CG Toolkit to release "The Art of Rigging" Book + DVD

[maxx10]

Got mine today (14 days to get to Europe), must say I'm impressed with the book, played around a bit with the critters included on the DVD... fun stuff... congrats guys...

Just to let you know, the book got shipped to my billing address, instead of the shipping one, no problem at all for me

[yogeshsherman]

Hi after going through this forum I am bit curious about the content of your BOok but unfortunately I can't see any content related page or even Table of Contents.as i can't browse www.cgtoolkit.com(may (http://www.cgtoolkit.com(may) be the site is down).
But why can't anyone just show me the Table of Contents or even images from the book.
Do tell me hiw can I buy it under these circumstances (site is down) and how long it take to reach in india.
Is it worth buying or should i go for "Inspired 3D Advanced Rigging and Deformations" as i know atleast what they are selling.

[LW3D]

I got mine yesterday (Turkey-Europe). Both Book and DVD looks good..we will write a review soon...

SineFX (http://www.sinefx.com/index_e.php)

[progerik]

Hi after going through this forum I am bit curious about the content of your BOok but unfortunately I can't see any content related page or even Table of Contents.as i can't browse www.cgtoolkit.com(may (http://www.cgtoolkit.com(may/) be the site is down).
But why can't anyone just show me the Table of Contents or even images from the book.
Do tell me hiw can I buy it under these circumstances (site is down) and how long it take to reach in india.
Is it worth buying or should i go for "Inspired 3D Advanced Rigging and Deformations" as i know atleast what they are selling.

have you tried this link ?
http://www.cgtoolkit.com/book1/sneakpeak1.htm
works fine for me :)

[yogeshsherman]

well as usual the link is not working any way can you mail me anything related to the book in pdf form or html and also suggest how could i buy it(your site is not working).
Have you incorpaorated anything like the pose studio for maya?
Is this book able to teach me how to make synoptic windows like in xsi?
have your rigs have the abilty to re-use again and again for different character of different size and shape?
can I add bones later on after i made my rig so that i don't have to again add controllers and they update themself?

[progerik]

well as usual the link is not working any way can you mail me anything related to the book in pdf form or html and also suggest how could i buy it(your site is not working).
Have you incorpaorated anything like the pose studio for maya?
Is this book able to teach me how to make synoptic windows like in xsi?
have your rigs have the abilty to re-use again and again for different character of different size and shape?
can I add bones later on after i made my rig so that i don't have to again add controllers and they update themself?

it must be your ISP its working fine here , try from another machine maybe if you can
where are you logging from ?

[tinkertoy]

I got mine!!! :) It took somewhat longer, but it's here now (14 days airmail to Germany, 21 days passed between order).
My first impression:

I really like the FACS/facial rigging part and the chapter addressing the problems of multi-axis corrective blendshapes.

Since I have some experience in MEL and rigging I will jump to between the chapters.
Definitely a must-have book for aspiring and experienced TDs/riggers, in my eyes. I'm looking forward to seeing the upcoming Vol 2 & 3.

Congrats, cgtoolkit team! :thumbsup:

[yogeshsherman]

progerik i think you are not the technical person i.e why you not only neglected my technical queries but also give an ilogical reason to the problem of your site that ISP is blocking it anyway i am loggin from INDIA .And i am not the only one who is having this problem if you go through the entire thread you can easily understand. anyway I was interested in buying this product but your reply kill my curisity.i think its better to leave this thread as i didn't get sort of response I am looking for.

[Dias]

I can't buy it because I have Visa Electron. :hmm:

Is there another way to pay, something like Paypal?

[progerik]

progerik i think you are not the technical person i.e why you not only neglected my technical queries but also give an ilogical reason to the problem of your site that ISP is blocking it anyway i am loggin from INDIA .And i am not the only one who is having this problem if you go through the entire thread you can easily understand. anyway I was interested in buying this product but your reply kill my curisity.i think its better to leave this thread as i didn't get sort of response I am looking for.

was only trying to help you dude, chill.... no need to be angry with me when my only attention was to give you an hand...... too bad

[two.oh]

progerik i think you are not the technical person i.e why you not only neglected my technical queries but also give an ilogical reason to the problem of your site that ISP is blocking it anyway i am loggin from INDIA .And i am not the only one who is having this problem if you go through the entire thread you can easily understand. anyway I was interested in buying this product but your reply kill my curisity.i think its better to leave this thread as i didn't get sort of response I am looking for.

What a lame response man. Logging onto sites from India may very well have something to do with the fact that you can't get onto CGToolkit, or perhaps the site was just down. Have a little courteousy please. :shrug:

[Rabid pitbull]

progerik i think you are not the technical person i.e why you not only neglected my technical queries but also give an ilogical reason to the problem of your site that ISP is blocking it anyway i am loggin from INDIA .And i am not the only one who is having this problem if you go through the entire thread you can easily understand. anyway I was interested in buying this product but your reply kill my curisity.i think its better to leave this thread as i didn't get sort of response I am looking for.

:scream: Ok then it must be a conspiracy. We are all working together to stop you from buying the book.

So if your isp is so illogical a response, and we all can get to the content and order fine. What is it then? Did you try different browsers? Worked fine on firefox here. Do you have a firewall? Is it set properly? Is your computer having other problems? Might be your pc, router, modem...many things.

Your response was completely uncalled for. :rolleyes:

[yogeshsherman]

Rabid pitbull i am not saying that it's a conspiracy or you are tying to stop me from buying it.but think of your logic yourself why an isp would bann such content or is it that much special or design in such a way only to be browse by few ppl who use a certain type of router or browser.
progerik don't think i am not angry with you but as i was interested to know few things and instead of getting any sort of hint about it i got a totally vague reply,

[progerik]

Rabid pitbull i am not saying that it's a conspiracy or you are tying to stop me from buying it.but think of your logic yourself why an isp would bann such content or is it that much special or design in such a way only to be browse by few ppl who use a certain type of router or browser.
progerik don't think i am not angry with you but as i was interested to know few things and instead of getting any sort of hint about it i got a totally vague reply,

dude I am not an internet guru , as I was saying I was only trying to help you with the best of my ability, take it or leave it not need to respond like that imo , you should be more tolerant

[kiaran]

Have you incorpaorated anything like the pose studio for maya?
I don't know what pose studio is, but there is coverage of a MEL based pose libary system.

Is this book able to teach me how to make synoptic windows like in xsi?
I don't know what 'synoptic' means but we have lots of coverage of interface design.

have your rigs have the abilty to re-use again and again for different character of different size and shape?
That's a vague question. The book covers many rigging techniques that can be combined in many different ways. If adapting a rig to multiple, similar character is important, it can certainly be done.

can I add bones later on after i made my rig so that i don't have to again add controllers and they update themself?
Finalizing a joint layout before adding controller objects is always good practice. I wouldn't recommend adding joints afterwards.

yogeshsherman - By the way, please treat these people with respect. If you don't get the response you are looking for, just be patient and ask if someone else can help you.

[Dias]

Hi guys

After I've send my post about a problem to pay with Visa Electron, I've recieved an email from Nathan Zufelt with this link that allow me to pay wih Paypal system.
http://www.cgtoolkit.com/order/book1.htm

Is it ok? I'm apologize if I'm wrong, but the thing that sounds strange to me is that paypal email is webmaster@cgtoolkit.net and not .com as an official email of CGToolkit.

Sorry for my bad english and sorry again if I was wrong.

[Rabid pitbull]

Rabid pitbull i am not saying that it's a conspiracy or you are tying to stop me from buying it.but think of your logic yourself why an isp would bann such content or is it that much special or design in such a way only to be browse by few ppl who use a certain type of router or browser.
progerik don't think i am not angry with you but as i was interested to know few things and instead of getting any sort of hint about it i got a totally vague reply,

Hey why dont you send them an email?

webmaster@cgtoolkit.com this is the address to get questions and support regauding their website.

[xenoid]

Hey yogeshsherman, be more courteous please even if you can't get the answer to your problems. Your response was totally uncalled for. Sheesh....

[Dias]

Hi guys

After I've send my post about a problem to pay with Visa Electron, I've recieved an email from Nathan Zufelt with this link that allow me to pay wih Paypal system.
http://www.cgtoolkit.com/order/book1.htm

Is it ok? I'm apologize if I'm wrong, but the thing that sounds strange to me is that paypal email is webmaster@cgtoolkit.net and not .com as an official email of CGToolkit.

Sorry for my bad english and sorry again if I was wrong.


Kiaran, can you replay to my post? Plz, I want this book. :sad:

[andy_maxman]

progerik i think you are not the technical person i.e why you not only neglected my technical queries but also give an ilogical reason to the problem of your site that ISP is blocking it anyway i am loggin from INDIA .And i am not the only one who is having this problem if you go through the entire thread you can easily understand. anyway I was interested in buying this product but your reply kill my curisity.i think its better to leave this thread as i didn't get sort of response I am looking for.

hey yogesh,
- i'm sure you got the idea what everyone is getting at - basically read the 4 points mentioned while you make a reply/post.

btw - the site seems to be perfectly fine and everything loads just ok. even the paysite worked.

cheers! and goodLuck with what you came here for....peaceOut!!
-andy

[thimsj]

Woot I finally got my book today. Unfortunately I barely got it, it was address to another apartment in my building. Lucky for me the guy living there knows me and slid it under the door. Just thought you should know Kiaran in case this has happened to anyone else, and they haven't gotten their book. Looks good so far, complicated looking but I'm up to the challenge of rigging my own characters. Woot.

[kiaran]

.com/.net doesn't matter :)

[Dias]

Ok, thanks, I've paid. :)

One question, how many days should I wait (I'm from Italy)?

[MunCHeR]

sorry to be such a pain, but has anyone found anything on rigging eyelids, the soft eyes tute is great just wondering id\f theres a better way besides using clusters, I'm sure it was mentioned in the soft eyes video but i cant find it in the book, anyone?

Cheers

MunCH

[kiaran]

just wondering id\f theres a better way besides using clusters, I'm sure it was mentioned in the soft eyes video but i cant find it in the book, anyone?

For Zuckafa's eyelids, I created two joints (one for each lid) and weighted the lids to these joints. These joints are then driven by the soft eyes setup as described in the book and the videos. Hope that answers your question.

[MunCHeR]

Thanks kiaran for the clarification, I know it was touched on but i couldnt find ths "process" of doing it:shrug:

MunCH

edit: OK I found what I was looking for, must have passed over it a dozen times, Page 111 for anyone else who might have missed that one :D

[joel3d]

Hey there kiaran!

Siggraph is coming up, is cgtoolkit going to have a booth, or be represented? I am interested, and would like to learn more about the book before I buy.

Thanks Joel

[Zeicon]

kiaran (member.php?u=30142),

I have received my book now and have to congratulate you guys on an astounding piece of work. I don't read a lot of books because I usually get impatient and bored, but I find this book extremely engaging. The book shines visually and I just can't get my eyes off of it. The DVD is also an invaluable addition!

I'm still in the first chapter, and wanted to setup a rig for the Goblin character. However, in the Goblin scene file on the DVD, the model is already rigged. Is there an unrigged version somewhere so I can start rigging right away?

[SheepFactory]

kiaran (http://member.php?u=30142),

I have received my book now and have to congratulate you guys on an astounding piece of work. I don't read a lot of books because I usually get impatient and bored, but I find this book extremely engaging. The book shines visually and I just can't get my eyes off of it. The DVD is also an invaluable addition!

I'm still in the first chapter, and wanted to setup a rig for the Goblin character. However, in the Goblin scene file on the DVD, the model is already rigged. Is there an unrigged version somewhere so I can start rigging right away?


you can just delete the rig you know?

[Zeicon]

No I didn't know... I'll try that :>

Also, the rig doesn't work correctly here, but I believe it is due to me using version 5.0 - not 6.0. I converted the scene file using the mayaFileConverter, but things like the eyebrow controller, jaw controller, eyelid controller etc. does not work - I guess my Maya has some troubles reading the blendshapes or something. Hopefully I will be able to update to a newer version soon... :/

[JellyFire]

I love this book guys, but I'm having a serious problem with the audio...
I am running a G5 with a brad new installed version of Tiger, so there is nothing but the minimal apps running (+maya, photoshop and subEthaEdit)
I have installed the EnSharpen Codec and run the video files in quicktime.
I get perfect picture quality, but the playback of the audio is jumpy and goes out of sync from the video..
I've tried playing it in VLC, which gives good audio playback, but crazy ass video playback.

As a very last resort I tried playing the video's on a PC which gave the same results unless I used the Canplay.exe file included...

I have sent an eMail to CgToolkit about this problem last week, but no reply.

Hope some help can come from this forum.
Thanks for any advice
Niietzshe

[alexentremont]

Same audio problem here, it is very annoying.
The problem is Quicktime-related: it happens on both Mac OS X and Windows with Quicktime player.
VLC is using it's own sound decoder and the sound is fine, unfortunately the colors are awful.

[Rayman_84]

I live in sweden and i was wondering if i order the book today how long would it take before a got it in my hands? Is it 5-8 days as it says on the homepage or is it longer then that?

[madmanmagic]

Kiaran,
Over the weekend my copy of the Art of Rigging finally came - Yipee!
I started to read it and browse the pages.
What a wonderful production, love the layout, paper quality and solid content!

Thanks so much for such a great learning tool Book/DVD.
You will sell of ton of these books at Siggraph - best of luck!!

If the 2nd & 3rd Volume are of the same quality, you just sold me, site unseen on those.

My Problem

The DVD video tutorials playback funky. It seems the audio clicks, or jumps? Mostly I hear a clicking sound.

Maybe I am overly sensitive since I am using Bose QuietComfort® 2 Acoustic Noise Cancelling® headphones, they were a gift - sweet! But same problem occurs with cheap headphones?

One of the first things you say on the DVD Kiaran, is that you are a visual learner - me too! Of course I jump right into the videos, reading is so tedious.

So I figure maybe my cd/dvd drive in my Mac G5 isn't fast enough to play back the tutorial movies? So I copied the disc to my hard because I figure that I would be able to play the movies faster? No luck, still get this clicking?
(I do not mean to break copyright laws, and after I watch the movies I will delete from my hard drive.)

Has anyone else complained/noticed this about this?

Not using Tiger, using MacOSX 10.3.9 - QT Pro 7.0.1

Maybe .avi files don't play well on Apple's or in Quicktime? Do I need another player? Or should I try to convert them to another format for smoother playback? If this is the case can anyone suggest how to convert the .avi movies and to what format?

For those of you reading this that haven't bought the book/dvd yet, I just wanted to point out that Kiarans' voice is pleasant to listen to, in other words HE'S NOT BORING (unlike some DVD teacher/instructors on some discs) some people just happen to have a talent for voice over work, Kiaran is one of those few. And the video instructions look great - no NTSC here. Pure video/screen capture. Not sure which?

Looking forward to some kind of solution for the clicks!

Thanks
Dan

[MunCHeR]

guys I was having the audio problems playing the videos inside the browser window but not from the file system, been using media player classic in windows and vlc player in linux, wish they were encoded with divx or xvid instead of tscc, takes about 2 minutes to convert them with virtualdub, hope you have some luck. :thumbsup:

MunCH

[5quid]

The techsmith codec + mp3 encoded audio has always lead to problems on the mac side of things.

The only soloution i've seen has been to drop the avi into DivX Doctor and re-encode it.

It's certainly worth the extra effort though as it's a fantastic book/dvd.



:)

[SheepFactory]

if you guys have a PSP transfer the video to that , works like a charm and its really fun to watch on boring bus rides :)

[madmanmagic]

The techsmith codec + mp3 encoded audio has always lead to problems on the mac side of things.

The only soloution i've seen has been to drop the avi into DivX Doctor and re-encode it.

It's certainly worth the extra effort though as it's a fantastic book/dvd.



:)

I downloaded DivX Doctor II and drag and drop the .avi file and all's I get is a mac beep.
The website says if you get a beep, then the file is not .avi file????

Any idea what's happening?

[madmanmagic]

if you guys have a PSP transfer the video to that , works like a charm and its really fun to watch on boring bus rides :)

How do you get the video into a PSP? I would buy one used on eBay if I could watch these movies without the audio problem!

Thanks, please inform

[JellyFire]

Thanks for the advice.
I used Divx Doctor 2 to get it to work perfectly in quicktime 7 (osx).
A problem I encountered was with a mounted drive over my network,
re-encoding them from there, so it might be the same directly from
the CD. To get over it I copied the folder to my desktop, DD'd them,
then converted it to h.264.

Hope this helps others.
Niietzshe

[madmanmagic]

Thanks for the advice.
I used Divx Doctor 2 to get it to work perfectly in quicktime 7 (osx).
A problem I encountered was with a mounted drive over my network,
re-encoding them from there, so it might be the same directly from
the CD. To get over it I copied the folder to my desktop, DD'd them,
then converted it to h.264.

Hope this helps others.
Niietzshe

Niietzshe you nailed it!!
I had copied originally from DVD to Lacie firewire drive.

But when I moved those files to my main hard drive Divx Doctor 2 worked.
I don't know how you converted them to h.264 (I don't know what that is actually - h.264?)

The preferences in Divx Doctor 2 do not show anything re. formats that I can find?

But what ever file type they end up in, which looks to be plain .mov file plays smoothly now!

Yippee, the only drag is having to do this in the first place!

Any updates to the DVD available from CGToolkit guys? - I guess this question will have to wait till after Siggraph, I imagine the guys at CGToolkit are loading up a truck with this awesome book and heading out west!

Any Mac guru's out there that can write a script to automate this process?

Thanks Again for the temp fix!

Dan
ps. This was the worry of the day, now I can sleep tonight, knowing tomorrow I will wake up to watch some/convert some/watch some more, etc.. CGToolkit Movies! Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

[JellyFire]

The .Mov file created by DivxDoctor is a bit big...
Opening the new mov in quicktime and (using pro) export as a h.264 encoded mov
Should bring the file size down considerably, however it takes a long time, even on
a G5 to encode, so I haven't managed to compare sizes yet...

Niietzshe
(Looking forward to Siggraph)

[madmanmagic]

The .Mov file created by DivxDoctor is a bit big...
Opening the new mov in quicktime and (using pro) export as a h.264 encoded mov
Should bring the file size down considerably, however it takes a long time, even on
a G5 to encode, so I haven't managed to compare sizes yet...

Niietzshe
(Looking forward to Siggraph)

I can't seem to find the h.264 encoder in QT pro menus? Do I do export as? or Save as?
Either way I see no h.264 encoder?

Please advise!
Dan
ps. awake again.

[jetco]

I received the book a couple of days ago.
Totally awesome.

Definately the best book on rigging available
on the market..really gets into the nitty gritty of
things. The tutorials are clear and consise and easy
to follow along.
I will definately be getting the followups - Volumes II and III.

Thanks to the cgToolkit team. Karim and Kiaran

Steve

[MunCHeR]

Guys I wrote some instructions for converting the tscc video to xvid(or use whatever codec you like) with virtualdub available at www.virtualdub.org
Really hope this isnt infringing on any copyrights or anything so kiaran if you want me to remove my post no problem:)

open the file and select video full processing mode, then select compression and chose xvid (or whatever codec you'd prefer) then click the small black arrow near the bottom of the interface(the one on the left to select where to start the conversion, hit the fast forward button (7th button from the left along bottom (DUH!), then click the black arrow on the right(besides the previously clicked one(to select where to finish conversion) then hit file save as and select a file name.

Away you go, took about 10 minutes for the 1st video in the 1st chapter folder, and the file size is about 35,714Mb, the original being 29,951Mb.

Hope this is useful to someone, apologies if they sound idiotic just wanted to make them easy to follow.

Cheers

MunCH

[Rayman_84]

Just ordered the book hopfully it will come soon as possible.

[kiaran]

Thanks to the cgToolkit team. Karim and Kiaran

jetco - I'm glad you like it. :)

Guys I wrote some instructions for converting the tscc video to xvid(or use whatever codec you like) with virtualdub available at www.virtualdub.org (http://www.virtualdub.org/)
Really hope this isnt infringing on any copyrights or anything so kiaran if you want me to remove my post no problem

MunCHeR- Thank you for the instructions. I will let people know about this option. How do the videos look in Xvid? Is the text still clear? The reason we went with the TSCC codec is because it can produce extremely small file sizes with perfect clarity. This is something we were unable to find in any other video codecs (we tried h.264, sorenson and divx). But if this works, then great! :)

PS: That doesn't infringe on the copyright. Just ensure that the copies are for your own use please.

[madmanmagic]

I know this is going to be stupid.

But I can't find Mel Studio LE on DVD?

'edit' - I googled Mel Studio LE and found http://www.digimation.com/

I download the free version of LE, one problem - it doesn't run on my Apple G5?

Well I did more searching and on Alias.com they talk about MEL Studio Pro™
Digimation, Inc.

Plug-In Information
Software
Maya Complete 4.5+
Maya Unlimited 4.5+
Platform
Windows 2000 Pro / XP Pro

Anyone know workaround? A similar app for the Mac?

Thanks
dan

[xenoid]

Hi Kiaran,

I'm actually quite interested in the organisation of rigs and how to make it well planned and grouped nicely. After reading thru your book and looking at the Goblin rig, I'm actually quite impressed with the nice organisation of the controls and rigs. Any chance to explain that in detail? :thumbsup:

[MunCHeR]

Kiaran, the video quality with xvid looks fine, want me to email you a small sample?

MunCH

[progerik]

Came accross a review of the art of rigging on the web, however it is in spanish but with the help of google we get the idea :)

http://www.3dyanimacion.com/index.cfm

[kiaran]

Came accross a review of the art of rigging on the web, however it is in spanish but with the help of google we get the idea

Thanks for that! I read the whole thing through the google translator. 9/10! That's sweet!

[kiaran]

Just wanted to let everyone know that The Art of Rigging will be at Siggraph. You can find the book at the Breakpoint bookstore (official Siggraph bookstore).

I will be hanging around to answer questions, sign your book, discuss rigging, walk your dog or anything else you may want. Hope to see you there!

[SheepFactory]

How do you get the video into a PSP? I would buy one used on eBay if I could watch these movies without the audio problem!

Thanks, please inform

You just convert it to mpeg4 with a free converter. and upload it to your mem card. then you are good to go.

[D4ng3rmouse]

Hey im really interested in getting this book, looks like it could improve my knowledge of rigging no end. I just have a quick question though and i hope this is the right place to post it. I live in england so naturally im gonna have to get it shipped here and i can see thats possible on the webiste so thats fine. However when it arrives in the country how much extra am i gonna have to pay in taxes or VAT or whatever it is. Has anyone one from UK bought it and can they tell me how much they had to pay? I just a bit worried as my sister bought some shoes from US once and we had to pay the postman £45 quid just to get it off of him when he delivered it. If anyone knows or knows how i can find out i'd be very gratefull ta :)

[MunCHeR]

I will be hanging around to answer questions, sign your book, discuss rigging, walk your dog or anything else you may want. Hope to see you there!

Kiaran, do you do ironing or tax returns?

Have a great time guys:thumbsup:

Cheers

MunCH

[CGmonkey]

Hey im really interested in getting this book, looks like it could improve my knowledge of rigging no end. I just have a quick question though and i hope this is the right place to post it. I live in england so naturally im gonna have to get it shipped here and i can see thats possible on the webiste so thats fine. However when it arrives in the country how much extra am i gonna have to pay in taxes or VAT or whatever it is. Has anyone one from UK bought it and can they tell me how much they had to pay? I just a bit worried as my sister bought some shoes from US once and we had to pay the postman £45 quid just to get it off of him when he delivered it. If anyone knows or knows how i can find out i'd be very gratefull ta :)

I just recieved mine, and I'm in Sweden and I didn't pay any extra shite!

Great book btw, I'm thrilled I placed the order :thumbsup:

[SkyZero]

Question - will this book be compatible with Maya 7 in terms of following the examples, etc. ? :shrug:

[MunCHeR]

Question - will this book be compatible with Maya 7 in terms of following the examples, etc. ? :shrug:

I would think that would be blatantly obvious, besides the Full Body IK solver "new feature" I dont think they rewrote it between 6.5 and 7.0.

MunCH

[Grgeon]

Just wanted to let everyone know that The Art of Rigging will be at Siggraph. You can find the book at the Breakpoint bookstore (official Siggraph bookstore).

I will be hanging around to answer questions, sign your book, discuss rigging, walk your dog or anything else you may want. Hope to see you there!

Excellent Kiaran! I will be getting the book there... Do you know if the price will be the same?

George

[joel3d]

Hi kiaran...
Will you be there tomorrow (Wednesday)? It would be great to meet you.

[Rabid pitbull]

I recieved my book two days ago.... I am stunned at the excellent clarity and ease to follow. I am not a experienced rigger, or maya user(only a few months) and these lessons and examples are great!

Thanks for making this book!

[jeandenis]

Also, the rig doesn't work correctly here, but I believe it is due to me using version 5.0 - not 6.0. I converted the scene file using the mayaFileConverter, but things like the eyebrow controller, jaw controller, eyelid controller etc. does not work - I guess my Maya has some troubles reading the blendshapes or something. Hopefully I will be able to update to a newer version soon... :/
________________
I know this sounds simple and please don't be offended by it in case you tried it, but are you trying out the facial stuff while the lowres model is on? The facial shapes only work for the midlevel one, not the low and high.
EDIT: save as an .ma file, change the header, open in 5.0, all the shapes still work

Something else. It's been said to NOT do this and maybe an answer has been posted already (I'm still reading through the last pages of this thread), but is there a way to scale the Goblin?

Thanks!

EDIT: ok, read everything, but couldn't find a scale question. Anybody know how to scale the goblin?

Thanks again!

[orion119net]

does this book teach rigging in general, with maya as the app for the examples, or does it teach maya specific?

sorry if this doesnt make any sense or has already been asked.

[-Vormav-]

does this book teach rigging in general, with maya as the app for the examples, or does it teach maya specific?

sorry if this doesnt make any sense or has already been asked.
From what I've read of it so far, much of the book will be specific to Maya (scripting in particular), but all of the techniques and ideas could certainly be carried over into other apps..


Pretty impressive book, I must say. So much info, and its been put together so nicely. I just need some more time to go through all of it..:p

[vislaw]

After reading all the praise I immediately went to Amazon.com and ordered The Art of Rigging. I just got the book and spent the day with it. I mean, it's a nice book and all, but I can't figure out why you computer nerds are so excited about turn of the century maritime activities. :)


http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0486263436/qid=1123632655/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_1/103-3713528-2975015?v=glance&s=books&n=507846 (http://www.forensicaerials.com/artofrigging.jpg)

And who is Captain George Biddlecomb anyway?

[MunCHeR]

LOL @ vislaw, just downloaded the maya 7 bonus tools and was going through the docs and just wanted to let everyone know theres a Split Joint tool:



Split Joint

This command splits a bone into two.

To use, select the joint at the bottom of the bone and Bonus Tools->Split Joint.

Thought this would be a little easier than kiarans demo :beer:

Cheers

MunCH

[MunCHeR]

do any of you guys make bones to represent a rib cage, I couldnt find any examples rigged that way in the scene files, maybe this will be covered in vol 2 and 3, I just remember seeing it in a tutorial somewhere, maybe cane-toad.com

cheers

MunCH

[kiaran]

do any of you guys make bones to represent a rib cage, I couldnt find any examples rigged that way in the scene files, maybe this will be covered in vol 2 and 3

In my opinion, this would be a sort of a bad idea. Joints are just pivot points, try not to think of them as 'bones'. If you want the 'ribcage-under-the-skin' effect, joints would not be my first choice.

[YeeWu]

Hi, I've really been enjoying the book so far :) I have been playing around with the Shape Builder (great tool, by the way), and was wondering if it was at all possible to mirror a shape?

[kiaran]

Yes. Turn of 'delete corrective shape' and then use the abSymMesh (also on the DVD or can be found on highend3d.com) tool to mirror this shape. This is the exact process I use.

[YeeWu]

Ah! Thanks so much! I was trying to use AbSymMesh with "Delete Corrective Shape" checked. I'll try that right now, thanks again!

Up until now, I've been doing it the brute force way by taking the original corrective shape I made, scaling it in negative X, then vertex snapping the vertices of the shape I wanted to mirror to this negative copy. It hasn't been very fun...I'm glad to hear you can mirror this :)

[yolao]

i wan`t to learn how to rig a character in a reallistic way, but i don`t know anything about rigging....being a beginer in riging what can i learn from this book+dvd?...

-does dvd that came with the book has an step by step tutorials?

-what kind of rig system is teached in this book/dvd?...basic, intermediate or advanced?

and when i say "advanced" i mean movie quality(gollum for example)

thanks

[DangerAhead]

It's a great book. But not if you're a real noobie. ADVANCED.

If you're a real noobie. You might want to start with a basic book first. There are NOT a lot of basic concepts. that's because they're covered in other books.

And there's a lot of MEL. Most of what I've read so far doesn't deal with pipelines or Broken rigs, but I'm only halfway through.

it's a great book. Yes they discuss the facial modeling system used on Gollum and how Dr. Paul Eckman's Action Units played a role.

Go get it.

[yolao]

It's a great book. But not if you're a real noobie. ADVANCED.

If you're a real noobie. You might want to start with a basic book first. There are NOT a lot of basic concepts. that's because they're covered in other books.

And there's a lot of MEL. Most of what I've read so far doesn't deal with pipelines or Broken rigs, but I'm only halfway through.

it's a great book. Yes they discuss the facial modeling system used on Gollum and how Dr. Paul Eckman's Action Units played a role.

Go get it.

thank`s for the info.....oh, and one thing, i`m using maya unlimited 6, for what version is this book/dvd?

[stewartjones]

thank`s for the info.....oh, and one thing, i`m using maya unlimited 6, for what version is this book/dvd?

Maya unlimited 6 will be fine for this book!


I have a question guys. Just started going through this book, and on the classic IK/FK switch (exercise 1.2) I'm hitting a problem. I get the switch sorted, and then go to blend from IK to FK, thing is it snaps from one to the other.

At 0 it's on IK, ok, cool. At 10 it's FK, cool, that worked, but there is no smooth blend in between. On my animation preferences I have my options set to Flat and Stepped weighted tangents. Is this what's causing the problem?

If I open the finished scene that comes with the book it all works fine. I can't work it out at all!

Cheers


-Stu

[liquidik]

Yes vyntax, that's the problems. Remember that Set Driven Key has curves too.

[stewartjones]

thanks gianmichele, it's been driving me nuts. guess i gotta keep switching that for rigging to animation!

[yolao]

would the dvd work alone with out the book?.....my english is not good and i prefer
to see in the dvd how everything is done....

[madmanmagic]

would the dvd work alone with out the book?.....my english is not good and i prefer
to see in the dvd how everything is done....

The DVD alone is worth the costs! Considering what Gnomon charges for a DVD and this DVD is 10 hours I believe!

Plus, Kiaran is a pro (instant voice over talent) great pacing, great speaking voice, and does not rush through the lessons. Nor does he drag on and repeat, like some DVDs by non pro voice talent.

Dan

[yolao]

The DVD alone is worth the costs! Considering what Gnomon charges for a DVD and this DVD is 10 hours I believe!

Plus, Kiaran is a pro (instant voice over talent) great pacing, great speaking voice, and does not rush through the lessons. Nor does he drag on and repeat, like some DVDs by non pro voice talent.

Dan

thanks Dan, this book/dvd is in my list....what is the diference between this one
and the making of leon?....a part tha one is focus on the making of a creature(leon)

[madmanmagic]

thanks Dan, this book/dvd is in my list....what is the diference between this one
and the making of leon?....a part tha one is focus on the making of a creature(leon)
Sorry I don't know, I never picked up Leon.
dan

[madmanmagic]

Hello kiaran! Where did everybody go?

This is a bit off topic, but I emailed CGToolKit Sales & Customer support THU & FRI August 18 & 19th (at least 4-5 times) but I get no reply?

Is everyone off for holiday? Your profile says your in Canada, but CGToolKit homepage says it is a California company.

Any insight on your part why no answer? I'm trying to use PayPal, which I used before, for a second copy as a gift - but no one's home:(
Thanks
Dan

[madmanmagic]

Hello kiaran! Where did everybody go?

This is a bit off topic, but I emailed CGToolKit Sales & Customer support THU & FRI August 18 & 19th (at least 4-5 times) but I get no reply?

Is everyone off for holiday? Your profile says your in Canada, but CGToolKit homepage says it is a California company.

Any insight on your part why no answer? I'm trying to use PayPal, which I used before, for a second copy as a gift - but no one's home:(
Thanks
Dan

Kiaran - wouldn't you know it I wake up this morning and 2 emails from the sales team at CGToolKit.

Basically Apple users have trouble with Safari and the ordering/check out process using Safari and Explorer.

So originally someone was kind enough in sales (or I thought it was actually you, Kiaran, who hooked me up) to let me use PayPal, but now they (sales) request I try to use another computer to order, a PC, because PayPal is not really how they are dealing with sales.

Which I can appreciate. I am guessing that the fee PayPal takes would add up if you were trying to sell a ton of copies of a book to a niche' market, and trying to make a profit.

The same reason your not currently going the Amazon route.
Cut out the middle man!

It's cool with me, (more money for CGToolKit to produce more stuff in the future) especially appreciated because I already own one copy of the Rigging Book and I know first hand that the printing and binding alone are outstanding. This second copy is going to be a gift (I wish someone gave me this book as a gift, hint, hint for Vol 2).

I don't know how you found a printing company to do a small run? While maintaining such high quality?

So I will go find a PC and place my order.

Head up to Apple users - has anyone found a way around the checkout process on CGToolKit?

Thanks
Dan

[kiaran]

It's cool with me, (more money for CGToolKit to produce more stuff in the future) especially appreciated because I already own one copy of the Rigging Book and I know first hand that the printing and binding alone are outstanding. This second copy is going to be a gift (I wish someone gave me this book as a gift, hint, hint for Vol 2).

Yes, the sales system is geared towards cutting-out the middle man which ultimatly leads to a far greater value for the end customer.

I don't know how you found a printing company to do a small run? While maintaining such high quality?

Well CG Toolkit is a full publishing company. We are still small, but in today's 'global village' (that's such a cheesy term, I know) that doesn't prevent us from competing with the big guys. We're here to stay :)

[yolao]

Hi Kiaran

i will ask you the same question that i asked to Dan:

what is the diference between the art of rigging and the making of leon?....a part tha one is focus on the making of a creature(leon)

thanks in advance

[kiaran]

what is the diference between the art of rigging and the making of leon?....a part tha one is focus on the making of a creature(leon)

If you are curious about the content of both, please check out the previews on our website where you can find ample information about both products. Be sure to check out the DVD menus (for an exact list of the content) as well as the preview videos and press releases. This should give you a general idea about how both of the products are similiar/different.

[Julez4001]

Just ordered.
I need to be more proficient in maya/Mel and I will bring this knowledge over to messiah:Animate as well.
Muhhahahahahahaahhahahahhhaahhaahhah!

[yolao]

the art of rigging dvd have 9 hours of video....how much time have the DVD 2 digital of the making of leon?..

thanks

[DaddyMack]

I ordered my copy a couple of days ago and I gotta say that if it's half of what it appears to be, It will be the best $100au I've ever spent;) Thanks Kiaran and co

[kiaran]

yolao - I think Leon DVD has around 7hrs of content.

DaddyMack- Thanks for the order!

[stewartjones]

Alritey!

I just finished going through this book, and WOWEE, this thing is totally awesome... Where's volume 2 guys!?!?! haha! :D

I definately need to go through it again, as the later chapters are totally over my head for the moment, although the explanations of the scripts are very good. It's really great to find a book that actually explains the scripts to the user, instead of the regular, 'here's the code, and it will do this'... My first question is always, ok, cool, but how is it doing that, and why. The CG Toolkit book eliminates this by explaining everything. Great work Kiaran and crew! :thumbsup:

Oh, on a final note. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE, include DVD's with the other volumes. The books is superb, but everything made a lot more sense by viewing the DVD AND reading the book!

Roll on Volume 2 :applause: :wip: :bowdown: :beer: :arteest:

[plsosebee]

I just received my copy of the book yesterday, and I love it! Does anyone know when volume 3 will be released? I am looking to explore Maya Unlimited (hair, cloth, fur, etc), and I believe that book will be a tremendous help.

Thanks!

[CGmonkey]

I'm kinda curious, how many copies have you sold? :)

Thanks again for a great book!

[progerik]

I'm kinda curious, how many copies have you sold? :)

Thanks again for a great book!

they sold 5 billions two hundred copy :P do you really expect an answer on a public forum ?
lol

[enbee]

Finally getting around to playing with some scripting. I can't seem to find MEL Studio LE on the disc. Does anyone know if it is on there somewhere, I could have sworn I read somewhere in the book that it was. When I search online all the links to it are dead, even the domain digimation does not work.

[GatorNic]

Just got my book a few days ago and I have to say it looks great! Can't wait to dig into it. Kudo's to the peeps at CgToolKit!

Finally getting around to playing with some scripting. I can't seem to find MEL Studio LE on the disc. Does anyone know if it is on there somewhere, I could have sworn I read somewhere in the book that it was. When I search online all the links to it are dead, even the domain digimation does not work.

Yeah I tried the same thing and would like to know too. Although I am using 7 now and I don't think there has been a release for that anyway. Just have to keep using VIM and EditPad Pro.

[enbee]

Can EditPad Pro recognize mel and format accordingly? That is mostly what I'm interested in, just easier on the eyes. If not, I'll just stick with TextPad.

[GatorNic]

Can EditPad Pro recognize mel and format accordingly? That is mostly what I'm interested in, just easier on the eyes. If not, I'll just stick with TextPad.

Yes you just have to get the syntax highlighting file for it. I know there is one on highend. Do a search there or google it. I know it will come up.



edit: ooohh and I just noticed this is my 200th post! yeah for me! lol.

[DaddyMack]

Hi Kiaran and Co... I just got my copy and I wanna say a big thanks!... it looks most, most impressive and chock full of stuffing for my brain... Also, I'm really glad for the waxy stock, I :drool: ed all over mine and it just wipes clean;)

Awesome work guys:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

[madmanmagic]

Yeah, does anyone know what is up with http://www.digimation.com/

I can't find the site, it shows up on google but does not open in browser?
Dan

[unseenthings]

Yeah, does anyone know what is up with http://www.digimation.com/

I can't find the site, it shows up on google but does not open in browser?
Dan

Digimation is based out of southern Louisiana (in or around New Orleans) and their site is likely down as a result of Hurricane Katrina and the current state of things down there.

[madmanmagic]

Digimation is based out of southern Louisiana (in or around New Orleans) and their site is likely down as a result of Hurricane Katrina and the current state of things down there.
Thanks for the info. Total bummer.

[enbee]

They're site was back up and running the other day when I checked. Hope they are all ok.

[madmanmagic]

This book is great the DVD is even better.

But I can't get past chapter 1 in the book. I got through all of the videos in folder 1 - which I assume is chapter 1.

But I struggle half way through chapter one and feel lost. It's very hard to read and put the book down and try what's written. Anyone else sharing this same problem?

If I just learn the DVD will I know enough? I would suggest CGTalk to just make a DVD that would cover the entire book - us artist types trying to be techincal drives us crazy.

All you programmers are probably laughing, light read, etc..

What I really need is a teacher that can teach me this book! Anyone in So. New Jersey willing to read me the book?

Thanks
Dan

[kiaran]

But I struggle half way through chapter one and feel lost. It's very hard to read and put the book down and try what's written. Anyone else sharing this same problem?
If I just learn the DVD will I know enough? I would suggest CGTalk to just make a DVD that would cover the entire book - us artist types trying to be techincal drives us crazy.

Hey man, don't sweat it! Remember, we are always here to help! Going from 'art' to 'programming' requires that you switch your brain a little. It can be difficult at first but once it 'clicks' you should have no problem. And just like with art, only practice will make that happen. But if you find yourself stuck on anything, help is only an email away. Feel free to give me a shout at kiaran@cgtoolkit.com.

Oh, and thanks for buying the book! :)

[madmanmagic]

Hey man, don't sweat it! Remember, we are always here to help! Going from 'art' to 'programming' requires that you switch your brain a little. It can be difficult at first but once it 'clicks' you should have no problem. And just like with art, only practice will make that happen. But if you find yourself stuck on anything, help is only an email away. Feel free to give me a shout at kiaran@cgtoolkit.com.

Oh, and thanks for buying the book! :)
Kiaran,
Thanks for the encouragement!!

The book is awesome, the DVD rocks - your voice/pacing/etc.. are all right on the money.
It is great to have the Book & DVD, I realize how much time/talent/etc. went into it. Nobody comes close to the quality & quanity!

I'll get there, I am quite persistent when I want to be and I will soldier on - with your help!
Excelsior! (It's the state motto of NY, means ever upward!)
Dan

[BiGMaCHiNe]

I just ordered the art of rigging, and the making of leon set. will the muscle tk plugin be recompiled so that it can be used with maya 7.0 or will i need to keep a copy of 6.5 on my machine.

[madmanmagic]

And just like with art, only practice will make that happen. But if you find yourself stuck on anything, help is only an email away. Feel free to give me a shout at kiaran@cgtoolkit.com.

:)

Kiaran,
I edited this as it was a silly question.
Dan

[kiaran]

madmanmagic - Check your email for the answer to your question. Let's keep this thread about the book in general. Any specific questions about Maya would be better-off in the Maya forums where more people will see them.

will the muscle tk plugin be recompiled so that it can be used with maya 7.0

Yes, please email your transaction ID to support@cgtoolkit.com to recieve the Maya 7.0 compile.

[BiGMaCHiNe]

yeah, someone on the cgtoolkit staff added me to their msn list, just an hour after i posted that question with all the support i needed to get muscletk running on maya 7.0. A week later and I still probably wont have the parcel arrive for a few more days but ive had the plugin operating not long after i ordered. I think that is exceptional service. I hope it catches on with others. good work guys.

[MrJames]

Ordered the book the other day and really looking forward to getting my hands on it :) I have a few creatures that need rigging and they are begging for some life to be put into them ;)

[leif3d]

I'm trying to Purchase "The Art of Rigging" book...but it's sold out in the cg/tollkit website. Is there another site I can grab it from please?!

[progerik]

I'm trying to Purchase "The Art of Rigging" book...but it's sold out in the cg/tollkit website. Is there another site I can grab it from please?!

you mean cgproshop is sold out right ? cause it isnt at www.cgtoolkit.com (http://www.cgtoolkit.com) :)

[inkyspot]

It's a beautiful Book, it's very easy to read. I love the DVD. It's a must have.

It was worth every penny.

I'm a slow learner. this is definately my taste. I almost feel like getting another copy so I can keep it untouched in the package.

[supersteve3d]

I just received my copy of the book. :thumbsup:
The videos and quality of the print etc. look excellent..

This and the Inspired Advanced Rigging are highly recommended.

Cheers.

[leif3d]

So noone knows if there is an alternate source of purchase?

[SheepFactory]

So noone knows if there is an alternate source of purchase?

You can buy from the cgproshop but it seems its sold out at the moment so you have to order direct from cgtoolkit.

[Yozz]

Please help! I haven't received Art of Rigging vol 1&2, it's been 35 days since I ordered my copies early April 4th. I've emailed cgtoolkit this past 3 weeks to 5 adresses so far no reply.

Anyone from cgtoolkit? please help!!


Transaction ID: 166307273
Description: Art of Rigging, Volume 1 and 2 (2 Book Special)
From: CGTOOLKIT
Merchant's cart ID: AoRv1v2Books
Authorisation Date/Time: 04/Apr/2006 07:30:18

thanks.

[CGTalk Moderation]

This thread has been automatically closed as it remained inactive for 12 months. If you wish to continue the discussion, please create a new thread in the appropriate forum.