Capstone: Bottie 2021
A rig that was made to showcase the skills UT Dallas has taught me as a student of Art, Technology, and Emerging Communication.
Deliverable Schedule
Overview
First 4 Weeks
Planning and Tool Prep:
During this time I felt I had more than enough time to work on my rig. My schedule looked organized and simplified enough to work on it in a timely manner where I would not feel overwhelmed or rushed. I made sure my software was up to date as well that my tools were successfully transfered over. I also searched for tools that were as simple as creating a Nurbs Cube just to make my life easier.
Mid 4 Weeks
With midterms around the corner, doing my capstone was put on the back burner. Naturally I fell behind on my schedule by 3 weeks. After giving it much thought, I decided not to add IK controls. After making that decision, I was able to enjoy making my limbs with little to no worry. Making blendShapes for the face controls on the other hand are what I had the most trouble with, when making the connections. I pushed through and remembered that it is my project and will be what I want it to be.
Last 4 Weeks
The last 4 weeks were supposed to be the most relaxing since I initially assumed I would plan my weekly work schedule better. Due to poor time management, I often found myself either doing the minimum or pulling all nighters. Energy drinks were my best friend. When fall break came around, I planned on working but that is not what happened at all. When I returned, I went back to working on making sure the rig was how I wanted it.
REFLECTION
ATEC provided me with an abundance of resources and techniques to improve my skills. They break every tool and command down to understand the actual effect different tools have. By knowing how the tools work, I was able to discover new ways to make connections or write expressions. Word associations and acronyms were the best tool to remember steps while building the rig. Building this rig allowed me to rediscover the joy and the knowledge I retained through my classes. It took a moment to gain my motivation to work on the rig due to the fear of failure. Now that it is done and it is for my personal portfolio I realize there was nothing to fear. I am happy with this short bot rig. It works and reminded me that I did love rigging and the process of it.
The best advice is to enable auto-save and have incremented saves.
Thank you UTDallas.