Expanding on my initial hand-drawn character designs I wanted to achieve a further level of accuracy with my CG model by stylizing it in a simpler form for rigging and texturing purposes. During this process, I was aiming to keep the individual bones separate so that the process of creating and exploring a detachable rig serves easier in the long run when I work into the animation process. Looking at the initial Ideas of how this will function, my ideas revolve around potentially creating a set driven key or parent constraint that allows weight’ blending’ to be switched on and off from 100% to 0% to switch on and off parental controls.
Issue Area 1: Shoulder Blades
One of the essential parts of working on this model is gaining some form of anatomical accuracy without abstracting style and design from my initial concept drawing. In the book Anatomy: A complete Guide for Artists by Sheppard, He states how “The shoulder socket is made up of two bones: The Clavicle (Collarbone) in front and the Scapula (Shoulder bone)” (1993, pp.17). So considering this I needed to model two different areas that could meet rather than one large piece of mesh. In my initial drawing I have very accentuated collarbones, so I felt it relevant to really consider how the shoulder blade will rest on that back on the ‘pointier’ collarbone.
In order to keep up the aesthetic design from my drawings, I had to move the shoulder blade, clavicle and arm joint slightly further apart than considered accurately proportional to allow for arm movement and the drastic collar bones. I also created a slight point where they are joined so the shoulder blade is able to rest on it in a way that looks somewhat similar to real life.
Issue Area 2: Hips and Pelvis
One of the key issues that arose when modelling my character was trying to replicate the way the legs and the hips attach to with “ball-and-socket” joints that allow for the leg to “rotate in all directions” (1993,pp.91) , which creates a small circular dent within the pelvic bone.
In my initial model, there is no clear and defined way that the legs attach to the pelvis and appear to just be floating at the sides in a way that will animate rather unrealistically. Due to the fact my aesthetic choices regarding the model are more realistically inclined, I will have to try to get the ball-and-socket modelled to an extend that allows the leg to rotate without causing mesh collision or mesh detachment.
Below is the improved ball-and-socket area of the pelvis, as while not 100% anatomically accurate, it gives the impression of anatomical accuracy while retaining some element of unrealistic and ‘cartoony’ aesthetic design. The legs also are able to rotate in various directions which is the anatomical intention.
Issue 3: Leg Anatomy
The first issue here was my initial lower leg model, as there are two bones the ” Tibia and Fibula” (Sheppard, 1993, pp.118) I tried to model these in conjunction with each other. However it looks very amateurish and unrealistic in its formation, especially as after doing further the study, the two bones are not connected as much, but fit together due to muscle placement.
In order to improve this I decided to create an additional smaller bone (Tibia), and place it in a group with the bigger, primary bone (Fibula) so that they emanate the look of the bones placement when attached to the muscle groups.
Expanding on this diagram, I also used the reference to shape the ‘femur’ bone more realistically so it gives the implication of Patella (Knee) placement without having to model an additional section to fit accurately within my model.
Completed Model
After receiving a rigging workshop this week, I have taken this information to improve my model to make considerations for the rigging process that is to come later. Since I have been modelling with the arms down at both sides, It would be much more efficient to model them in a T or A pose to assist in the rigging and animation process later on due to the way the skin binds to the arms, as it allows clearer and more efficient access for processes such as advanced skeleton to assist rigging processes.
References
. Sheppard, J. (1993). Anatomy: A complete Guide for Artists. New York: Dover Publications.