Welcome to the latest entry in the ongoing Mkali's Mission blog!
New here? We’re producing an epic 3D sequence called Mkali’s Mission using each of the tools in the Media & Entertainment Collection – including Maya, 3ds Max, Arnold, and Mudbox – and sharing the whole journey right here on AREA.
Click here to learn more about Mkali's Mission.
With our wolf, Suluwo, purchased and the animation being worked on, it was time to focus on rigging the snowmobile and Mkali herself. Rigging is a pipeline step where the “bone/skeleton” structure of a model is built so the animator can create the animation. When you first think of rigging and bone structure you might think of a character but rigging can also be extended to any 3D object, such as our snowmobile.
Rigging is also a step in the production pipeline that is a specialized segment. Rigging isn’t something that a generalist would do so I started looking for the right artist. Charles Wardlaw stood out to me after meeting with him. He has a very strong background in rigging so I was confident he could deliver what we needed for the project.
At this point, the modeling of Mkali was still being completed so it would have been a waste of time for Charles to start working on Mkali’s rig until the modeling was done and approved. Instead, he focused on the snowmobile that Adrian modeled in 3ds Max earlier. Communication is key to a successful rig – so Charles and the modelers had multiple Zoom meetings to make sure he received the model just as he wanted for the rigging process to go smoothly.
Take for example the snowmobile’s tracks. Charles wanted Adrian to deliver the tracks unattached to the vehicle and laid out so it would be easier for him to rig. In the end, Adrian delivered 2 versions of the snowmobile, one with the tracks laid out flat and disconnected from the vehicle and another with them attached as normal.
Adrian modeled the snowmobile in 3ds Max, but Charles’s tool of choice is Maya. So we exported the model from 3ds Max via the FBX file format and imported that into Maya for Charles to get to work.
Plus, they wanted to make sure the “helpers” at the pivot points in 3ds Max could be exported and imported as “locators” in Maya and the answer was yes. This is again, why communication is key between each step of the pipeline.
The same would be even more important for Charles and Jacques who modeled Mkali. We had multiple meetings as Jacques was finished the modeling of Mkali to make sure Charles received what he needed. Once the model was complete Charles could start working on the rigging. Charles worked on Mkali's Mission in late 2020 and January 2021.
You can find my conversation with Charles below.
Tell us about yourself.
I’m currently a Software Engineer for animation tooling, although over the course of my career I’ve been a Character TD, Crowd Lead, and CG Supervisor. My undergrad degree was in Theatre with a concentration in Costume Construction. I grew up in Calgary, Alberta, and yes, that means I own a pair of cowboy boots.
What inspired you to become a 3D artist?
I’ve always loved cartoons, from Fleischer Studios to modern films like Turning Red. As a kid, I tried my hand at comic art but never quite got the knack for solid drawings. Discovering Reboot and Beast Wars in high school, then learning programs like 3D Studio R4 and trueSpace 2 showed me that I could still tell stories without needing to draw, and I was hooked!
Why do you use Maya?
It’s the industry standard. Almost any studio you go to will have a cut, and as someone who works mostly with animators, you seldom see anything else being used for their department.
What was your approach for rigging Mkali and the snowmobile in Mkali’s Mission? Was there anything different compared to other projects you have worked on?
I integrated some MEL expressions in lieu of being able to use custom C++ nodes, and I was surprised at how performant they could be.
Tell us about some of the challenges the pandemic added to your work & working from home. Do you have any advice to share?
I think I’m the wrong person to ask! I’ve been working from home since 2017 by choice. I love getting back that three hours of commute time I used to spend standing on trains and seeing my wife and kids more during the day.
I suppose the one thing I do that helps is that I keep work and life very separate. My office is in the basement— I never work in the bedroom or family room— and I make sure to dress like I’m going to work every day to help me get into the mindset. That’s right folks— if you see me on a Zoom call, I am totally wearing pants.
What is the strangest thing you have ever created a rig for?
It would be a tie, I think, between the blob we created for a scene near the end of Mama or the goop the worms crawled around in, in The Strain Season 1. The goop in a few scenes was mostly a bunch of tricks using a rigged stack of deformers, driven by the animator’s performance.
Fun personal question: If you could only listen to one musician/band for the rest of your life, who would it be?
Nine Inch Nails/Trent Reznor: The Downward Spiral will forever be my favorite album.
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