WIP - Blender Rigging Framework

 WIP - Blender Rigging Framework

Blender Auto rig Testing - Arm and Hand

 Blender Auto rig Testing- Still figuring some things out before I move on to the Auto Clavicle, Spine, Hips and Feet. I managed to reduce the code down to just a dictionary that sets all info for each key bone - drivers, constraints, bone rotation order, parent hierarchy, alignment to template etc) - so I have a method to refine now.

 

Blender Arm/Leg Auto Setup Rig Module - WIP (Python Tool)

Messing with my blender auto rig (Python) tool. Making things work like they do in Maya slowly - Arm/Leg + Stretchy pull off controls + Auto in between Archs + FK/IK Switch + auto bone control curves.

 

Rotation distribution down the chain:

Blender Auto-Rig Add-on

A test for a  Blender Add-on I've been working on in what spare time I have. I've written most of the functions and classes I need to build any rig or animation tool. The fun part is being creative with them.  Early days. 

Character controls in unity

I'm currently learning how to set up character controls in unity by writing little scripts and reading a few c# for unity books. No third person cam yet.... Just messing around at the moment but this is a lot of fun.

Unity learning - Thorncrown Chapel Model

 Throwing some of my old models into unity to see what i can learn....

Quick Alien Sketch

 Some quick random alien sketches:

Python Learning in Blender- Sine expression to Drive Bone Rotation

A quick python learning exercise in blender:

1. Scripted various controls with arguments for names/limits/shape etc
2. Scripted a bone chain definition with arguments for names/numberOfBones/transformPlacement/axis/O.O.R etc
3. Created a script to iterated through the bones and deliver a sine expression using the controllers Y transform as input variables for the bones XYZ rotations - sin(frame*"freq+...etc")

Links:

• Sine Expression implementation: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sine_wave
• Bone iteration for expression delivery: https://blenderartists.org/t/iterate-through-bones-of-armature/667942
•  Driver delivery: https://blender.stackexchange.com/questions/13747/pose-bone-drivers-through- 

Now - the expression needs a little work (ie: clamp(#,#,#) etc), before I can expand upon it.

Blender Add-on no:1 - Texture Set Manager

I wanted a quick way to load, name and update texture sets based on selected objects so I coded this in Blender.

...as well as in Maya and Max.

I'm finding it useful for quickly flicking through textures in dense scenes and for keeping all texture sets named and organized.   

Here is a flat shaded viewport screen grab of my text scene:

Render test:

 I can switch between image types( jpg,tif,png ), sizes( SM,MD,LG ) and image sets( type of 
wood, skin, metal... etc ).  

The process of making add-ons in blender is a relatively fast and simple one:

Modeling from perspective drawings in Blender and Maya

1: In this first example I've used the Blender plugin "Blam!". Blam is a camera and projector calibration toolkit. I based my line drawing on this skinny Meriton apartment building.

Python Notes - Misc 01 - Blender/Maya

Metallic Carpenter Bee (Xylocopa (Lestis)) - 2nd V-Ray Render

Modeled in  - Maya
Render in     - V-Ray
Texturing in - ZBrush
A previous render and a modeling time-lapse can be found HERE

Redback Spider (W.I.P)

Modeling in   - Blender 

Hair added in - Maya

Rendered in   - V-Ray

Light Balance: 


Test render of  just the spider:

As a workflow test I decided to model a new Redback in Blender using Blenders Skin Modifer. Previously I modeled one in Maya.

I noted my first attempt at using Blenders Skin Modifier HERE. Once the base shape was created I retopologized the mesh using the blender add-on RetypoFlow.

Render test one. I created a web alpha in photoshop and projected them onto images planes in Maya. Here is a test render:

The web is, in all honesty, not very believable, the spiders joints are way to bright and the lighting isn't the best. I decided to do a test without a background or hair:

....could be better but, as always, it's a W.I.P.

Art Station gallery

I just created an Art Station gallery. I hope to grow it with plenty of random art this year.

Link:  www.artstation.com/nathanjones

Two random concept drawings - Science Fiction

1. Pencil Drawing - The interior of a space ship

2.  Wacom Drawing - D.I.U A.I Guard Dog

Basic perspective principles/notes - Quick/unfinished Drawings

This is a page of notes about perspective drawing. It's been a long time since I've drawn anything and so I wanted to complete a quick revision exercise. Hopefully it will get me back into the habit.

My aim isn't to have anything polished or finished atm. I simply want to revise some basic principles.

Here you will find some notes on very basic perspective principles/rules, some quick sketches and an unfinished line drawing along with various links. 

Reference links for One Point Perspective:

Perspective and the Cube - Bill Martin's Guide to Drawing

Student Guide to drawing One Point Perspective

The Geometry of perspective drawing - Mathmatics

Cubes in One Point Perspective

Reference links for Two Point Perspective

Setup For 2 Point Perspective within Cone of vision

Drawing Ellipses

Perspective Drawing in Photoshop
01. Setup

Here is a reference image from chasrowe.com  showing a two point perspective system with a station point(90 degrees) and a cone of vision(60 degrees).

My version:

• Red Square= station point (with 90 degree lines extending to Vanishing Points)
• Green Inner Circle= Cone of Vision (60 degrees - minimal distortion)
• Light Blue Horizontal Line = Horizon

I created some actions for the repetitive placement of the left and right vanishing points. This allows me to zoom in on a particular section and create the perspective line with a shift/click. I also made an erase action.

02. Ellipses
Here are some links and notes on ellipses that, in turn, can be used to create squares in perspective.
Reference sourced from: The Bad Ellipse: Circles in Perspective - The Minor Axis is the Key

The following images were sourced from Here (sfsu.edu - Scott Robertson & Neville Page):

With this in mind we can create a circle with the minor and major axes.

When we work digitally we can squish the circle into an ellipse, which is just a circle in perspective, with the minor axis pointing towards a vanishing point and the edges of the circle touching as shown in the above image, directly above/below the circle mid point or along a perspective line extending from the mid point.

Close to, or outside of, the cone of vision distortion will cause alighnment issues. My cylinder extends out past the COV.

Here is a link to a video by Irshad Karim describing how to do this.

The Cube by itself:

Adding more ellipses to create a cylinder and using this "scaffolding" to rough in some shapes.

Adding some background Mech/Tech Stuff. I think  it will be a walkway. I also defined the frame region. Normally its best to frame a region far inside the cone of vision however, as I want to experiment a bit,  I've extended the scene beyond this region.

Exploring some shapes with ellipses. Note the direction of the minor axis:

Exploring more shapes:

Forms extracted from construction lines:

Adding a science fiction tunnel outside the cone of vision. (note: I added some wires and tubes to the cylinder but didn't like them)

Simple cross lines to obtain an even spacing. Note the direction the the minor axis in red.

 

 

Creating evenly spaced lines

 

 

Some mechanical objects:

I"ll take some progress photos and see what works and what doesn't. I'm interested to see if creating constructions, lines as rough guides, is helpful.

First a helicopter created by sketching a box and adding construction lines - like chipping away at a block of marble:

 

Next airplane sketched from a bunch of sketched boxes with the aim of finding placement points for curves.

Some very quickly sketched  ideas drawn from an initial box.
Page 1:

 

Page 2:

Page 3:

Some progress shots complied as animated gifs:

 

 

Note: I was a bit lazy with my ellipses and didn't stick to the initial structure at the front. Consequently things look a bit off.

Another way to perspective freehand sketch is from the inside out. Scott peterson is a  master at this technique. Check his site out here: Scott Peterson on YouTube
This feels like modeling in 3D and starts from a basis of what, in 3D, would be called image planes for side and top views. The side view is therefore drawn along the center line and the top view on the ground plane. Positional co-ordinates are then plotted and mirrored to the other side via the ground projection. From these positions forms are built.
My first attempt is a tadpole. Note image planes on the center line, running through the center of the tadpole, and on the ground plane.

Here is my second attempt - more made up stuff. The front curves of the plane are completely off but I like this process a lot. Practicing straight lines and ellipses should sort out some of the issues.

 

Page 4:

I'd like to choose one and redraw it into the Sci-Fi scene I started with as an experiment.

Base shape from circles:

All shapes were multiplied back into the scene:

Unfinished Line drawing:

Here is a very old and unfinished life sketch I did - with a warped perspective. This effect can be created by keeping in mind a 5 point perspective system like the one described here: How to draw in 5-Point Perspective

Here are some old perspective drawings I created around a decade ago together with the perspective lines used to create them. They were commissioned by Republic Films.