Eye+Mouth Rigging Tutorial

[dkwroot]

I created this tutorial to go over the technique I use for rigging eyes and mouths. It took me a while to come up with this design.

DOWNLOAD LINK:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bwzk-f ... sp=sharing

[funksmaname]

Nice design, thanks for sharing.
That masking bug is really annoying, nice you've found a workaround!

[dkwroot]

Yeah, the masking bug is a huge pain in the rear. It took me a while to figure out a work-around and I was eager to share it.

[Francis Seven]

dkwroot, this was one of the most helpful tutorials I've watched so far on ASP, and I've been binging on them for days now. Thank you so much for sharing this!

If I understood correctly, you'd then simply create a different mouth for each phoneme and add them to the switch layer, preserving the number of points to allow for interpolation, correct? In addition to "open" and "closed", I mean.

I look forward to learning more. I come from a background in 3D and traditional animation and am completely new to this software.

Edit: I just would like to add that I'd love to have the file if all possible. I need to figure out how to rig the face so that the chin also moves when the lips open and close. Any chance of this?

Thanks again!

[dkwroot]

If I understood correctly, you'd then simply create a different mouth for each phoneme and add them to the switch layer, preserving the number of points to allow for interpolation, correct? In addition to "open" and "closed", I mean.

Not just number of points, but the way the curves themselves are connected. Basically, just design one master lip layer and add all the points you think you'll need to make the other lips. Then duplicate the layer and adjust the duplicates so that they match whatever lip shape you want. Then put all of these layers into a switch layer and turn on interpolation.

Edit: I just would like to add that I'd love to have the file if all possible. I need to figure out how to rig the face so that the chin also moves when the lips open and close. Any chance of this?

I updated the first post with a download link.
If you want to add jaw motion, just make a smartbone action or create a bone that the jaw points are bound to. You can then easily pull the jaw up or down to match the mouth movement.

[Francis Seven]

I'm very grateful for this. You have no idea!

[lwaxana]

Thank you for sharing this tutorial and demo file. :D And the character looks great!

[dkwroot]

No problem, glad you guys are finding this useful.

[Francis Seven]

Hi guys. I was following the tutorial until I came to a problem. I'm attaching a picture of what's going on. I even went as far as copying the teeth layer from your .anme file to see if that would help.

I'm not sure why this is going on, the mask layer has the same settings as the one on your file.

[dkwroot]

You need to use a fill on the lips at the top layer. The fill will cover the contents of the mouth.

[Francis Seven]

You need to use a fill on the lips at the top layer. The fill will cover the contents of the mouth.

Yes I figured it out, I think. The big rectangle I made around the lips wasn't filled. I filled it, and hid the edges and now it looks a lot better. Thanks!

[rboechat]

Awesome tips!
Thanks for sharing this with us!