3-D human modeling and animation

All the tools and know-how to create digital characters that can move, express emotions, and talk

3-D Human Modeling and Animation demonstrates how you can use your artistic skills in figure drawing, painting, and sculpture to create animated human figures using the latest computer technology. This easy-to-follow book guides you through all the necessary steps to create and animate digital humans. Students and professional 3-D artists will find this book to be an invaluable resource.

This Second Edition combines detailed, practical information about creating and animating 3-D human models. More than 400 images, interactive files, and exciting animations included on the CD-ROM detail the modeling and animation processes for both male and female figures. Chapter objectives and exercises are tied to the CD-ROM, which also provides color example images, sample models, modeling templates, textures, lesson plans, and relevant animation movies that allow you to start modeling and animating right away!

Author Notes

Peter Ratner is a professor of 3-D computer animation in the School of Art and Art History at James Madison University. He is the founder of the computer animation program at the university and started the first animation concentration in the state of Virginia. Besides teaching and writing books, he has exhibited his oil paintings, animations, and computer graphics in numerous national and international juried exhibitions

Reviews 1

Library Journal Review

This how-to art book covers the basics and theory of 3-D modeling and animation. It is not a book about using any particular application. Ratner explains general design approaches for complete figure building, from seamless models and body construction to preparation for animation and creating human motion. Liberal graphics include 40 full-color illustrations of models. This book will have a wide audience and a long shelf life; a first choice along with Callihan. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Preface	p. xiii
About the CD-ROM	p. xv
Chapter 1 Beginning Modeling Techniques	p. 1
Modeling Simple Objects with Splines/NURBS	p. 2
Modeling a Knife	p. 2
Troubleshooting	p. 6
Modeling a Spoon	p. 6
Modeling a Spatula	p. 8
Modeling a Frying Pan	p. 11
Modeling a Palette Knife	p. 13
Modeling Simple Objects with Subdivision Surfaces	p. 16
Modeling a Hammer	p. 17
Modeling an Armchair	p. 21
Chapter 2 Intermediate Modeling Techniques	p. 25
Creating a Cartoon Cow with Subdivision Modeling	p. 25
The Cow Head	p. 27
The Cow Body	p. 33
Creating a Cartoon Chicken with Patch Spline/NURBS Modeling	p. 41
Making the 3-D Template with Box Modeling	p. 42
Patch Modeling the Chicken	p. 47
Chapter 3 Anatomy of the Human Figure	p. 55
Proportion	p. 55
The Skeleton	p. 58
The Skull	p. 60
The Skeleton of the Torso	p. 61
The Bones of the Arm	p. 65
The Bones of the Leg	p. 68
The Muscles	p. 70
The Muscles of the Head	p. 70
The Muscles of the Neck	p. 71
The Muscles of the Torso	p. 73
The Muscles of the Arm	p. 76
The Muscles of the Leg	p. 77
Chapter 4 Advanced Modeling Techniques, Part 1	p. 81
Patch Modeling the Head with Splines/NURBS	p. 81
Advantages of Patch Modeling	p. 81
Rules for Patch Modeling	p. 81
Preparation for Modeling	p. 82
Splines/NURBS Patch Modeling Procedure	p. 83
The Female Head	p. 83
The Male Head	p. 87
Subdivision Modeling the Head with Polygons	p. 88
Chapter 5 Advanced Modeling Techniques, Part 2	p. 97
Modeling the Torso with Splines/NURBS	p. 97
The Female Torso	p. 97
The Male Torso	p. 102
Subdivision Modeling the Torso with Polygons	p. 106
Helpful Hints for Modeling Details	p. 107
Completing the Subdivision Torso	p. 109
Chapter 6 Advanced Modeling Techniques, Part 3	p. 111
Modeling the Arm and Hand with Splines/NURBS	p. 111
The Female Arm	p. 111
The Hand	p. 114
The Male Arm	p. 119
Modeling the Arm and Hand with Subdivision Surface Polygons	p. 124
Chapter 7 Advanced Modeling Techniques, Part 4	p. 131
Modeling the Leg with Splines/NURBS	p. 131
The Female Leg	p. 131
The Male Leg	p. 139
Converting a Spline/NURBS Model for Subdivision Surface Rendering	p. 142
Modeling the Leg with Subdivision Surface Polygons	p. 144
Chapter 8 Advanced Modeling Techniques, Part 5	p. 151
The Eye	p. 151
The Eyelashes	p. 154
The Eyebrows	p. 155
The Inside of the Mouth	p. 155
The Teeth	p. 157
The Gums	p. 157
The Tongue	p. 158
The Hair	p. 159
Method 1 Helmet Hair	p. 160
Method 2 Using a Hair Generator	p. 161
Hair Generator Settings	p. 171
Soft-Body Dynamics	p. 179
Surface Settings	p. 179
Chapter 9 Setting Up the Human Model for Animation	p. 183
Setting Up a Skeleton	p. 183
Making a Skeleton	p. 183
Assigning Weight Maps	p. 187
Adjusting Weight Maps	p. 189
Setting Up an Inverse Kinematics Skeleton	p. 189
Setting Up Facial Expressions	p. 192
Muscle Groups of the Face	p. 192
Expressing Emotion	p. 193
Creating Morph Targets for the Face	p. 198
Cheeks	p. 198
Eyebrows	p. 200
Eyes	p. 202
Jaw	p. 204
Mouth	p. 205
Neck	p. 210
Nose	p. 211
Speech	p. 211
Chapter 10 Surfacing and Lighting Details	p. 215
Surfacing Details	p. 215
Various Image-Mapping Methods	p. 215
Procedural Textures	p. 218
Surface Factors	p. 219
Surfacing a Human Character	p. 221
Texturing the Eyes	p. 222
The Cornea	p. 222
The Eyeball	p. 222
The Iris	p. 223
The Lens	p. 224
Texturing the Body	p. 225
Texturing the Face	p. 226
Method 1 UV-Mapping a Face in Sections	p. 227
Method 2 UV-Mapping an Entire Face	p. 233
Using a Texture Guide	p. 234
Working with a 3-D Paint Program	p. 235
Lighting the Human Model	p. 236
Types of Lights	p. 237
Ambient	p. 237
Key Light	p. 239
Fill Light	p. 239
Rim or Back Light	p. 239
Kicker Light	p. 239
Top Light	p. 240
Special Lights	p. 240
Bounce Lights	p. 240
Contact Lights	p. 240
Gobos or Cucaloris Lights	p. 240
Chapter 11 Fundamentals of Human Animation	p. 243
Some Animation Pointers	p. 243
Animating in Stages	p. 246
Dialogue	p. 248
Dialogue Essentials	p. 248
Ways of Making Them Talk	p. 250
Using an Exposure Sheet	p. 250
Importing Audio into the Animation Program	p. 251
Importing Video into the Animation Program	p. 252
Completing the Dialogue	p. 253
Storyboarding	p. 253
Rotoscoping	p. 255
The Graph Editor	p. 257
Cleaning Up an Animation with the Graph Editor	p. 258
Animating Within the Graph Editor	p. 260
Using the Graph Editor for Cycling Actions	p. 261
Walking	p. 261
Running	p. 267
Chapter 12 Human Animation Principles	p. 271
The 12 Principles of Animation	p. 271
1. Squash and Stretch (Weight and Recoil)	p. 272
Methods for Creating Squash and Stretch	p. 274
Method 1 Soft Body Dynamics	p. 274
Method 2 Manual Adjustments	p. 274
2. Anticipation	p. 274
2. Staging	p. 279
4. Straight-Ahead versus Pose-to-Pose Action	p. 281
5. Follow-through and Overlapping action	p. 285
6. Slow In and Slow Out	p. 289
7. Arcs	p. 291
8. Secondary Actions	p. 293
9. Timing	p. 295
10. Exaggeration	p. 297
11. Solid Drawing	p. 299
12. Appeal	p. 300
The Elements of Animation	p. 302
1. Pacing and Impact	p. 302
2. Action Reaction	p. 302
3. Rhythm and Lines of Action	p. 302
4. Paths of Action	p. 303
5. Spatial Relationships	p. 303
6. Accents	p. 303
7. Cycles	p. 304
8. Postures	p. 304
9. The Take	p. 304
10. Emotions	p. 304
11. Balance/Imbalance	p. 305
12. Weight, Mass, and Gravity	p. 305
Conclusion	p. 306
Lesson Plans	p. 307
Animation 1 Lesson Plans	p. 308
Animation 2 Lesson Plans	p. 309
Animation 3 Lesson Plans	p. 310
Bibliography	p. 311
Index	p. 313
About the Author	p. 317

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