Train Rigging in Maya

Flying trains, train on hills and there are million other ways you would like to move your train. It would become really difficult to animate it manually and then attach it to a motion path. We riggers have to make the life of animators easy, because we are the saviors!!

Create a joint for every bogie and the engine as well, something like this:

 

Now create a straight path using CV curve tool, go to the options and select 3cubic. Now you can use as many CVs as you like in the curve depending on the requirement. I have used 15; you can always go back and rebuild the curve.  

Apply IK spline Handle to the joints switching off auto create curve and auto parent curve, only root on curve should be selected. Select your first joint, then the end joint and the curve we just created.

Select the IK spline handle that has just been created and increase the offset value, you will see that the train starts moving on the path curve.

 

Create clusters for each CV point on the curve with Relative off.

Create your controls for the path; I would suggest one for each cluster and then parent constraint the cluster to the controls. Now you can move the
se controls in any position and make the shape of your path in which the train will move.

You can hook the offset attribute of IK spline handle to the global control of the train using connection editor or SDK. Hide the clusters as you don’t need to see them and also template the path. You don’t want the animators to mistakenly move any of these.

 

Woohoo!! You have the train moving. You can add many other things like the train bogies rotating side to side while the train moves or cartoony smoke coming out as the train moves.

Kiddy World

Hi Guys,

I have been really busy this past few months working on Kiddy World, an e-lerning project by Varmora Infotech, Ahmedabad. This is the 1st trailer of the project, hope you guys like it!

I was responsible for creating stretchy rigs for all the main characters and also improvise other rigs to make the animation process more simple. I will add a breakdown for the characters I have worked on very soon. Cheers!

Joint based Facial Rig

This is quick display of what the rig does not the bore the viewers.

Joint based facial rig from Ruha Merchant on Vimeo.
I created this joint based facial rig in Maya. It is very fast and efficient way of producing very good results in few hours. Lucio model was provided by my friend Antonio Carvalho. Lucio is suppose to be blind according to his concept.
It was fun creating this rig as I could model the blendshapes very quickly using curves. Basically, you use joints as controls and skin them, hence you have direct control and you use curves as blenshapes which drive the joints.
I will upload a demonstration soon to explain what I did.

Matchmove Showreel 2014

Finally I have been able to compile my Matchmove work I did at Framestore as both Iron Man 3 and 47 Ronin is released. I am super excited!! I have learned a lot and enjoyed my work, didn't realize I could enjoy matchmoving so much opposing to many of my mates :D The best part is that I got on film credit for both films yeay!!  Don't forget to find my name in credits when you watch the film :D

Check out my imdb profile- http://www.imdb.com/name/nm5380705/


Matchmove showreel 2014 from Ruha Merchant on Vimeo.
BREAKDOWN-

1. Show- Iron Man 3
Responsible for stereo camera track for this shot as well as body track.
Software- 3D Equalizer, Maya

2. Show- Iron Man 3
Responsible for stereo camera track for this shot and create background geometry.
Software- 3D Equalizer, Maya

3. Show- Iron Man 3
Responsible for stereo camera track for this shot.
Software- 3D Equalizer, Maya

4. Show- 47 Ronin
Responsible for stereo camera track for this shot.
Software- 3D Equalizer, Maya

5. Show- 47 Ronin
Responsible for stereo camera track for this shot.
Software- 3D Equalizer, Maya

6. Show- 47 Ronin
Responsible for stereo camera track for this shot.
Software- 3D Equalizer, Maya

7. Show- 47 Ronin
Responsible for stereo camera track for this shot.
Software- 3D Equalizer, Maya

8. Show- 47 Ronin
Responsible for stereo camera track for this shot.
Software- 3D Equalizer, Maya

9. Framestore training shot from the show Harry potter.
Responsible for mono camera track.
Software- 3D Equalizer, Maya

10. Framestore training shot from the show Harry potter.
Responsible for mono camera track and body track of harry.
Software- 3D Equalizer, Maya

11. Show- 47 Ronin
Responsible for body track of kai for this shot.
Software- 3D Equalizer, Maya

Back to India Chapter

I am not a usual blogger, it is not that I don't enjoy sharing but I am too lazy to write about it. I will try to keep record of everything I am doing from now on.
Since I have come back, all I have done is learn learn and learn. I have collected so much information about rigging that I think my mind will burst hahaha!
No seriously, I need to make a note of it so that I can get back to it whenever I forget. May be some soul like me who has spend hours searching on the internet about a silly question can benefit from my blog.

Alright, enough of blabbering!!

Currently, I am creating a face rig using joints. It is a basic setup nothing fancy but I will make sure that in future I can decorate it more. I need to show my skills for a job search and some display is badly needed.
The model Lucio is created by my friend Antonio from Bournemouth University.

I will update about it soon!!

Matchmove work

Hi guys,

I finish my contract with Framestore as a matchmove atrist at the end of this week. It was fun experience and I learned a lot. I was fortunate to get an opportunity to work on two project which were Iron Man 3 and 47 Ronin.
As I have no showreel on tracking and I am not allowed to show the work I have done before the films are released, I have done some quick tracking work to give an idea that I can track ;)



Matchmove showreel 2013 from Ruha Merchant on Vimeo.
Shot 1-
Body Track, Camera Track
Footage provided by Framestore for training.
Software- 3DEqualizer, Maya, Nuke

Shot 2-
Camera Track
Footage provided by Framestore for training.
Software used- 3DEqualizer, Maya, Nuke

Shot 3-
Camera Track, Set Creation
Footage provided by Charles Willcocks
Software- 3DEqualizer, Maya, Nuke


And, I also have a imdb credit link! Wooohoo!!
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm5380705/

Looking for a new opportunity now! :D  if you see anything, please direct it to me!


Cheers!
Ruha

Dolphin Rig

Dolphin Rig 2012 from Ruha Merchant on Vimeo.
Model downloaded from simplymaya.com
Software- Maya
I created this rig to understand how to use hair dynamics to create a automatic tail animation.