Character Rigging for Beginners: 01 Skeleton

Introduction

This tutorial is designed for beginners interested in character rigging using Maya. It will guide you through the process of creating a human character's skeleton and IK (Inverse Kinematics) setup. By following these steps, you will gain insights into the rigging workflow while minimizing the use of complex scripts and plugins.

Chapter 1: Scene Preparation

• Create a new display layer for your character geometry to avoid accidental selection during rigging.
• Clean up your scene by:
  • Deleting unused nodes and shaders.
  • Removing history from your geometry.
• Enable the following options for better visualization:
  • X-ray joints: Go to the Shading menu.
  • Wireframe on shaded: This allows you to see the joint placements more clearly.
• Switch to orthographic view for accurate joint placement.

Chapter 2: Leg Joints

• Start by creating the leg joints:
  • Navigate to Skeleton > Create Joints and reset the tool options.
  • Click to create the root joint at the thigh, then the knee, and finally the ankle joint.
  • Press Enter to finalize the joint chain.
• Adjust joint positions:
  • Select a joint, press W to move, and hold D to reposition.
  • Use the Control + Middle Mouse Button to adjust the orientation without altering rotational values.
• To change joint size, go to Display > Animation > Joint Size and set it to 0.9 if needed.

Chapter 3: Foot Joints

• Create foot joints:
  • Again, use Skeleton > Create Joints, clicking to create joints for the ball roll and toes.
  • Adjust the size of foot joints in the channel box to make selection easier (e.g., set to 0.5).
• Add local rotation axis:
  • Enable local rotation axis from Display > Transform Display.
  • Snap the end joint to the ankle joint using Control + Middle Mouse Button.
• Fix joint orientation:
  • Select the end joint and zero out its orientation.
  • Ensure that X points down the joint chain.

Chapter 4: Adding IK Handles

• Create IK handles:
  • Go to Skeleton > Create IK Handle and select the thigh joint as the first joint and the ankle joint as the last.
  • Rename the IK handle to indicate its position (e.g., RP_IK_Leg_01).

Chapter 5: Mirroring Leg Joints

• Mirror the leg joints to the opposite side:
  • Select the thigh joint and navigate to Skeleton > Mirror Joints.
  • Replace ‘L’ with ‘R’ in the naming convention and ensure mirror axis is set to YZ.
• Rename the mirrored IK handle accordingly.

Chapter 6: Root Joint

• Create a root joint at the pelvis:
  • Use a locator to accurately position the root joint at the center of the pelvis.
  • Select the thigh joints and the locator, then apply a point constraint to snap the locator in place.
• Duplicate the locator to find the chest position for the spine.

Chapter 7: Spine Joints

• Create spine joints:
  • Use the locator to create the root and chest joints.
  • Segment the spine using the Insert Joint Tool to add additional joints.
  • Name joints according to the established convention (e.g., JNT_Spine_01, JNT_Chest_01).

Chapter 8: Neck and Head Joints

• Create neck and head joints:
  • Continue the chain from the chest to the neck and head.
  • Ensure proper naming for the neck (JNT_Neck_01) and head (JNT_Head_01).

Chapter 9: Arm Joints

• Setup arm joints starting from the shoulder:
  • Use orthographic views to accurately place the shoulder, elbow, and wrist joints.
  • Rename the joints appropriately (e.g., JNT_L_Shoulder_01, JNT_L_Elbow_01, JNT_L_Wrist_01).

Chapter 10: Clavicle Joints

• Create clavicle joints:
  • Position the clavicle joint near the shoulder joint using the Create Joint Tool.
  • Snap the clavicle and shoulder joints to share the same pivot.

Chapter 11: Finger Joints

• Create finger joints:
  • Use the snapping tool to position finger joints accurately.
  • Ensure the correct orientation for bending in the Z-axis.
  • Rename the joints systematically (e.g., JNT_L_Thumb_A_01, JNT_L_Index_A_01, etc.).

Chapter 12: Mirroring Arm Joints

• Mirror the arm joints to the other side:
  • Use Skeleton > Mirror Joints and adjust naming conventions accordingly.

Chapter 13: Eye Joints

• Set up eye joints:
  • Create joints for the eyes positioned outside the geometry.
  • Use the local rotation axis to snap the eye joints to the center of the eye.
  • Bind the eye geometry to the respective eye bones.

Conclusion

In this tutorial, you learned how to create a comprehensive skeleton for a character, including legs, arms, spine, and eyes. You also practiced techniques for mirroring joints and ensuring accurate joint placement and orientation. The next step will involve binding the skeleton to the character's geometry and setting up controls for animation.