A Complete Guide to Character Rigging for Games Using Blender / Armin Halac.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Halač, Armin, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Blender (Computer file).

Rigging (Computer animation).

Three-dimensional display systems.

Computer graphics.

Video games--Programming.

Video games.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (297 pages)

Edition:

1st.

Place of Publication:

Boca Raton, FL : CRC Press, Taylor & Francis Group, LLC, [2024]

Summary:

This book is a comprehensive guide to using Blender to create character rigs for games, breaking down the technicalities of rigging tools and techniques into easily digestible chunks.

Contents:

Cover

Half Title

Title Page

Copyright Page

Dedication

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

1. Introduction

What Is Rigging?

Additional Resources

2. The Big Picture

Character Design and Modeling

Rigging

Standardize

Define Specifications

Character Animation

Export

Game Engines

3. What Is a Game Rig

Definition

Export Limitations

Base Skeleton

Bone Scaling Animation

Max Number of Influences

4. Blender Tools and Concepts

Prerequisites

About Blender

Blender Version

Initial Settings

Load Previous Version Settings

Context Sensitivity

Selection

Select All

Select Linked

Parent, Child, Siblings

Select Under Cursor

Draw Selection

Transformation

Transform Orientation

Transformation Pivot

Options

Transforming without Gizmos

Reset Transforms

Hide and Unhide

Data Objects

Users

Auto Cleanup

Fake User

Remove Unused

Default Scene

3D Viewport Regions

Object Origin

Apply Transforms

Snapping

Snap During Transform

Snap

3D Cursor

Symmetry

Outliner

Collections

Properties

Modifiers

Modifier Stack

Units

Import, Link, Append

Import

Link

Append

Animation

Actions

Dope Sheet

Timeline

Graph Editor

Drivers

Nonlinear Animation

Quick Favorites

Preferences

Operators

Blender Python API

Add-ons

5. 3D World and Transformation

World Space

Vectors and Translation

Euler Rotation

Rotation Order

Gimbal Lock

Quaternion Rotation

Scale

Parenting, Local and Pose Space

Order of Execution

6. Armatures

Fundamentals

Modes

Object

Edit

Pose

Rest Pose

Pose Apply

Armature Properties

Skeleton

Bone Groups

Viewport Display

Selection Sets

7. Bones

Structure

Edit vs Pose Mode

Bone Properties.

Transform

Bendy Bones

Relations

Inverse Kinematics

Deform

Custom Properties

Item Panel

Creation

Add

Extrude

Duplicate

Subdivide

Ctrl + Click

Fill

Editing

Move

Rotate

Using Pivots

Snap to Cursor

Snap to Bone

Snap to Geometry

X Symmetry

Roll

Switch Direction

Align Bones

Delete and Dissolve

Separate and Join

Symmetrize

Parenting

Parent

Clear Parent

8. Mesh Topology and Deformation

Introduction

Mesh Elements

Vertex

Edge

Face

Normals

UV Maps

High Poly vs Low Poly

Grid Division vs Form Describing

Edge Flow

Triangles

Joint Topology

Outer Side

Inner Side

Conclusion

Twist Support Edges

Mesh LODs

Overlapping Geometry

Uniform Meshes

Base Mesh

Bind Pose

Proportions

Legs

Arms

Hands and Fingers

Shape Keys (Blendshapes)

Non-Manifold Geometry

Gravity

9. Scene and Model Preparation

Workspace

Model Preparation

Import/Append

Position, Size, Rotation

Mesh Cleanup

10. Naming

Foundation

Naming Tools and Shortcuts

Naming Convention

Prefixes

Side Identifiers

11. Rig Creation Approach

Rig Layers

Deformation Skeleton

Intermediate Skeleton

Rig Mechanics Bones

Control Bones

Symmetrization

Cleanup

12. Root Bone

Make the Armature

Armature Transform Workaround

13. Body Deformation Skeleton

Torso

Leg

Upper Leg

Knee

Ankle

Toes

Angle Check

Shoulder and Arm

Shoulder

Upper Arm

Elbow

Wrist

Fingers

Thumb

Neck and Head

Twist Bones

Summary

14. Bone Orientations

Bone Orientation Convention

Setting the Roll

The Roll Value Is Irrelevant

Recalculate Roll

Local Tangent

Global Axis.

Active Bone

View Axis

Cursor

15. Body Skeleton Orientations

Root and Prop Bones

Torso, Neck, and Head

Arm

Hand

16. Weights

Linear Blend Skinning

Vertex Groups

Armature Modifier

Binding

Fixing the Heat Map Failed Error

Normalize Weights

Smooth Weights

Mirror Weights

Limit Total

Weight Paint Mode

Bone Manipulation

Vertex and Mesh Selection

Display Settings

Influence Lock

Assign Automatic From Bones

Set Weights

Weight Paint Tools

Brush Presets

Brush Settings

Draw

Blur

Average

Smear

Gradient

Falloff

Useful Shortcuts

17. Weight Painting Method

The Method

Lock

Mesh Preparation

Workspace Preparation

Presets

Viewport Settings

Auto Normalize and Symmetry

Demonstration

Branch Bone, Lock

Branch Bone, Section

Branch Bone, Transition

Top Bone, Lock

Top Bone, Section

Top Bone, Transition

18. Weighting the Body

Thumb and Fingers

Mirror

19. Weight Transferring Techniques

Data Transfer Modifier

Separate, Join, and Merge Geometry

Layered Geometry

Shells

Selective Inue fl nce

Rigid Pieces

Mirror Modifier Technique

Intermediate Mesh Technique

20. Bone Constraints

The Constraint Stack

Header

Target and Owner

Spaces

World

Custom

Local with Parent

Local

Local (Owner Orientation)

Creating and Removing Constraints

Add (With Targets)

Delete and Clear All

Copy and Copy Constraints to Selected Bones

Dependency Cycle

21. Essential Constraints

Copy Location

Copy Rotation

Mix Modes

Copy Scale.

Copy Transforms

Damped Track

Stretch To

Locked Track

Rotation Mode

Action Constraint

Common Issues

22. Dealing with Clutter

The Problem

Different Bone Lengths

B-Bone Thickness

Bone Layers

Hide Bones

Clip Regions

Material Preview + X-Ray

23. B-Bone Rigging

Base Setup

Twist Distributor

B-Bone Chain

Layered B-Bones

Attaching Bones to B-Bones

B-Bone Twists

B-Bone Curves

24. Drivers

Creating and Removing Drivers

Create Driver

Copy/Paste

Copy as New Driver

Delete

Driver Editor

Driver Types

Driver Variables

Single Property

Transform Channel

Rotational Difference

Distance

Expressions

Variables

Literals

Globals

Constants

Arithmetic Operators

Comparison Operators

Logical Operators

"If" and "else"

Standard Functions

Blender Provided Functions

25. Rig Building Blocks

Control Bone

Custom Meshes

Forward Kinematics Chain (FK)

Rotation Isolation

Rotation Switch

Inverse Kinematics Chain (IK)

Pole Target Placement

Blending

Tweak Chain

26. Body Rig

Rules

We are Rigging the "INT" Bones

Parent to "INT-" Bone

Parent IK to World Control

Disable Deform on Non-Deform Bones

Name Your Bones

The Deformation Skeleton

The Intermediate Skeleton

Root Control

Body Control

Movable Pivot

Pelvis

Chest

Abdomen

Head and Neck

Neck Setup

Arm and Hand

FK Arm

IK Arm

Arm IK/FK Blend

Twist and Bend Setup

Arm Rig Summary

Metacarpals

Fingers and Thumb

FK Leg

IK Leg

Leg IK/FK Blend

Inverse Foot

Adding the Bones.

Twist

Bank

27. Correctives

Angle Reader

Elbow and Knee Correctives

Elbow Bones

Corrective Bone Weights

Bringing it Together

Shoulder and Hip Correctives

28. Facial Rigs

Types of Facial Rigs

FACS

Freeform

Standard ARKit Shapes

Shape Creation Using Audio2Face

Shape Key Transfer

Connecting Shapes to Bones

Direct Connection

Inverted Connection

Adjusted Motion Range

Shape Combo

Eye Rotation

29. Cloth and Hair

Bone Distribution

Example Setup

30. Space Switches

Space Switch Setup

Custom Property

Armature Constraint

Copy Global Transform Add-On

31. Props

Prop Bones

How to Animate Props

32. Rig Finalizing

How Modes Affect Animation

Channel Lock and Limit

Visibility Layers

Colors

Scene Cleanup

Pose Library

33. Animation

Linking and Library Overrides

Relative Versus Absolute Paths

Forcing a Linked Object to Update

Framerate

Keyframes and Keying Sets

In-Between Tools

NLA

Discontinuity (Euler) Filter

Preview Rendering

Rotation Order and Mode

34. Export

Skeleton and Mesh

All Actions

Single Action

Selection of Actions

Index.

Notes:

<P>Chapter 1: Introduction.</P><P>Chapter 2: The Big Picture. </P><P>Chapter 3: What Is a Game Rig. </P><P>Chapter 4: Blender Tools and Concepts. </P><P>Chapter 5: 3D World and Transformation. </P><P>Chapter 6: Armatures. </P><P>Chapter 7: Bones. </P><P>Chapter 8: Mesh Topology and Deformation. </P><P>Chapter 9: Scene and Model Preparation. </P><P>Chapter 10: Naming. </P><P>Chapter 11: Rig Creation Approach. </P><P>Chapter 12: Root Bone. </P><P>Chapter 13: Body Deformation Skeleton. </P><P>Chapter 14: Bone Orientations. </P><P>Chapter 15: Body Skeleton Orientations. </P><P>Chapter 16: Weights. </P><P>Chapter 17: Weight Painting Method. </P><P>Chapter 18: Weighting the Body. </P><P>Chapter 19: Weight Transferring Techniques. </P><P>Chapter 20: Bone Constraints. </P><P>Chapter 21: Essential Constraints. </P><P>Chapter 22: Dealing with Clutter. </P><P>Chapter 23: B-Bone Rigging. </P><P>Chapter 24: Drivers. </P><P>Chapter 25: Rig Building Blocks. </P><P>Chapter 26: Body Rig. </P><P>Chapter 27: Correctives. </P><P>Chapter 28: Facial Rigs. </P><P>Chapter 29: Cloth and Hair. </P><P>Chapter 30: Space Switches. </P><P>Chapter 31: Props. </P><P>Chapter 32: Rig Finalizing. </P><P>Chapter 33: Animation. </P><P>Chapter 34: Export. </P>

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

Other Format:

Print version: Halač, Armin A Complete Guide to Character Rigging for Games Using Blender

ISBN:

1-000-93478-0

1-00-326316-X

1-003-26316-X

1-000-93475-6

9781003263166

OCLC:

1400088704