a cube. Follow these steps:
1. Choose Create
➔
Polygon Primitives
➔
Cube
r
.
Set Width Divisions to 4, and click
Create.
