Griffin's Nest

Is it true? #mce_temp_url#

I just bought a copy of Artrage 3 for my tablet PC.  I like the programs simplicity.  Unlike other digital drawing programs, Artrage does not need to load a million plugins.  The drawing tools provide a very “pen and paper” feel with little to no tinkering with the existing brushes.  Best of all the price is only $4o.

I hope to produce a few quick drawings every week so I can try to maintain what limited drawing skills I have acquired in my lifetime.  I will be adding these drawings to the gallery in my side bar, so drop by once in a while and tell me what you think.

For many years I have been playing with motion paths for rigging.  Recently I started putting together an IK/FK spine that relies on a motion path.  I will be posting my progress here so I can get some opinions as I develop this experimental method for rigging a spine.  Eventually I will post a tutorial so you can build one for yourself.  The rig is setup in Maya 9.0.

So why use a motion path to build a spine?  The big advantage is that you get a nice stretch effect without the use if distance or math nodes.  Setup is extremely simple, and FK rotations stick with IK translations.  There is another big reason I prefer this type of setup, but you will have to wait until a later post to hear about that.

Download the Maya file.

This article adds a little geek to the art of animation.  Check it out.

While you are at it, check out this article on cloth sim.