Book Image

Taking Blender to the Next Level

By : Ruan Lotter
Book Image

Taking Blender to the Next Level

By: Ruan Lotter

Overview of this book

If you're ready to start exploring the more advanced workflows and processes in Blender to create intricate 3D models, then Taking Blender to the Next Level is for you. This book focuses on a few different VFX-related workflows such as geometry nodes, organic modeling, 3D camera tracking, photogrammetry, sculpting, compositing, and physics simulations. You’ll learn how to use geometry nodes to create dynamic motion graphic scenes as well as perform 3D scanning of real-world objects using photogrammetry. You’ll also find out how to model, rig, and animate your own 3D characters from scratch. Next, you’ll progress to using simulations to break objects apart and then use cloth and hair simulations to add realism to your 3D creations. Finally, you’ll go over the final render settings and export your 3D animation masterpiece as a video. By the end of this Blender book, you’ll be able to model your own 3D characters, objects, and landscapes; rig, animate, and texture your characters; 3D track live-action footage; and composite your 3D characters into live-action scenes.
Table of Contents (19 chapters)
1
Part 1: Modeling, Materials, and Animation Workflows
10
Part 2: Let's Do Some Physics
14
Part 3: Match Moving and Compositing

Chapter 8: Rigging and Animating Your 3D Cartoon Character

In this chapter, we will bring our cartoon character to life by applying an animation rig to it and animating a walk cycle using keyframes. Rigging consists of adding bones to our character and converting the bones to an animation rig. This will allow us to animate the individual bones of our character to create animations such as a walk cycle. For the rigging process, we will make use of a free add-on that comes with Blender called Rigify.

Rigify will automatically setup Inverse Kinematics (IK) and Forward Kinematics (FK), which will make the animation process a lot easier – but more on that later in this chapter. Let's get started!

The main topics we'll cover in this chapter are as follows:

  • Installing the Rigify add-on
  • Importing our character and getting it ready for the rigging process
  • Rigging our character using Rigify
  • IK versus FK and rig layers
  • Animating a walk cycle using...