Introduction
This week, we learned how to rig a box man in Maya and focused on understanding hierarchies, how to create joints and master controllers.
Part 1: Modelling
The first thing we did, was to model a box man. We created several cubes and resized them to model the different parts of the body.
In other words, we deconstructed the shapes of a human body into cubes.
Part 2: Understanding Hierarchies
Then, we learned about the concept of parenting and how we had to connect each cube in order to create a hierarchical motion structure.
If we take for instance the hand, the movement of the fingers is determined by the movement of the hand and the movement of the hand is determined by the movement of the lower arm.
Part 3: Creating Joints
After creating the hierarchical structure of the box man, we added several joints to the legs.
They would enable our box man to be flexible and allow the movement of the body.
Part 4: Using Master Controllers
In order to move the box man, we created several master controllers and connected them to the body parts by means of parenting constrains.
Instead of moving the polygons, we would move those master controllers.
Part 5: Creating IK Handles
The last thing we did, was to create IK Handles for the legs, which allowed our box man to stick its feet on the ground.