Notes from class last night
Characters holding objects
I talk about parent constraining a prop to your character's hand.
Props are usually rigged under Control Curves. I usually use about 3, but you can make due with 2 or 2.
Make sure the geo is parented to the lowest curve in the hierarchy.
Make a group null and put the top Control Curve under that group null. That Group null you may call buffer, and use that to parent constrain to your animation wrist control.
The hierarchy will look something like this.
PropMasterGRP>PropBufferGRP>PropMasterCTRL>PropCTRL02>PropCTRL03>PropGEO
It is good practice to create your prop rig in a separate file and reference it in.
I used add attribute on the top rig control to create a custom attribute for toggling visibility.
I then used set driven key to connect the attribute to the visibility of the geo. Please google set driven key for tutorials if you want to be refreshed on the concept.
Throwing objects
When I throw objects, I would rather toggle the visibility of multiple objects than trying to keyframe the parent constraint. Usually I do this by referencing a prop twice, and parent constraining only one to the hand.
Creating shot folder hierarchy
Once your layout is all set, break up your maya scene into separate files.
Animate in those separate files and render from them.
Edit those clips in after effects.
Videos about cameras and character placement:
HOMEWORK
Once your layout is in a good place, begin animation blocking. Break up your maya layout scene into separate shots and add more detail to your poses, animation blocking and timing. Bring in your updated edit next week, so we can critique your progress.
