Preparing Model for animation flow work (Facial blends)

#1

(A little backstory, skip this part if you want)
Hi, i have been modeling for a while now, but i have always been studying with tutorials and courses online, i havent had a professor or chat with other students about modeling and stuff like that, and recently i got a job at an animation studio in which part of the modeling process is to create facial blends to help the rigger (or character TD) to create the facial rig, and in all the courses or training i have read or watched i havent encounter this practice or anyone has commented on it, so im a little puzzled about this process.

(You can start reading again in here)
The process of the facial blends is to move the character lips, eyebrows, cheeks, into different positions which cover the basic movements the face does to create expression so the rigger can combine these movements and give them controls so the animators can create all the different expressions…

So my questions are, does anyone know more about the process of facial blends?, is this a common practice on studios?
i know every studio has its own workflow but i have never heard of making facial blends for the riggers neither i find any information or training about it (i have been trying to find more information to study a little bit without bothering the guy showing me the workflow in my workplace).

please share your experience with the different workflows you have encounter

#2

You’ve never heard of making facial blend-shapes?! … I’m puzzled to how you even got the job at an animation studio then.

The process has been around for at least a couple of decades and yes it is still common practice.
I haven’t done any in years since I don’t work at a studio that does much character work so I might be a little out of touch but I doubt it’s changed a whole lot, the basics pretty much always remain in everything.

Theres more free information and training about it now then there ever was back when I had to learn about it, where have you been looking that you say you haven’t found anything on it…try using google, that might help lol.

#3

If its as commun as you say, i dont know why they gave me the job, even tho i was a trainee for about 3 weeks.
As for the facial blends, i have search it with that name and havent found anything relevant, and i have been taking courses from cg cookie, digital tutors, gnomworkshop, 3d motive, the foundry, animator friendly rigging course (not modeling, of course) and many other sites, and in any of them they havent mentioned the facial blends.
I should mention that i know how to use blends, but im not sure about the different expressions should look like to be usefull for the animators and rigger.

I guess ill try to look a little more about it, thanks for the response.

#4

http://www.digitaltutors.com/tutorial/1821-Blend-Shape-Workflows-in-Mudbox-and-Maya

#5

Thank you a lot for the link

#6

Your lead/supervisor should provide you with a list or usually a basic illustration of exactly what is needed, if they haven’t then go over and slap them across the face with a trout!.. :keenly: