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

[loocas]

I WANT IT! :drool:

Thanks a lot Sheep Factory! :thumbsup:

[SheepFactory]

Ok , so how is the book? and why you should get this one when there are 90 other rigging books out there which all seem to cover the same topic.

The book is printed on almost expose quality paper , it looks more like "the art of maya" then a rigging book at first glance. While its the content that matters , it really helps to have visually pleasing layout while you are reading a book.

The reason I liked this book to much and thought its worth plugging is because it teaches topics that are worth learning , its not a rehash like most other rigging books with the usual "this is how you set up bones , this is ik , this is fk , this is smooth bind , and here is a 10 page chapter on MEL before we finish the book" type of content. All that is covered in chapter one of this book and then it moves on to advanced topics , take a look at the website to see for yourself. Another big plus for me was in its clear explanation of MEL scripts. If you are a Maya rigger who want to learn MEL look no further.

yet the biggest selling point is the dvd , the book comes with a free dvd that is full of 9 hours of video tutorials that cover everything in the book. So if you are the type that says "i hate reading , dvd's are the future" there you go.

I hope this was helpful for those of you who are trying to get more into rigging and dont know where to begin to learn MEL like myself.

-A

[DangerAhead]

Me likey. Me Likey a lot.

Here's a sneak peak:
http://www.cgtoolkit.com/book1/sneakpeak1.htm

[Sil3]

This is without a doubt a must have even though i dont use Maya.

Thanks for the link Sheep :)

[kiaran]

Be sure to check out the preview of the book on the website:

http://www.cgtoolkit.com/book1/sneakpeak1.htm

I was the main author on the book, so I should be able to answer any questions. Feel free to ask about anything.

It really is a very beautiful book. Full color, tons of pictures, syntax highlighted MEL code, a 9hr DVD and some really useful custom scripts and setups. If you have ever wanted to get serious about creating creature rigs, this is your ticket. ;)

[cJaynes]

Wow im not really a rigger but i might have to get this book it looks awesome.

[madmanmagic]

1.) Is this book ready to order and ship? Will it show up on Amazon? Or can you only get it through Cg Toolkit.com?

2.) My other question is 2nd & 3rd Volumes are in production? Wow, they must be going into great detail.

Looks cool, as soon as some people get thier hands on it and post some reviews I will buy it.

Thanks
Dan

[Xtruder]

Will this woderful book be available on the CGPROSHOP? I've to make
a very very big order!!!


Thanks!

[kiaran]

Is this book ready to order and ship? Will it show up on Amazon?

Yes, you can order it from www.cgtoolkit.com. The book may go on Amazon, but it is only available at this time from CG Toolkit.

My other question is 2nd & 3rd Volumes are in production?

Yes, the second volume will concentrate on a complete production scenario. The third volume will be dedicated to TD effects work like cloth, hair and fur.

[greyface]

Sounds great, I have a question: I am an XSI user, how much from this book can I apply to XSI? I'm asking basically if the book deals with a lot of concepts, or if it specialises in maya specific methods. thanks

Alex-

[Pickman]

Heya Kiaran, How far do you go compared to Inspired 3D Advanced Rigging and Deformations ? I learnt a lot of stuff in there, I know you frequent their forums quite often, what is, different, complementary or added to the covered topics ? Your book seems promising...tell us more !

Except the 9 hours dvd, what's worth it ?! :-)) Do you go deeper in automation or pipeline issues and stuff like that ?

THX.

[kiaran]

I'm asking basically if the book deals with a lot of concepts, or if it specialises in maya specific methods.

Hmm, good question. The book is definitely Maya-centric, but many of the techniques can be applied in other packages. The short answer is, XSI and 3ds Max users will surely get some cool ideas, but the actual implementations will be up to you because this book only covers Maya and MEL.

[kiaran]

Do you go deeper in automation or pipeline issues and stuff like that ?

I have read Inspired 3D Advanced Rigging and Deformations and I am glad to sat that The Art of Rigging will compliment it nicely. There is alot of coverage of some more advanced topics that show people not only the ideas, but how to impliment them. For example, you can learn how to build a custom script, and in another exercise learn how to use it on an actual rig.

All of the rigs are included on the DVD and are ready to animate. In fact, for some of the exercises, you will be working on a fully animated character (as TD's often do). We have spared no expense. Many scripts were custom made for this project and they are fully covered in the book and on the DVD. You will learn how to plan, build and impliment your own tools for real production scenarios. It's quite unlike anything else.

It can really help to actually see how things work. The included DVD is an amazing value. Check out the list of video lectures here:

http://www.cgtoolkit.com/book1/book1dvdcontent.htm

[dotTom]

Sweet! :bounce: Thanks for the heads-up Sheep. Duly ordered, can't wait. :thumbsup:

[Rumr]

Im a XSI user but I think im going to have to grab this book.

[DaddyMack]

How exciting, sounds like the ideal next step for me:thumbsup:

Cheers:beer:

[DangerAhead]

Kiaran,

Q: I noticed some of the content on the DVD is similar to the content on Leon (which if everyone remembers correctly - kicked ass).

Are some of them the same or all of them or just the basics?

Q: the squash and stretch content. Will you be discussing how to do the Jason Osipa/Madagascar stretch methods or will it just be covering the use of the Maya Bonus Tools squash and stretch? Or neither?

[kiaran]

I noticed some of the content on the DVD is similar to the content on LeonAll of the videos tutorials are newly recorded for this book/DVD combo. While there are a few overlaps, it is largely composed of completely new material. The only overlap is in some of the basics. All of the MEL coverage is completely new.

Will you be discussing how to do the Jason Osipa/Madagascar stretch methods or will it just be covering the use of the Maya Bonus Tools squash and stretch? Or neither?

The squash and stretch chapter will show you how to create a script that will create a stretchy joint chain using only utility nodes. Techniques for creating bulging/stretching effects are included. There is no coverage of Bonus tools or the Osipa method.

[M.E.L.]

Having had the chance to preview some of this book, I'll throw in my opinion here :)

The material presented in this book is of wonderful quality, the book itself is absolutely TOP NOTCH publication wise (from design right through to delivery). Much like The Making of Leon this book provides users with a very broad and concise lot of information to pull from. The techniques are thoroughly explained and given by example, the way any rigging oriented techniques should be taught. The book itself takes a very original approach to building ontop of where The Making of Leon left off, incorporating some fresh new MEL scripts, some very cool dynamics oriented rigging techniques as well as other little gems of information.

Having gone through MANY books, dvd's and the lot of training materials and selecting very few to use as a means of teaching for others, I would place this among one of my few. The techniques are easily adaptable for any real world solution while providing the user with enough knowledge to better improve on them if need be or build their own solutions based off the presented material.

I would highly recomment this book for anyone looking to get into rigging as an excellent start or even for seasoned people to draw new ideas from. Placed my order for a physical copy last night (woohooo for order #1), hope everyone else enjoys!

-s

[Harrad]

Its only £41 (GBP) including international P/P!!! Thats a bargin... Just put my order in! You pay that much for just a book or just a DVD... There has to be a chatch somewhere?? lol

now gotta wait the 5-8 days postage time... grrr...

well i'm going to go sit by the postbox! :D

[-Vormav-]

Seems pretty nice.
For those of you that have both this and the Making of Leon, which are you finding to be more beneficial to you? I may end up getting one or the other soon. While the idea of getting a full licenese of a muscle plugin (along with lots of training material) certainly sounds good, I'm also eager to get my hands dirty with MEL, which this seems perfect for. :shrug:

[Zeicon]

I just ordered it! Looking forward to read it...

It looks amazing. Can't wait.

[Morganism]

Ooooh...Just ordered mine. Looks good, I can't wait to check it out.

[Isopod]

I'm mainly an animator, but I also want to pursue producing independent animated shorts. Is the book friendly enough for us "less programming oriented" animators or is it for dedicated riggers and MEL scripters only? But then again, for $60 + shipping, this book seems like a steal!

cheers,
--isopod

[Buexe]

I recently bought "inspired 3d advanced rigging and deformations" and was pretty disappointed, because the content did not hold the promise the outside made imho . So i`ll wait and see what the people here think of it, before I spend my precioussss ducats. It looks very nice I must say, but does it offer something new to someone who already fiddled on a mel script and a character or two? Good luck to the publishers, may the sales force be with you !!!

[kiaran]

Thank you to everyone who has ordered. I truly hope you have as much fun reading/watching this as we did making it.

does it offer something new to someone who already fiddled on a mel script and a character or two?

Absolutely. In fact, you sound like the target we were writing it for. If you know a little bit of MEL, but want to learn how to build truly production-quality scripts, this is for you.

Is the book friendly enough for us "less programming oriented" animators or is it for dedicated riggers and MEL scripters only?

The book was designed for users of all levels. But if you know a little bit of MEL, you will get alot more out of this book. Those users who don't know any MEL will benefit from the MEL introduction lectures on the DVD.

[greyface]

Oh well, I think I'll order this even as an XSI user, I'm pretty sure the MEL script can be ported to XSI, and rigging is rigging.

[sacslacker]

I'm stoked on these books. I bought The Making Of Leon and after only month, I have a whole new outlook on rigging and the power of Maya.

I can't wait for my book to get here. Thanks a ton CGtoolkit for offering great materials at a completely amaizing price level. Terrific stuff!

[BiGMaCHiNe]

Im constantly blown away by the quality of the products u guys at cgtoolkit release. Not only are they fantastic quality, but every single nook and cranny has been turned over.
What we have here is another example of a wonderful learning product, far in excess of possibly all comparative products i have seen.

[xenoid]

This looks really great! Argh!! So many DVDs and books to choose from... how to decide??? :drool:

[olioli]

look forward to reading it.

a bit off topic...will your muscle plugin be available for us mac guys.

[bclark]

First I just wanted to say Congrats to Kiaran and the CGToolkit guys, the topics coverd and the amount of content looks impressive, I look forward to checking it out and best wishes getting the next two finished.

and

I recently bought "inspired 3d advanced rigging and deformations" and was pretty disappointed, because the content did not hold the promise the outside made imho .

Buexe would you mind emailing us at advancedRigging (at) gmail.com any feedback you have. I am intrested to hear why you were so disappointed. Thanks,
Brad

[DevilHacker]

WOW!

Thanks for the link; I can’t wait to read/watch the book/DVD combo...
Any word on when the website (http://www.cgtoolkit.com/ (http://www.cgtoolkit.com/)) will be back up. My guess is that CGTalk is killing its bandwidth… :D




PS: Any word on an book, or DVD for XSI? :sad:

[progerik]

WOW!

Thanks for the link; I can’t wait to read/watch the book/DVD combo...
Any word on when the website (http://www.cgtoolkit.com/ (http://www.cgtoolkit.com/)) will be back up. My guess is that CGTalk is killing its bandwidth… :D






PS: Any word on an book, or DVD for XSI? :sad:


The site is working fine for me, I am using internet explorer

[kiaran]

Thanks a ton CGtoolkit for offering great materials at a completely amaizing price level.

What we have here is another example of a wonderful learning product, far in excess of possibly all comparative products i have seen.

First I just wanted to say Congrats to Kiaran and the CGToolkit guys, the topics coverd and the amount of content looks impressive, I look forward to checking it out and best wishes getting the next two finished.

Thank you for all of your interest. For those who are hesitant about purchasing, there will be a full review in 3d World Magazine issue 70.

[Gentrifier]

THAN! You Turkish putz.

:P

[Zoober]

Amazing print quality, definately the most beautiful book in my collection. Can't wait to finish reading it this weekend!

[LaVolpe]

congrats to the cgtoolkit crew! The book looks fantastic!

[Phattro]

This is an awesome book. The production level tutorial projects and high quality print are well worth it. Can't wait to see the whole series completed.

[My Fault]

I learned a ton about rigging in the Leon DVD so this will definitely be a must purchase for me. Top notch work guys!

[chrleon]

ordered. :)

looks great!
Going to learn maya now as well, so this is a great kick in the butt to do so!

[Rega]

I just went to order it off of cgtoolkit...

"Sorry we do not accept Visa Electron" :'(

[Pickman]

Hey Kiaran, last question for me: will you be discussing a bit of math like cross and dot product, the use of vector product node and matrices in some of the chapters, maybe the one with the
fat and muscles ?

I'm definately buying this one by the end of the month.
I'm very happy you guys write some good books about rigging, I bought "inspired 3d advanced rigging and deformations", which is a must IMO (sorry Buexe) You must be a damn good rigger not to appreciate the content of the book.

Only thing I wish though is a better chapter on facial animation, which was pretty left out in inspired 3d (just my two cents).

THX

[ranbby]

wow! the cover looks just so attractive and makes me wanna buy it! it's very valuable plus a DVD.
Cg toolkit has always been delivering some high quality stuff---designed for advanced users like the making of leon dvd series(haven't got them:( )
they always give good examples and good models. i am condering to buy it. everyone supports

[chrleon]

Amazing DVD contents it seems.

[blade84]

I realy like to have the book, seems good quality along with the DVD, just one question remains,
how many pages does the book have?

thanks

[PaulAdams]

I'm really interested in this, but it does sound pretty advanced. I'm at the stage where I'm comfortable with the individual aspects of rigging (creating bones, IK/FK, etc) but I'm missing that knowledge of how to put them all together to build a successful rig.

For myself, I need to be able to pose my models well, which at the moment I find a little daunting and confusing (creating easy to manipulate icons for instance is a mystery). Is this book aimed to someone more knowledgeable/advanced than myself? I've yet to find a rigging book/DVD that isn't either too 'deep' in the whole MEL/Low level rigging or too basic.

Loved Making of Leon by the way, you guys rock.

[Harrad]

Kiaran -

Are we ment to recive an e-mail from CGtoolkit confirmiing our order? as i've only recived one from world pay...

[SheepFactory]

I realy like to have the book, seems good quality along with the DVD, just one question remains,
how many pages does the book have?

thanks


253 pages. pages are quite big so it would be more like 350 pages or so if it was a regular size book. Dont worry its not short or anything.

[chrleon]

Kiaran -

Are we ment to recive an e-mail from CGtoolkit confirmiing our order? as i've only recived one from world pay...


Same here!
Maybe they're out of stock already :P

[Harrad]

Same here!
Maybe they're out of stock already :P

NOOOOOOO ...... :scream:

[fabianv]

Seeing Im just starting with Maya and very ambitious I should get my hands on this.

[fahr]

Just ordered the book. It cant get here soon enough. Is it already shipping?

On a side note, I would like to second the earlier request for a mac version of the muscle plugin. :)

But regardless, cgtoolkit is very quickly becoming 1 of my 3 most valuable training resources! (Digital Tutors and Gnomon being the other 2).

Thanks!

[steverage]

Got mine ordered, looks like a top quality book, cant wait to get it :)

[blade84]

yup, just ordered my copy also!

[abgrafx3d]

Looks like a must buy - especially if it is as good or better than the Making of Leon set!

edit: Just ordered it.

[Dreckins]

Yessir! On the birthday wish list already... looks like a sweet rigging book (finally)!

[kiaran]

will you be discussing a bit of math like cross and dot product, the use of vector product node and matrices in some of the chapters, maybe the one with the
fat and muscles ?

There is a little bit of vector math (and I touch on matrix math) scattered throughout the book. In one example, we write a script that uses some vector math (dot product, and normalization). But basically I dicuss the use of the higher math and leave the details of the scalar operations for a math book. You do have a math book don't you? ;)

Only thing I wish though is a better chapter on facial animation, which was pretty left out in inspired 3d (just my two cents).

There is a huge chapter on facial animation in this book. We discuss the FACS system and then derive a shape set for use on an actual character. There is discussion of how to build a pose library (MEL) and how to build an alternative UI (not Osipa style). It's alot of fun. :)

I'm at the stage where I'm comfortable with the individual aspects of rigging (creating bones, IK/FK, etc) but I'm missing that knowledge of how to put them all together to build a successful rig.

We recognized that this is how 90% of students will be. The first chapter covers bipedal rigging techniques and should really help to clarify everything for you. From there, you can read-on to find out how to make your good rig become an amazing rig. We do start at the basics though.

About the Mac version of muscleTK. At this point it looks unlikely. I hate to say it, but I don't want to lead anyone.

Again, thank you very much to everyone who has placed an order. All of us here at CG Toolkit have worked very hard to make the best book we could and we sincerely hope that you enjoy it (and then want to buy volume II and III, :) ).

[Dr. Ira Kane]

I'm very interested in this, I think I'll buy it, looks great!!

[GeekAnimator]

Ordered a copy yesterday. Still waiting on any kind of confirmation from cgtoolkit, though... Are you guys backed up? is that "3-5 days for delivery" still accurate?

[Strob]

There was a book on amazon with the exact same title, but with a very different subject (it is about ropes and knots!)

So don't get confused or your next rigging session will end up in a bondage performance!!! haha!
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0486263436/qid=1119989184/sr=8-1/ref=pd_csp_1/103-4832839-4286228?v=glance&s=books&n=507846

[kiaran]

Still waiting on any kind of confirmation from cgtoolkit, though... Are you guys backed up? is that "3-5 days for delivery" still accurate?

Do not worry, your order has been secured. All future customers will now recieve a nice confirmation letter in their email. Thank you. :)

There was a book on amazon with the exact same title, but with a very different subject (it is about ropes and knots!)

LOL. I noticed that a while ago. What are the chances eh?

[Bonedaddy]

Picked it up just now, based purely on the excellence of the Leon DVDs (which I've memorized and loaned to friends, who have been extraordinarily thankful). Looking forward to it!

[Zeicon]

Now that you mention math... how much math knowledge is required? I know basically zero math, and now that I ordered the book I'm a little concerned about whether I will have a hard time understanding the lessons and so on... :shrug:

Ah well, I guess it's never too late to learn. Maybe I should pick up a math book?

[My Fault]

So don't get confused or your next rigging session will end up in a bondage performance!!! haha!
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0486263436/qid=1119989184/sr=8-1/ref=pd_csp_1/103-4832839-4286228?v=glance&s=books&n=507846

Bummer, I thought this was the Kiarin bondage video series! Oh well, I'm sure all this Maya stuff will be cool too :D

[kiaran]

Now that you mention math... how much math knowledge is required?

I explain all the math that I use, but I can't explain it right from the basics. For this, I would recommend a 3d math book. I really encourage you to not be afraid of math. I know it's daunting at first, but even knowing the bare minimum can really help. While I try my best to explain the math, a 3d math book will fill in the holes quite nicely.

I have 3d Math Primer (ISBN: 1556229119) and Mathematics for 3d Game Programming and Computer Graphics (ISBN: 1584502770). I highly recommend both of these.

Bummer, I thought this was the Kiarin bondage video series! Oh well, I'm sure all this Maya stuff will be cool too

Trust me, the Maya stuff is way cooler. Nobody needs to see a naked Canadian, we don't get much sun up here. ;)

[Zeicon]

I explain all the math that I use, but I can't explain it right from the basics. For this, I would recommend a 3d math book. I really encourage you to not be afraid of math. I know it's daunting at first, but even knowing the bare minimum can really help. While I try my best to explain the math, a 3d math book will fill in the holes quite nicely.

I have 3d Math Primer (ISBN: 1556229119) and Mathematics for 3d Game Programming and Computer Graphics (ISBN: 1584502770). I highly recommend both of these.

Thanks. I might just check out those books.

[beelow]

Hmmm...interesting! I may go ahead and buy this book since I have a mel scripting class next quarter. I want to get in depth into the mel scripting of Maya, I also want to learn Maxscript as well. thanx for the heads up...holla!:thumbsup:

[-Vormav-]

Eh, just went ahead and ordered it. Look forward to having a look at it in a few days.

[vfxcreator]

Only thing I wish though is a better chapter on facial animation, which was pretty left out in inspired 3d (just my two cents).

The reason behind this was that Osipa's book covers a lot of what you need to know for good facial animation, and to reiterate that would be a waste of text. I did that (fast) chapter on facial rigging to give a different view of things, but really osipa's book is a great resource and should not be shrugged off. A facial rigging 'chapter' really needs to be a full book IMO. Its good to hear that the art of... will include a chapter on FACS though. Thats quite an undertaking in itself :)

i'm looking forward to the art of... either way though. more resources for the artist is always welcome!

-josh
__________________
-----------------------------------
joshuac@vfxcreator.com
www.vfxcreator.com

Character TD @ The Animation Farm
-----------------------------------

[Ferocitas]

Erm, double posted acciedentally, read below. :)

[Ferocitas]

Hi, i'd like to know if anyone else in Australia is having problems accessing cgtoolkit? No matter what browser or computer i use, i can't access it - and i REALLY would like to order that book. Will any other means of ordering the book be made available, and when might they be expected?

For anyone that might be able to offer some advice, the problem i get when trying to access the site is, "The operation timed out when attempting to contact www.cgtoolkit.com". Im not sure from whos end this error comes.

Cheers

:thumbsup:

[Pickman]

Hey Josh ! Don't misunderstand me, I bought the inspired 3d and read it through with great pleasure. Actually I bought and read Stop Staring a lot before your book. But I was really disappointed by the technical content. Jason explains some of the concepts very well but for rigging matter it is lacking of precision IMO.

Your chapter is nice, but compared to what I've learnt and reused from other chapters I thought something was missing. I already gave a nice review to your book and think it is a must have on the shelf, I was just giving my opinion on this particular chapter.

No offence here.
I carefully read the acknowledgements before reading any book. Commentaries about your work and involvement were pretty clear :-)

[Boone]

Re: Kiaran

Along side programming, Rigging in Maya is definetly one of my stronger interests and one that I would like to take up as a career.

Would this book teach me all the required knowledge for a job in the field? :shrug:

[Morph21]

I must have this book, the price is really nice for such good stuff, 9h video training is awesome.

kiaran have you any infos when the book will be available at amazon.de, some weeks, months ?

[Zeicon]

Which version of Maya is required to succesfully open the included scene files? Are they compatible with v5?

[vfxcreator]

hey pickman,

hehe, no offense taken, i just wanted to make it clearer to those that didn't realize. It definitely could have used more technical content, as opposed to just getting an idea across, but... ah well :) I wish I had more time to make it that much bigger of a chapter, so i'm glad that Kiaran is following it up with something chunkier.

Damn these 24hr days... where is that petition to add 6 more hours to a day? But anyway, as you can see i'm a big fan of Osipa's book and recommend it wherever i can. It's a must have on everyone's shelf, next to the advanced rigging book of course :). I've even required guys at the studio to make sure they read through it even though they aren't doing the rigging.

But yes, i totally agree that a more technical/math involved book on the face would fit well in this library of rigging books.


-josh
__________________
-----------------------------------
joshuac@vfxcreator.com
www.vfxcreator.com (http://www.vfxcreator.com/)

Character TD @ The Animation Farm
-----------------------------------

[kiaran]

Hi there, just wondering if the cgtoolkit site is down, or is blocking out access from outside of the US?

This is concerning. I can assure you that this is not a deliberate block. I will be asking the tech guys to see if we can narrow down a solution. In the meantime, my only advice is to keep checking in and see it if miraculously fixes itself. Sorry.

Would this book teach me all the required knowledge for a job in the field?

The main theme we have maintained across this entire series is production worthiness. While becoming a technical director involves a lot of hard work, this book will definitely give you the foundation to build your skills to a marketable level.

kiaran have you any infos when the book will be available at amazon.de, some weeks, months ?

Without getting too into the business details, amazon does not fit our strategy. Selling direct allows us to keep 100% of the profits. By doing this, we are able to provide an unprecedented production value to our customers. Basically:
no middle-man = faster compensation = better product for the customers at a low price

Which version of Maya is required to successfully open the included scene files?

All files were built and tested on Maya 6.01. Some exercises require a license for Maya Unlimited.

[se7enthcin]

Ordered it this morning. I can't wait, I'm stoaked! :bounce:

[hamu73]

do you also cover possibilities of scaleing a Rig?

I'm looking for ways to scale a rig without messing something up!
But this book is really looking awesome!
And how detailed is the squash and stretch part in this book, are you be able to do rigs like in "Chicken Little"?

[Insomniation]

i am definately picking this up....I am still in school....wanting to be an animator...so this should definately help me out a lot

[Seemoo]

Hi

I had the opportunity to try out the facial rig from the book (Chapter 4) and play around with it. Zuckafa's setup (name of the facial rig character) is great. He has a wide range of shapes to portrait emotions. The Control Objects are very easy to master. Everything is where you would expect it and similar things are nicely grouped together for easy handling of the curves in the Graph Editor. A nice little detail is that the Control Objects change their form according to what their values are.

I really like the cheek, nose and squint controls. By carefully adjusting them you can get some great suddle effects that are so important in facial animation. Also the eye setup is great. The upper and lower lids move according to the eye direction. The mouth has three layers of adjustable controls. First there is the broad open/close left/right control, followed by a lip control in order to adjust the smile/frown. Finally there is a control to move single parts of the lips to nail down the expression you are going for. All those controls get supported by a very smooth deformation of the skin.

I had a blast animating Zuckafa! Now I can’t wait to take a look at the book and learn how it was done.

Take a look at it on www.simonchristen.com/files/Zuckafa.mov (http://www.simonchristen.com/files/Zuckafa.mov)



simon

[pixelranger]

ordered...

[kiaran]

Seemoo- Glad you liked animating Zuckafa. I'm sure you will like chapter four too. :)

do you also cover possibilities of scaleing a Rig?

While it is generally considered poor practice to scale your entire rig (scale should be established long before the creature is rigged), there is coverage of hypergraph organization. Something that is very important for ensuring a well organized rig file that doesn't blow-up.

[Zeicon]

All files were built and tested on Maya 6.01. Some exercises require a license for Maya Unlimited.

Aha... so that means I'll have to upgrade in order to fully take advantage of this package (I use Maya 5). Damn... this is going to be expensive :>

[madmanmagic]

kiaran
does the DVD have audio, I bought another book/dvd and the movies where silent.

also can one get by, by just watching the DVD, who has time for reading?

Does the plug-ins work on Mac Maya 6.5? (this may have been covered already)


Thanks
Dan

[enbee]

Ordered mine two days ago.....can't wait.

Any word on when the other volumes will come out? Any other information about those would be great as well :thumbsup:

[kiaran]

does the DVD have audio, I bought another book/dvd and the movies where silent.
also can one get by, by just watching the DVD, who has time for reading?
Does the plug-ins work on Mac Maya 6.5?

Yes the DVD includes over 30 fully narrated video lectures spanning over 9hrs. The DVD alone will certainly provide you with a wealth of knowlege, but you won't want to pass up the book. They compliment each other. There are no plugins, but all of the scripts are cross-platform compatible.

Aha... so that means I'll have to upgrade in order to fully take advantage of this package (I use Maya 5).

Maya 6.0 is a worthwhile upgrade in my opinion.

[ChaosBlackMagician]

sup Kiaran,
just like to say that your a freagin genius. Mtk has been great so far. Are you still intent on making more plug-ins for Mtk or has production stopped. An idea: plug-in that could paint influence affecting the skin between the muscles and standard smooth skinning using artisan. enuff' of that. Anyway keep the tunes rollin K.

[ChaosBlackMagician]

also, is Zufar and Dassak usable for animators to animate and show on their real so long as we give you the cred of course. And is Zufar and Dassak fully prepped For output after animation.

[Grgeon]

Is the skeleton model included in the dvd?

Thanks,
George

[TheOnlyWoj]

you know, if you can merely blah blah blah blah blah you can blah blah for blah blah ... I sent an email to the company about it. gosh, I wish I had no morals. damnit!

[blade84]

sorry for being offtopic...

y.. I sent an email to the company about it. gosh, I wish I had no morals. damnit!

You are using your avatar the right way :)

[GeekAnimator]

you know, if you *removed* ... I sent an email to the company about it. gosh, I wish I had no morals. damnit!

Uhh... did you wait for the company to fix the problem before you posted about it?

[TheOnlyWoj]

Uhh... did you wait for the company to fix the problem before you posted about it?

you know ...... that's a good point.

[Ferocitas]

Bit of an update; seems someone else in my vicinity can access the website, which means that the problem is at my end. So to anyone out there who might know: what could be causing this problem?

I keep getting an "Operation timed out when trying to connect to www.cgtoolkit.com". I have a firewall, but it doesn't hinder any other websites... i'll keep having a look, but any suggestions would be appreciated.

Cheers

[TheOnlyWoj]

Bit of an update; seems someone else in my vicinity can access the website, which means that the problem is at my end. So to anyone out there who might know: what could be causing this problem?

I keep getting an "Operation timed out when trying to connect to www.cgtoolkit.com". I have a firewall, but it doesn't hinder any other websites... i'll keep having a look, but any suggestions would be appreciated.

Cheers

http://www.cgtoolkit.com/book1.htm ... does this give you the same error?

[progerik]

Yes the skeleton and all other models are included on the DVD.
all the charcters are areal cook imo
http://www.cgtoolkit.com/book1/sneakpeak2.htm
http://www.cgtoolkit.com/book1/sneakpeak4.htm
http://www.cgtoolkit.com/book1/sneakpeak5.htm
http://www.cgtoolkit.com/book1/sneakpeak7.htm

[kiaran]

is Zufar and Dassak usable for animators to animate and show on their real so long as we give you the cred of course. And is Zufar and Dassak fully prepped For output after animation.

Yes please feel free to use any of the characters on your animation reel. Just credit CG Toolkit and it's no problem. Some of the characters have textures maps, but if you want to render them then the lighting is up to you. ;)

[Ferocitas]

http://www.cgtoolkit.com/book1.htm ... does this give you the same error?

Hi The Only Woj, thanks for taking a look, yeah that gives me the same error too. Luckily i've found out what's causing the error, its basically my ISP's fault. I tried to ping the website using tracert in the command window, but the signal dies just after it gets to canada, so its my ISP's routing problem.

I called them and found out that the ISP can access the site, but when they try to its all dead links, whereas a few other friends can get in with no problems (who aren't with the same ISP either).

Anyway, they're aware of the problem, and supposedly working to fix it. The other friends of mine who also couldn't get in are with the same ISP as well. So yay for deductive reasoning! And since thats the case, i guess i can just go order it from a computer connected to a different ISP. It will be mine!

:buttrock:

Cheers

[progerik]

Delete this post.

[Pickman]

Ok guys, enough with that hype, I just ordered mine last night ! :-)

I'll let you know if it is a good one lol :-)

[andy_maxman]

scenario 1
- complete newbie
- picks up the The Art of Rigging" Book + DVD
- follows the book hard for 6-10 months

scenario2
- what are the chances that in those 6-10 months the tech behind rigging stays the same (which imo will be highly unlikely) or the bar is raised again to a different level altogether?
- so does all the hardwork learning the tricks payoff in the end?
- agreed its a never-stop-learning-field

else, how would this book help a newbie in such a dynamic field?

someone around who has been through this phase? please share your thoughts....

ps - i am hoping to pick a book myself....is there a review somewhere comparing this book to some other book? ( there was one which was released in April )

[pixelranger]

I sincerely doubt that rigging has changed THAT profoundly in half a year's time. And even so, you'll have great understanding and knowledge basis to catch up with the newest technology. And character design won't change that much and neither will anatomical theories.

[Darktwin]

I just ordered and am really looking foward to disecting this book to understand the art of rigging. Thanks for the thread and info Ali.

[Biker]

Hi Kiaran.
Will it be possibile to pay the book with a Visa Electron in future? I've already charged mine for this purchase and now I can't buy it...
Thanks.

[Ferocitas]

Hi Kiaran,

I noticed that The Making of Leon dvd box set is available from CGProShop. Does this mean that The Art of Rigging Volume 1 and Volumes 2 and 3 will eventually make their way to CGProShop?

I ask this because im gradually running out of ISP's to access cgtoolkit with. I made it into the site at one point from a computer with a different ISP, but as luck would have it, the ordering forms on the site didn't work for me. :cry:

Cheers

[Bulldog]

wow this looks kickass!

ordered.

[madmanmagic]

Just ordered it.

I was going to wait till reviews slipped in, but after reading and seeing M.E.L. aka Shawn M. review, I was sold.

Thanks Shawn! Great.

Thanks CG Toolkit people - can't wait to get the book!

Peace Out!
Dan
:bounce:

[SkyZero]

Definitely going to pick this up to go with my Leon DVD set! Just gotta get through my wedding and honeymoon first...then it all about learnin' the craft baby! :thumbsup:

[Favian001]

for Kiaran. Will our home PC's be able to run the muscle TK system without frrequent crashes? I have heard negative remarks about plug-ins such as these. Some people say that the computers in feature film can barely manage them...is this true? I am extremely interested in the plug-in, book, and making of Leon DVD's. I have plenty of memory and running a QuadroFX 4000, will this suffice? Thanks!

[sacslacker]

I have been going through the Leon DVD's playing with Muscle TK. It can get very slow but as far as crashing, I haven't had much of a problem with it. It's a decent plug in for sure. Especially since it came included in the Leon DVD.

With that said, if you really want to learn rigging in Maya then buy the Leon DVD and The Art of Rigging. We are talking some seriously sweet material spelled out in a very detailed but down to earth manner. There is some really advanced stuff here and I'm extremely pleased with CGToolkit's products.

I've just come back from my 4th of July camping trip and have had only a day or two to browse my lovely new book but I can already say that this it's just plain crazy how high the quality is for only $60! You can tell these guys love what they do and really intend on teaching their art.

[Grgeon]

Just ordered it.

I was going to wait till reviews slipped in, but after reading and seeing M.E.L. aka Shawn M. review, I was sold.

Thanks Shawn! Great.

Thanks CG Toolkit people - can't wait to get the book!

Peace Out!
Dan
:bounce:

Where can I find M.E.L's review?

Thanks,

George

[progerik]

Delete this post too.

[kiaran]

I noticed that The Making of Leon dvd box set is available from CGProShop. Does this mean that The Art of Rigging Volume 1 and Volumes 2 and 3 will eventually make their way to CGProShop?

I'm afraid there are no immediate plans to sell the book elsewhere. My only advice is to keep trying. Sorry. :(

Will it be possibile to pay the book with a Visa Electron in future?

I don't really have anything to do with the business end of things so I can't really answer these kinds of questions. Please try support@cgtoolkit.com . Thanks :)

... have had only a day or two to browse my lovely new book but I can already say that this it's just plain crazy how high the quality is for only $60! You can tell these guys love what they do and really intend on teaching their art.

Thank you for the glowing remarks! I hope you find it an enjoyable read and quite useful.

[xenoid]

Hi Kiaran, just wana ask: As someone who did not buy your Making of Leon series before, which one do you think I should get first as a start? No matter which one I decide on, I would most probably purchase the other too in the future, but have to decide on one for now due to budget constraints. :blush: Hope to hear some comments from you. :D

[kiaran]

xenoid - Get the book! You can study the Leon DVD afterwards if you want to pursue your studies.

[Ferocitas]

Finally found someone with an ISP that would let me order the book, needless to say, its been ordered and i look forward to its delivery, esspecially with all the praise its been receiving.

:buttrock:

Cheers

[Rega]

lo Kiaran,

I've ordered the Art of rigging and am seriously considering purchasing the muscle TK plug-in. My question is if the muscle TK plug-in has any known issues (if any) when running on an AMD x64 system? I only ask this because i recently purchased a program which did not run on my computer due to the fact that it is 64 bit. I don't want to really make the same mistake again :|

I haven't read the entire thread but i assume both the muscle Tk plug-in and all the contents in The Art of Rigging will be compatible with Maya 6.5? Would i be correct in assuming that?

Sorry if i have repeated something you have already answered

On a minor note im now experiencing a similar problem to Ferocitas but my browser only loads a small portion of the site, and no images what-so-ever. It may be ISP but i doubt it since i easily accessed the site yesterday and even this morning. Will keep trying though.

Thanks for your time,

Rega

[kiaran]

Ferocitas - Thank you for the order. I'm sure you perseverance will pay off.

My question is if the muscle TK plug-in has any known issues (if any) when running on an AMD x64 system?

There are no known issues with 64 bit CPUs.

[xenoid]

Thanx Kiaran! Will definitely order in the next few days... :thumbsup:

[liquidik]

Hi Kiaran, just a quick question. Do all the scripts and techniques run on Maya for Mac?

Thanks

Gianmichele

[Rega]

cheers Kiaran, just one last question..

I'm in the UK, i was just wondering how it will be delivered, via post or courier etc, and if you knew which company will be deliverying it?

Thanks again

Rega

[madmanmagic]

Grgeon if you haven't found user M.E.L.'s review

See 2nd page to this current thread.

or

I cut and post it here:

Having had the chance to preview some of this book, I'll throw in my opinion here

The material presented in this book is of wonderful quality, the book itself is absolutely TOP NOTCH publication wise (from design right through to delivery). Much like The Making of Leon this book provides users with a very broad and concise lot of information to pull from. The techniques are thoroughly explained and given by example, the way any rigging oriented techniques should be taught. The book itself takes a very original approach to building ontop of where The Making of Leon left off, incorporating some fresh new MEL scripts, some very cool dynamics oriented rigging techniques as well as other little gems of information.

Having gone through MANY books, dvd's and the lot of training materials and selecting very few to use as a means of teaching for others, I would place this among one of my few. The techniques are easily adaptable for any real world solution while providing the user with enough knowledge to better improve on them if need be or build their own solutions based off the presented material.

I would highly recomment this book for anyone looking to get into rigging as an excellent start or even for seasoned people to draw new ideas from. Placed my order for a physical copy last night (woohooo for order #1), hope everyone else enjoys!

-s
__________________
Shawn McClelland
Technical Director
http://www.creaturetd.net

[Grgeon]

Thanks madmanmagic. Much appreciated.

George

[two.oh]

Is anyone else receiving order problems? I ordered, and it didn't show up on my credit card statement, and no one has been emailing me back for days?

Is there much of a customer service department? I'm distressed over being left in the dark about my order.

[progerik]

Is anyone else receiving order problems? I ordered, and it didn't show up on my credit card statement, and no one has been emailing me back for days?

Is there much of a customer service department? I'm distressed over being left in the dark about my order.

if it didnt show up on your credit card maybe you didnt place your order correctly ? that would explain why

[two.oh]

But I got 2 confirmation emails from them. Weird. If it doesnt show up in another week, I guess I'll reorder.

[GeekAnimator]

So has anyone actually gotten their book yet? I ordered mine on Monday, June 27th, got an email early the next day that it would be shipped within 24 hours... and that's it, so far. :shrug:

If it doesn't come tomorrow, I guess I'll have to email 'em.

[enbee]

Ordered mine on the 27th as well and still havn't gotten it. I'm sure they had a huge surge in orders that day. Still can't wait to get it though.

Is there anyway we could get a tracking number? Or will we get some sort of "your order was shipped today" email?

[BoomRat]

Just got my copy today.

Gawd, it is so pretty.

I'll be looking it over for the next couple of days but one of the things that impressed me right off the bat was the amount of scripting throughout the book.

[two.oh]

That's good to hear. At least I know that it's legit, and that people are getting copies. However, I wish I would stop getting automatic responses that are telling me my order is going to be shipped, and that someone there could verify to me (1-on-1) that my order is okay, or if I should re-order my stuff.

[My Fault]

Yeah, same here on the no arrival yet. Would be great if they would at least send a tracking number or something so we have an idea when it will be here. Can't wait!

[kiaran]

Ok guys,

I was told that we did not have enough boxes to send all of the orders at once. The next order of boxes is to arrive today. Please be patient, there are people taking care of your orders.

If you are still concerned about your order, please email support@cgtoolkit.com . I don't have access to any of the ordering information and can't really help people much through a public forum.

Again, thank you for being patient while they deal with the volume of orders.

[My Fault]

I wanna say Kiaran I am just very excited to get this. No annoyance at all, merely impatience for what I'm sure is gonna be a kick ass book and DVD (the leon one was amazingly good!). Worse comes to worse we will all drive over to BoomRats and he can show us his copy :)

[kiaran]

message delete

[enbee]

awesome, I guess I can wait a little longer. :)

Kiaran, are you allowed to give any more info on the other two volumes? I know I'm getting ahead of myself here, but they look very interesting to me as well.

[SkyZero]

Question - For US orders, who do you use to deliver?

The reason I ask is because only USPS has access to the mailbox in our complex. UPS and FedEx don't and I would have to jump through a few hurdles with them to get a package or just get it delivered to my parents place and pick it up over the weekend.

[two.oh]

Thanks for the reply and email Kiaran.

[sin_catcher]

I want to order it,but it says $74 for international shipping at the http://www.cgtoolkit.com/orderbook1.htm . not the $59.99.
can anybody tell me which one is correct?

[progerik]

I want to order it,but it says $74 for international shipping at the http://www.cgtoolkit.com/orderbook1.htm . not the $59.99.
can anybody tell me which one is correct?

its basically 59$ for the book and 15$ for package and handling fee total 74$

[-Vormav-]

I've gone ahead and ordered both the Making and Leon and the rigging book now, just to have a good amount of material to go through in my boring free hours. Look forward to getting ahold of them.
Must say thought that I'm a bit annoyed that the rigging book is being shipped to my billing address, instead of the shipping address I specified on the order form, since I could probably have had it by now...oh well. :shrug:

[sin_catcher]

its basically 59$ for the book and 15$ for package and handling fee total 74$


Thank you.
To me ,it's a little bit of expensive(15percent of my salary),but I still ordered it.

[andy_maxman]

- i was not able to make a buyout with my visa debit card....is there a known reason? or do they just use credit cards?
- and how long does international shippin normally takes?

thanks!
-andy

[GeekAnimator]

Must say thought that I'm a bit annoyed that the rigging book is being shipped to my billing address, instead of the shipping address I specified on the order form, since I could probably have had it by now...oh well. :shrug:

Where did this info about shipping to the billing address come from? Did CGtoolkit tell you this? That affects me too, if it's the case for everyone. I'll be more than a bit annoyed if the package sits in front of my apartment building all day where it can get stolen, instead of being shipped to my work address. :sad:

[Grgeon]

awesome, I guess I can wait a little longer. :)

Kiaran, are you allowed to give any more info on the other two volumes? I know I'm getting ahead of myself here, but they look very interesting to me as well.


Yes! I too would like a bit more info on the next volumes if it's possible. If not, I understand :)

George

[-Vormav-]

Where did this info about shipping to the billing address come from? Did CGtoolkit tell you this? That affects me too, if it's the case for everyone. I'll be more than a bit annoyed if the package sits in front of my apartment building all day where it can get stolen, instead of being shipped to my work address. :sad:
I sent an email to their support account asking what was going on with the package, after getting tracking numbers (since, according to usps, the package was "accepted" in San Rafael CA, whatever the hell that means). When I asked about it, they just told me the address it had been shipped to (my billing address).
Unfortunately, USPS doesn't even do a half-assed job at updating tracking information on packages, so I really couldn't say for sure if the person answering support emails just made a mistake, or if it really has been shipped to the wrong address. :shrug:

[two.oh]

Where did this info about shipping to the billing address come from? Did CGtoolkit tell you this? That affects me too, if it's the case for everyone. I'll be more than a bit annoyed if the package sits in front of my apartment building all day where it can get stolen, instead of being shipped to my work address. :sad:

This is not the fault of CGtoolkit. The credit card company authorizes whether the purchaser is valid or not, not CGtoolkit. If you want it shipped to your business address, you have to notify your credit card company ahead of time to make an exemption.

My package is being shipped out today to my business address.

It took some time to get a response from CGtoolkit, but it seems like they just got too many orders on the first day. I assume the sales are doing well though, so perhaps they can hire some more man-power in the future.

[-Vormav-]

This is not the fault of CGtoolkit. The credit card company authorizes whether the purchaser is valid or not, not CGtoolkit. If you want it shipped to your business address, you have to notify your credit card company ahead of time to make an exemption.
Not to dwell on this too much (it really isn't that big of a deal), but if CGtoolkit supplies you with two different fields, delivery address (under delivery details in this case) and billing address, and then just ships to the billing address, then it IS CGToolkit that would be at fault. Where the package is shipped has absolutely nothing to do with your credit card company when that additional field is supplied, as was the case with CGToolkit. They give you two different fields for a reason: One for credit card validation, and one for the actual shipment.
I'm not trying to bash CGToolkit or anything, I'm just disagreeing with that post. :)

[two.oh]

I know, but what I'm saying is that my package is being sent to my business address, not my billing address. So it's probably just that your CC company told worldpay to just send it to the only address they have on record, you know?

Credit card companies need to validate that you authorized shipments to any other address other than your billing address. So, there may be a number of reasons:

1. The CC refused to send it to your business address for a number of reasons
2. The database mixed up the data (highly improbable)
3. You mixed the two forms up (also unlikely).

Those are my theories anyway.

:love: <----what a silly icon

[DangerAhead]

TO: CGTOOKIT please use UPS or FedEx. Here's why:

I think USPS is a crappy option for $11. CGtoolkit should also opt for FedEx or UPS.
WHY: I ordered an iPod and it shipped from Shanghai (via Ankhorage and Indianapolis) to my doorstep in 2 days!! That was FedEx! They've got their crap together.

LET ME PUT THIS INTO PERSPECTIVE:
I work in Berkeley, according to Mapquest I'm 18.35 miles away from CGToolkit. adding 5 miles for mail services and just being nice I'd say it's about 25 miles total distance.

It's been 5 business days since I ordered my book.
That's 5 business days @ 8 hours a day for the postal worker = 40 hours of work.

At that rate, the speed of the package is currently .625 mph.

A pregnant woman can walk a mile in about 20 minutes -- with breaks. that's 3 mph.
A Sloth moves 800 ft/hr = .15 mph

SUMMARY:
Something faster than a Sloth but slower than a pregnant woman is personally delivering my package.

---Look on Next page for the end to this story!!

[My Fault]

I say whatever delivery method helps them keep costs down to the insanely low level they are currently at is cool with me. Had I realized they were so close I would've driven down and picked mine up!

[two.oh]

I agree. From what I remember, USPS had the most expensive rates, and the worst service. It was always difficult to get a good tracking service from them, and they were usually always late. FedEx and UPS tend to be faster than what they usually say. For example, it would take 3 business days as opposed to 4-6 with me.

I don't know why people have a preferred deal with USPS. Perhaps they're cheaper in bulk. It's okay either way with me, so long as I get it in mint condition, and under a week.

[Grgeon]

SUMMARY:
Something faster than a Sloth but slower than a pregnant woman is personally delivering my package.




Hehe. Too funny.

[Ferocitas]

SUMMARY:
Something faster than a Sloth but slower than a pregnant woman is personally delivering my package.



I laughed when i read this, thanks :D i guess thats why its called snail mail ;)
Although im not sure a snail outstrips a sloth, would be a close one.

Cheers

[M.E.L.]

SUMMARY:
Something faster than a Sloth but slower than a pregnant woman is personally delivering my package.


So basically your package is being delivered by Rosie O'Donnel then Geordie ;)

-s

[Rega]

ninth day waiting and still no book :'(

bet its amtrak or someone deliverying it over here in the UK (if you don't know... amtrak say they try and deliver it even though they don't, then let your package sit in their warehouse for 2 days before sending it back to the original sender.)

hope its some half decent company delivering it...

i can't take waiting no more! D:

[BigCurly]

Yeah I ordered mine on the 27th and I still haven't gotten mine. I was hoping to get it before leaving for Australia so I could read it on the plane. Oh well.

[vrkaya]

Negative comments removed - I was out of line and apologize to cgToolKit. Hopefully my book arrives this week.

Ron

[MunCHeR]

Guys this is depressing, I got the making on leon dvd in 5 days to australia, I was impressed with that, but I ordered the book a week ago and still no confirmation email, this isnt looking that great, hope they just ran out of stock or something.

MunCH

[DangerAhead]

So basically your package is being delivered by Rosie O'Donnel then Geordie ;)

Yeah, Shawn. I think an ice age moves faster than the US Postal Service.

[xenoid]

Erm... I ordered the book already last nite. I'm in no hurry to get it though, as long as I can get it. :D

But... but... I'm so excited abt getting it now :bounce:

[two.oh]

I dunno if the guys from CGToolkit read this forum, but I strongly advise them to use FedEx or UPS from now on. According to the tracking, my package has been sitting in the USPS warehouse for 5 days.

I've had lots of bad experiences with USPS, and they are highly unreliable. Just thought I'd note that.

The reason why I'm worried and keep checking the status is that I'm moving in 4 days from now.

[M.E.L.]

Alright, guys I know that you are entitled to your opinion and all but let me just go over a few things here.

I ordered my book the very day I spoke with Karim and he told me that the site was live and I could order it (very first order placed and very first book). I then received mine on July 6th. Why the delay? Quite simple:

In Canada, July 1st was a Holiday, no mail services run on July 1st here.

In the US, July 4th was a Holiday, again, no mail services.

Case in point, if your book is sitting at the USPS warehouse, most likely it is in the massive ass backlog of other mail that piled up during Independenc Day!

I see your point about the wait and sure, Fedex or UPS could be a quicker solution but you guys would be paying a heck of alot more for shipping fees (I hated it when Alias used Fedex for their shipping because it always ran me $35 and I'd get slapped with a customs bill AFTER the damn thing had been delivered).

Seriously, be patient guys... shipping stuff isn't exactly a very quick procedure when you gotta box an assload of orders, label them, seal them, insure them and ship them. We're not all Hulks who can carry 600 books down to a post office and zing them off to people in a day :P

Chill, relax, have a beer, make a rig :)

-s

[kursad_pileksuz]

seems like they shipped all the current orders.

[JellyFire]

I had trouble with purchasing the book on two different connection using MacOSX Tiger (Safari, and, unfortunatly, with much compromise to my morals I downloaded IE to see if that worked and it didn't... :(_)

I then tried my parents PC (windows XP running IE) and managed to purchase the book.

I think the problem lies in the script that calculates the total ammount, it doesn't give me an amount, just something like "n,aa" I tried putting 74 into this field but still the same result (the next page, worldpay, didn't accept it etc..)

Hope this helps at all.
I look forward to this book coming ;)
Niietzshe

[Robken]

I've just ordered it aswell, I got a confirmation from worldpay.

is that enough or is there a confirmation from cgtoolkit on it's way?
this could have been mentioned before...but boy, it's a long thread :p
thank you

[DangerAhead]

I JUST Got it! On a Sunday evening.

Karim from CGToolkit just HAND DELIVERED it to my door!! ON A SUNDAY!

HE wasn't a snail, a pregnant woman, or a Sloth... He was an agent from a great company reaching out to do what the US Postal Service can't. Deliver.

CGtoolkit.com... you guys are great.

NOW THE GOOD NEWS...
"The Art of Rigging Vol. 1" is more detailed than I anticipated. It's beautiful. It's full of code. I haven't even popped the DVD. I'll add more tonight after I read several chapters.

[clockwerkz]

Great news! hey Karim, can you hand deliver mine as well?? I'm right down the block from Danger Ahead.. in.. umm.. Miami, Florida! Hehehe..

Aww c'mon, it's a left and a left and you're there! Hehehehe.

:Patiently awaiting his copy:

They've had their problems, and some of you are right to voice your opinions. Me personally, I've lived 30 years without the book.. I can do to live a few more days. But the anticipation is killing me..can't wait to see it!

cW

[My Fault]

Great news! hey Karim, can you hand deliver mine as well?? I'm right down the block from Danger Ahead.. in.. umm.. Miami, Florida! Hehehe..

Aww c'mon, it's a left and a left and you're there! Hehehehe.

:Patiently awaiting his copy:

They've had their problems, and some of you are right to voice your opinions. Me personally, I've lived 30 years without the book.. I can do to live a few more days. But the anticipation is killing me..can't wait to see it!

cW

Hey Carlos! I should have my copy tomorrow so just fly on down and you can read it along with me. It should be even cooler after a couple of 6 packs! :)

[clockwerkz]

Brian, unfortunately tomorrow I start that new gig. My wife and I mulled flying out to SF if I got more time between jobs! We even started looking up info on taking a baby on a plane. So a trip is most definitely in our future to go over there!

But, I digress... still salivating for my copy way over here!

Carlos

[Rega]

Thanks for the email Karim, i'm just hoping Royal Mail are actually gonna deliver the book now

[maxx10]

I had trouble with purchasing the book on two different connection using MacOSX Tiger (Safari, and, unfortunatly, with much compromise to my morals I downloaded IE to see if that worked and it didn't... :(_)

I then tried my parents PC (windows XP running IE) and managed to purchase the book.

I think the problem lies in the script that calculates the total ammount, it doesn't give me an amount, just something like "n,aa" I tried putting 74 into this field but still the same result (the next page, worldpay, didn't accept it etc..)

Hope this helps at all.
I look forward to this book coming ;)
Niietzshe

had the same problem with Safari ... but it works with camino or firefox

HE wasn't a snail, a pregnant woman, or a Sloth... He was an agent from a great company reaching out to do what the US Postal Service can't. Deliver.

do you know if he's a good swimmer and if the book is waterproof coz I live on the other side of The Big Pond :p just kidding, whenever it gets here it'll be fine

[jeandenis]

I don't understand why everybody is bitching about the shipping. It's not like you had to go out of the apartment/house, walk/drive to a store, pay for it there in a stupid long line, than carry it back home.

You were ordering it in your comfy chair at home, and it's getting DELIVERED. What's up with the impatience?

So are you also complaining every day that no new books are coming out? Instead of being happy that someone worked their butt off to create a sweet book, everybody complains that the shipping takes a few days longer than expected.

Relax guys, jeez....

[GeekAnimator]

I don't understand why everybody is bitching about the shipping.

Yeah... a company sends me an email saying that my order will ship in 24 hours but doesn't feel the need to email me again when that turns out to be wildly untrue. We've got no cause to complain at all. :rolleyes:

Props to Karim, though, who seems to be going above and beyond the call of duty. If I were him, I'd be pretty mad at the business side of CGToolkit, who have a few things to learn about customer service.

[jeandenis]

Well, is CGToolkit a huge company and business like Amazon? Doesn't look like it. Maybe they didn't expect so many orders at once? And like you said, they have to learn a few things about customer service.

Not everything is perfect and there is still too much bitching going on... but hey, that's just me I guess.

[Rega]

I trust CGToolKit when they say that my order has been dispatched. It would be good to have some sort of tracking system. I know it's easier said than done with delivering more or less on a global scale. Only a suggestion but it would be useful if they could get the various delivery companies in the various countries to send CGToolKit a tracking number (if they have the facility) which could be relayed to the customer. The only reason i say this is because i am confident and trust CGToolKit when they say my order has been dispatched...I just don't have a clue where it is. It could still be in America, enroute to the UK or sitting in my local Royal Mail depot, it just makes me feel uncomfortable because it's something i've paid for and i don't have the foggiest where it is. :|

[two.oh]

I don't understand why everybody is bitching about the shipping. It's not like you had to go out of the apartment/house, walk/drive to a store, pay for it there in a stupid long line, than carry it back home.

You were ordering it in your comfy chair at home, and it's getting DELIVERED. What's up with the impatience?

So are you also complaining every day that no new books are coming out? Instead of being happy that someone worked their butt off to create a sweet book, everybody complains that the shipping takes a few days longer than expected.

Relax guys, jeez....

To be honest, it's not about CGToolkit for the most part. I think you need to realize that USPS is perhaps the worst carrier in the world. CGToolkit will probably be better prepared about big orders next time, that is true. But take me for example. According to USPS, they screwed up my order, and it's being shipped to California for some reason, even though I'm in New York.

If they had it in bookstores, I would've gotten it there, but CGToolkit is the only place you can that particular book. And bookstores in New York have no lines because there are too many cash registers. :)

Just trying to make a point, that's it's not about the book. It's about the $10 you paid for service charges.

[-Vormav-]

You do have a point, jeandenis, in that many people are taking the bitching a bit far (I hope my 'slightly annoyed' comment didn't spark all of that http://cgtalk.com/images/smilies/aarggggghhhh.gif). But I'm still going to have to agree with two.oh, and with anyone that has expressed a disgust of the USPS service. It truly is an awful shipping service.
And both of my orders did end up being shipped to the wrong address, which is certainly nothing to be thrilled about, considering I'm not only going to have to wait longer to get my orders, but I'll have to pay for shipping again to finally get ahold of the orders. The support guys gave me access to a download of MuscleTK though, so that certainly makes me a bit more cheerful. :)

[kiaran]

Hi everybody,

As most of you have already guessed, we were not fully prepared for the onslaught of orders. But the nightmare is over and things are now running smoothly again at cgtoolkit. To those who were affected by the delays, we are truly sorry.

The folks at CG Toolkit have all read this thread now and are considering all of your comments and suggestions. Again, sorry to those who were affected. We are much better prepared now and won't be susceptible to the same logistical problems in the future.

Thank you. :)

[two.oh]

No worries! Everyone would have made the same mistake. I'm very glad you guys read our comments on the thread. Good luck, and down with USPS! :)

[jeandenis]

If they had it in bookstores, I would've gotten it there, but CGToolkit is the only place you can that particular book. And bookstores in New York have no lines because there are too many cash registers. :)

Just trying to make a point, that's it's not about the book. It's about the $10 you paid for service charges.
____________________

Yeah, good point. I guess I lost hope when it comes to delivery anyway. I'm a big online shopper and yes USPS does suck, but so do UPS and FedEx. I can only speak for San Francisco though. UPS just leaves a note at the front door, claiming that they tried to deliver it but no one was there, although both me and the building manager were home. And that happens pretty much every time UPS delivers something. FedEx is a bit better, although they have the irritating tendency to slap some crappy after-fee on top of the shipping, which is already expensive.
So by now, I'm just happy when it actually gets there. Amazon is still the most reliable online place.

But of course you are right that you should get the service you paid for. I didn't mean to belittle that fact. I should think things more through before posting...

The posts I read just felt like the world is ending and people needed the book RIGHT NOW. You survived without the book, but now that the book is availabe, every minute without it is a waste. That was my irritation.

But hey, it speaks for the book. People really want it! I can't wait to get it either.

[two.oh]

Hey Jean,
Yeah, we all seem to get impatient when it comes to delivery services. The only reason why I would get impatient though is because UPS and Fedex in NYC are extremely reliable, and they'll usually get there either on-time, or a day early, which is really amazing!

USPS, it seems throughout the country and world, has bad service throughout. But then again, they are the Verizon of shipping and have expanded too much for their own good. When companies get too big and focus on multiple business opportunities, they tend to degrade their services and customer support.

BTW, I love your animations man, must be an awesome feeling to be in the theater and screaming out, "I DID THAT!" :)

[jeandenis]

Hey two.oh, thanks a lot! :)

[Pickman]

Haven't received mine yet, fingers crossed...I know France is way over lol
That's a really good news. Glad to hear you're getting loads of orders!
Thx guys for sharing this ressource.

[Zeicon]

My book hasn't arrived yet even though I ordered it more than two weeks ago. Tomorrow I will be going to France for 2 weeks so it will probably arrive at the local post office while I'm gone. Then when I haven't been there to pick it up within a week or so, it will be returned to the States (I live in Nothern Europe)...

That's painful :<

[Bonedaddy]

Just got mine -- holy crap! Lot of stuff covered. Very impressed. Going to be sharing this with several of my friends, some of whom are trainers at various large studios.

One thing that was a slight letdown was the fact that the robot on the cover is not covered anywhere in the book. Unless I missed it somewhere while skimming through it? I sort of wanted to learn more about mechanical rigging, with pistons, gears, cabling and whatnot, but I guess that's for volume 2...?


Edit: My vote is to go for UPS. For one thing, they've never let me down, even a little. For another, their central hub is in my hometown, and more bidness for them = a bigger, better Louisville. ;)

[DangerAhead]

I've read through the first chapter and watched some of the videos.

This is very comprehensive and thorough. Chapter one is very good at covering the beginner basics. You're even using MEL in the first chapter! me likey. This will become a Rigger Bible for sure.

Even though you don't want that! he he.

Again, Thanks Karim. you rock.

[Kris-S]

well I ordered mine on the 28/Jun/2005 hope it arrives soon. can't wait by what everyone here is saying it sounds fantastic. perhaps it will arrive in the next few days .. here's hoping

cheers cgtoolkit .. sounds like a very comprehensive and worthy rigging bible

[andy_maxman]

i am actually hoping to have this one answered by kiaran or m.e.l. or by one of the pros out there....

- i now believe the book contains good amount of scripting in it
- i am a full-time animator, though i feel this urge to be able create supercool rigs
- have no background in scripting
- will dedicate to this book if recommeded to someone with my kind of background

- how long would it take to ship to India and would a visa debit card work? ( it atleast did not when i tried)
- and hey...the mecha on the cover isnt covered in there? i love mecha stuff and mechanical rigs....they are just about so much fun....


thanks a lot

-andy

[beau]

Hello from Japan,

It's been two weeks, hopefully it will arrive soon :bounce:

[vrkaya]

I got an email from Karim saying mine was sent out on the 8th, and today it is here! It just arrived by US Mail. I'm in Ohio.

The book looks great and since what's left of hurricane Dennis is supposed to make it rain here for about a week, I'll have even more reason to stay indoors and read it.

Ron

[SheepFactory]

as far as I know book 2 is all about that mech robot and a production scenario ;)



i cant wait to get a hold of that one.

[arona]

just ordered mine MUHAHAHAHAHA. :buttrock:

[kiaran]

andy_maxman- The book does contain a fairly large amount of scripting. But the book was written in a layered manner. The chapters begin with basic concepts and later in the chapter we cover automation techniques with MEL. Users at different skill levels can read different sections of the book and later when you feel more comfortable with MEL, the other lessons will be waiting for you.

If a concept doesn't fully make sense, then you can watch the included video lecture so that you can see me doing all of the exercises from the book. That should help clear-up any lingering confusion.

We do support Visa Debit cards and shipping to India is about 8 working days (2 weeks).

[Rega]

Thanks for the email from the CGToolKit support people. I greatly appreciated the gesture made by them via the email.

can't wait for the book now :)

[cold_fusion]

hey kiaran I bought it 2 weeks ago and i still waiting, what is happenig? i m in japan :)

[two.oh]

When did you order it, and where are you located?

[Kris-S]

hey kiaran I bought it 2 weeks ago and i still waiting, what is happenig? i m in japan :)

I'm glad I'm not the only one that has been waiting for two weeks... well just over two weeks now is there a problem with international delivery or something?

I'm not worried at this stage as long as I know that other people are in the same boat as me. however if I'm the only one that hasn't recived it then I'll be wondering where it got too. starts to make me think"did I put the wrong address on it or something?"

oh well perhaps it will arrive today?

fingers crossed

[Bonedaddy]

I ordered on June 28th, I live in LA.

[two.oh]

that's probably why. it took you awhile too for some reason. oh well.

[Kris-S]

I ordered on June 28th, I live in LA.

I ordered on the same day and if you got yours in two weeks then I guess I wont get mine for another week at least.. being in New Zealand

[sketchguy]

Hey Kiaran,

My book arrived this afternoon (order placed June 27th) in NYC.

This hefty tome will make an excellent addition to any riggers library.

I've been rigging for at least 10 years now and am always open to learning new methods and time-saving techniques. This, along with Inspired 3d Advanced Rigging (which I contributed a chapter on rigging the BMW Angels), Jason Osipa's Stop Staring, and the Jason Schleifer DVD bundle, make an excellent collection.

I'm looking forward to Volume II. Great job everyone involved!

-Steve

[alexentremont]

A note of hope for people who ordered the book from Europe (or at least from France): I got mine this morning in Paris (order placed June 28th). Actually it arrived yesterday, but it was shipped to my billing address (not the shipping address), and I wasn't home.

[My Fault]

What Steve said! :)

Great job CG-Toolkit, definitely can't wait for vol 2!

[sketchguy]

Brian,

I just checked out your blog. You gotsa give a shout out to my old animator colleague Doug Dooley! Here's an old pic from when Blue Sky was in Ossining, about 10 years ago...

http://homepage.mac.com/stevetalkowski/.Public/oldie1.jpg

I think Doug had just recently started and I was showing him the ropes, or something equally geeky on the old SGI.

Still haven't had the chance to tour Pixar yet. Hopefully one day soon if I can pull myself away from NYC.

Oh yeah, back on thread topic... uhm, rigging rocks! Chapter 3, Automatic Overlapping Action, is a great read.

-Steve

[My Fault]

Hey Steve,

Haha, great pic. You look like a rock star instead of an animator. I have my Q&A with Doug tonight so I will make sure to tell him you say hi and also mock him mercilessly with the photo! :)

As for the book, the more I read the more fantastic I think this book and DVD are. I am especially enjoying the Zuckafa chapter right now. Great work. Man this, Osipa's book and the latest Inspired book.... a good time to be learning how to rig!

[Darktwin]

just from reading the responses on the book, I can't wait to get mine in the mail, but I understand patience is a virtue.

[Julius]

Awesome book, i havent got started on it just yet but i will definitely tomorrow. Woke up this morning with it sitting on my desk. What a nice mail man.

[Rega]

lol same, i woke up and found it on my desk. Just had a quick flick through and it looks very very detailed. A great buy most definately.

[Kris-S]

Just got mine this morning out if the letter box on the way to work ... got it in my hands and went ... 0.o ... oh my god this is AWSOME.. it's so heavy .. had a quick flick through loaded the dvd ... Man , my Partner isn't going to see me for days :)..

this book is a real great deal I would recommend it to anyone

Kris

[Rega]

Thanks for sending the license Karim :)

[abgrafx3d]

Still waiting patiently for my copy. Ordered on June 29th. Really looking forward to it.

[enbee]

Finally got mine yesterday, looks great. Hope to start reading it this weekend.

[greynite1]

I wanted to let everybody who is waiting beyond the 3-5 day shipping that your post office might indeed be to blame. I had a heck of a time getting the post office to deliver this. This is a BIG!! Book which usually isn't a problem but my mail man didn't want to deliver it to my apartment rental office no. I finally had to go to the darn post office personally and get it. WOW this thing is DEEP there is alot of really good stuff in there. The only disadvantage is just getting through the sheer amount of material in Volume 1!!! incredible job Kiaran thanks for creating this great resource.

[madmanmagic]

I wanted to let everybody who is waiting beyond the 3-5 day shipping that your post office might indeed be to blame.

I am well beyond 3-5 day shipping, should I just go over to the Post Office and ask if they have it?

I am not up to date on this, is there a tracking method?

Too lazy to read through all 500 posts on this thread.
Thanks
Dan

[malducin]

I have a question. Do you plan to sell the book somewhere at SIGGRAPH? That way I can skip the whole mailing thing. I'm already planning on buying several goodies up there so I want to be on the lookout and budget it (and with the new Gnomon and Ballistic stuff, man it's gonna be a heavy haul back home).

[Grgeon]

Good idea Malducin! I'll wait to see if it will be available at Siggraph.

George

[YeeWu]

Madmanmagic: I sent an e-mail to the support address Kiaran provided a few pages back ( support@cgtoolkit.com ) asking for tracking information. It's been 3 days, and I still haven't heard anything from them yet.

Greynite1: Did you have a tracking number when you went to the post office? Or did you just ask if there was a package with your name on it? There are a bunch of post offices around where I live, and I'm not sure which one to go to to check if my book is there.

[greynite1]

I emailed the same support email and they gave me a tracking number which told me that the shipment was not delievered properly. This is just for me but I have had repeated problems with my local post office delievering to my apartment especially if the package is of any size really.

But if it was not delivered you should have gotten one of the little orange cards from the USPS which says so and tells you the address that it is being held at. If not yes you need to get a tracking number if possible from the cgtoolkit support email address.

[YeeWu]

Ah, thanks a lot for the information, greynite1. I guess I'll try sending another e-mail to support.

[kiaran]

Thanks to everyone who has posted their impressions. I'm glad you are likeing the book.

[apuente]

Hi Kiaran

I ordered the book this past June 29th, and have not received it yet. I am patiently waiting for the book to arrive, but since I know the Mexican Postal Service is the-mother-of-all-craps, if I wait for them to send me a notice, that´ll be until a 6 week period (and that´s being too optimistic), so, I would really appreciate it if you could provide me with a Tracking Number so that I can run to the Postal Service´s office as soon as I see it has arrived, otherwise I think Volume 5 of this series would be out whenever I get to receive my book.


Best Regards.

- AP

[cold_fusion]

today i received my book http://cgtalk.com/images/smilies/clap.gif
i was waiting 16 days i m soo happy now
thanks

http://img291.imageshack.us/img291/5746/img10771ac.jpg (http:///)

[madmanmagic]

Great to see a pic of it!!!

I had the impression it was not a tall book.

Thought it was going to be elongated like the INSPIRED rigging book.

thanks for sharing pic!
dan

[loocas]

One question thou... :blush:

I'm a 3ds max power user, but have never touched maya... well, I have toyed with it, but I didn't even create a sphere in it :) = less than a noob in maya...

So I want to ask somebody who've read the book and have at least some experience with max - should I really buy the book? I'm afraid it won't be much of a use to me if I'm a pure max user... Especially due to the fact they explain MEL in depth and the DVD is full of maya scenes, rigs, examples etc...

Pls, I'd really appretiate your comments on this topic...

Thanks in advance! :thumbsup:

[abgrafx3d]

My copy arrived today :bounce: .


Initial flip-thru on the book - looks like an awesome rigging reference and a great companion to The Making of Leon DVD set. I'm going to be busy reading for some time.

Looks like a really great book kiaran and the CGToolkit team!

[two.oh]

USPS lost my package. Supposedly it was delivered to my apartment, but my doorman says they haven't received anything............great........... http://cgtalk.com/images/smilies/rolleyes.gif

[pixelranger]

Loocas: Hi. I've been a dedicated LightWave user for 6 years now and I am in the process of learning Maya. I haven't been touching Maya much either, allthough I've read a couple of Maya-oriented books (Stop Staring, Learning Maya 2). But I LOVED Art of Rigging! And not just in the "learning-maya-sence".
Most of the principles and theories are exactlly the same in 3d Studio Max and LightWave etc. Allthough it's Maya and Mel oriented, they explain the principles and theories very very thoroughly, so if you have some experience with MaxScript you should easily be able to apply the techniques taught in AoR to Max and MaxScript.
I can wholeheartedly recommend it!!

[Ferocitas]

My copy just arrived not 10 minutes ago, i've flicked through it, and i've got to say - well done to CGToolkit for creating a product that is on par with (or perhaps greater than) books like Maya Character Animation, and The Art of Maya in terms of content and production quality - it really is a beautifully presented book, and its much thicker than i thought it might be; jam packed with heaps of MEL code too!

:buttrock:

Again; great work, thanks for providing this resource, and i look forward to reading this one cover to cover (along with the dvd) - not to mention the other two volumes that are on their way - its going to be quite a collection.

Cheers

[loocas]

Loocas: Hi. I've been a dedicated LightWave user for 6 years now and I am in the process of learning Maya. I haven't been touching Maya much either, allthough I've read a couple of Maya-oriented books (Stop Staring, Learning Maya 2). But I LOVED Art of Rigging! And not just in the "learning-maya-sence".
Most of the principles and theories are exactlly the same in 3d Studio Max and LightWave etc. Allthough it's Maya and Mel oriented, they explain the principles and theories very very thoroughly, so if you have some experience with MaxScript you should easily be able to apply the techniques taught in AoR to Max and MaxScript.
I can wholeheartedly recommend it!!

Thank you very much for the priceless insight! :thumbsup: I'll order it today! :bounce:

[Pickman]

Hey guys, received mine on friday and started watching the videos last night, the book is nice, thick and full of good code. I recently bought 3d inspired riggging and can tell you that both are really complementary, wish 3d inspired had the video material though. This is a big plus.

I now understand why I had to wait for my shipping order,.
The introductory and chapter videos are neatly encoded and Kiaran keeps you entertained and curious talking with a very good pace. I tell you guys this is really important being a foreigner, this guy really enjoys what he does.
Honestly I strongly recommend this book.

Now on to the questions:
I've seen in the table of contents that you're going with your own PSD in chapter 6, I just learnt how to use Michael Comet's plugin very recently, will that be a lot different ?

Second question is about support, 3d inspired has it's own good and active support thread, will you be doing the same on cgtoolkit ? Always nice to go a bit further or talk about things people haven't figured out yet.

Third question: about the stretchy IK/FK spine rig in chapter two, you create 3 FK joints to drive the ik spine, but as you move it around to demonstrate the stretchiness of the IK spine the FK stay put?! How would you actually bind it to a whole rig ?

THX for publishing this beautiful and interesting book. And Kiaran: keep on recording videos, you're the man ! :-)

[t°mmi]

great to hear all this super-positive critics and feedback, i'll definitely order my copy soon. since i live in germany, i'd like to know from the european buyers if you had to pay any extra custom duties? do they use secure packaging, so that the books survive the long way undamaged?

thanks for your help!

[kiaran]

I've seen in the table of contents that you're going with your own PSD in chapter 6, I just learnt how to use Michael Comet's plugin very recently, will that be a lot different ?

The PSD solution on chapter six is a bit of a hack. I mention the difference between it and Comet's plugin. The books PSD's advantage is that it uses regular blendshapes. This allows for corrective shapes to be sculpted in pose-space and possibly exported to a game engine. In fact, a major next-gen game is already using the technique pioneered for this chapter.

Second question is about support, 3d inspired has it's own good and active support thread, will you be doing the same on cgtoolkit ?

We have considered setting up a forum on CGToolkit.com. But there are so many great places to discuss rigging, we haven't felt this is a real priority. I hang out in the Maya rigging forum here on cgtalk so I can answer any questions there.

about the stretchy IK/FK spine rig in chapter two, you create 3 FK joints to drive the ik spine, but as you move it around to demonstrate the stretchiness of the IK spine the FK stay put?! How would you actually bind it to a whole rig ?

The IK posing is meant to be added ontop of the FK rig. So typically, the animator would animate the spine with FK and then use the IK functionality to tweak the spine and add some stretching if necessary.

[Grgeon]

I just wanted to verify that this skeleton model is included in the purchase?

http://cgtoolkit.com/book1/images/2.4.jpg

Thanks,
George

[kiaran]

Grgeon - Yes that skeleton model is included.

[progerik]

I just wanted to verify that this skeleton model is included in the purchase?

http://cgtoolkit.com/book1/images/2.4.jpg

Thanks,
George

everything you see on the book is included all the creatures that features in it :)
http://www.cgtoolkit.com/book1/sneakpeak1.htm

[sin_catcher]

Hi,guys.
12 days has passed,and my copy still not arrive.I live in China.Is this right or not? I'm getting more and more anxious.

[arona]

i ordered on 7/12 and received it today(7/18).

Thanks Guys.

[Grgeon]

Awesome, thanks guys!

Any word if CgToolkit will be at Siggraph this year with a few copies of the book to purchase there?

Thanks again,
George

[Pickman]

hey Kiaran, I'm up to chapter four :-), I see you've done your facial rig script with expressions, is that worth doing it using utility nodes ? For there are no feedback really needed while playing with the interface. It is a great interface, you did a very nice job, really like the lively curve type you managed to do.

You rock.

[DangerAhead]

Kiaran,

Great stretchy tool! I'm using it today in fact!

[Pickman]

Yep, running time in html version is often really inacurate :-)
Just a small revision for future editions :-)

[kiaran]

Thanks guys, any other errata can be sent to my email kiaran@cgtoolkit.com . We are keeping a list.

I see you've done your facial rig script with expressions, is that worth doing it using utility nodes ? For there are no feedback really needed while playing with the interface.

I find expressions are easier to setup and the performace hit is negligible. Utility nodes may be faster, but you have to ask yourself if it is worth the time it takes to setup. For me, the answer is no.

[xenoid]

Just received it yesterday... only took about a week...

Other than the slight mishandling of the book.... it is really SWEEEEEEEEEEEEET!

Flipping thru the pages... Chunks of scripts to be learnt... Chunks of information to be absorbed... Superb print quality... Solid packaging...

Thanx a lot Kiaran and guys! Awaiting the other volumes already... :bounce:

[ajsfuxor]

Fantastic resource guys, well done. I was expecting it to be lacking alot of the "tricks of the trade" type things, but to my surprise it goes into some nice detail about the little things.

Bring on Volume 2.

[apuente]

YESSS!!! FANTASTIC!!! I just received my copy today.

Kiaran CONGRATULATIONS on such a fantastic and elegant book. Now I have lots of reading to do!!!

Once again congratulations to you and your team on such an awesome book.

AP

- PS. -- to all of you who are waiting for copies to arrive just give it a max of 16 days (international) IT DOES ARRIVE

[tinkertoy]

Did anyone order a copy of Art Of Rigging in Germany? How long did it take to deliver?
I ordered mine on 28th June and am still waiting. Just curious. :sad:

Just got response from CgToolkit team. Book went out on 8th July. So, I will be more patient :bounce:

[MunCHeR]

definately money well spent, just curious where the setting up eye lids is on the dvd, its mentioned in the soft eyes video, but I cant find anything in the book or dvd as yet, just looking for setting up opening and closing eyelids.

Cheers and congrats cgtoolkit team, looking forward to vol 2 and 3!

MunCH