View Full Version : The Evolution of Rigs, Why do "you" use Curves for Controls?
09-16-2007, 12:38 AM
Im creating a new rig, and am trying something i have never seen before, so i am curious as to why i haven't.
I am trying a rig with all of its controls made out of polygons. Shapes are unimportant, though keep in mind some are solid, and some are designed to look like a curve, just thicker (frame of a cube for example). The reason? Shading. Ever since i started animating, i have been frustrated by the mess of controls and personally never liked the tiny lines. Sure, they allow you to see the character, but picking them was always annoying to me. Especially in complex areas, like Reverse/Forward Spines and whatnot.
So why do "you" use Curves as controls? Im not saying polygons are better, im just experimenting and curious on what ya'll think. Im hoping that with shading, they will be easier to grab and see.
09-16-2007, 12:43 AM
We use a combination of both. I imagine there are several reasons curves are used more. They don't render by default(whereas you have to set your poly controls not to render, not really a big deal), and using polys in an already complex scene might slow things down. As long as you don't go overboard with your polycount on the controls, I don't see any reason not to use them.
09-16-2007, 04:00 AM
I've used polygon shapes in a couple rigs, but I'm not sure I would do it again. They're easy to select, and represent the volume of the character well enough, but sometimes they can also get in the way.
I like to keep an eye on how the mesh is deforming, but I don't like having to continually hide/unhide things to do it. :shrug:
Hamish McKenzie's zooCST (http://www.macaronikazoo.com) creates rigs that use controls that consist of a polymesh and a curve parented to the same transform. They are much easier to select this way.
ZooTriggered also allows you to just select a body part which will select the appropriate curve/joint for animation, all while never having to see a curve in the animation scene. Triggered can be used for many things. Very powerful scripts in Hamishs' collection. Highly recommend you check them out.
09-16-2007, 11:32 PM
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