Just a general-ish question about turnaround rigs. I'm going to rig a whale which needs to turn to the camera and I'm wondering if there are any fundamental things I should be aware of. It's easy to interpolate from the side view to 3/4 but interpolating from the 3/4 to the front view is something that I've been thinking for some time now. My main problem is the interpolation of the whale's face.
Not going deeper into this just yet. Just asking if you guys have some nice tips for me! I'll be happy to answer any further questions about the whale too.
I'll add the 3D reference images that I'll use when designing the illustration and the rig. They're below:
a whale isn't rigid and won't pivot - it'll curve along the length of its spine, then straighten. There is also vertical bending along the spine. And they roll! Here's some example reference footage - I'm sure you can find more. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aV7-iu8Wm1g
what I do with body turns/ bends: How important is it to have one rig that can do everything? That's a key difference between 3d and 2d (2.5d) IMO. In 2d the answer is usually "not important at all". What shots are you planning? Do you need a "talking whale" for a kid's animation? It can be much quicker and easier to have multiple rigs that, as far as is practical, share artwork. If they have to be in the same moho file then switch between them (or have them in different moho files) and use cutaways to cover any discontinuities that are just "too hard" to bother about.
But back to the direct question: interpolate the face from 3/4 to front. Again, does it have to be in one rig? will it be easier to have two front "front view" rigs that are actually "95%" left or right (i.e. not actually exactly head on)? If you're designing a symmetrical whale then that's as easy as one rig and a flip! And if you really need a 100% head on, then make that a separate rig with enough of the left and right features so that a switch to the relevant "95% view" is seamless.
