Maya Sticky Lips Rigging Tutorial Part 2

How to Build Initial Curves for Sticky Lips

Setting Up the Scene

• The video begins with a demonstration of how to build initial curves that will control the sticky lips. A mesh has been duplicated and moved aside, with a jaw setup already in place.

• The jaw is bound to new joints after copying weights from the original geometry, eliminating double transforms.

Creating Curves from Geometry

• The process involves creating a new curve based on an edge loop of the upper lip geometry by converting poly edges to curves.

• A similar method is applied to create a curve for the lower lip, ensuring both curves are aligned correctly.

Adjusting Curve Directions

• It’s crucial to check and reverse the direction of one curve so that both curves have their root vertices aligned properly.

• History is deleted from these curves as part of good practice in 3D modeling.

Adding Extra Control Vertices (CVs)

• Additional CVs are added to ensure proper lofting when creating NURBS surfaces later on. This helps maintain edge integrity during surface creation.

• The number of CVs for each curve is confirmed, ensuring they align correctly for future operations.

Rebuilding Smooth Curves

• The upper curve is rebuilt into a cubic form while retaining its linear version for weight copying purposes.

• New smooth curves are created and named appropriately for binding within the rig system.

Binding Curves and Copying Weights

Binding Curves to Joints

• The newly created curves are bound to specific joints in the rig, allowing them to follow joint movements accurately.

• Emphasis is placed on ensuring that the mesh has appropriate jaw weights before starting this process.

Copying Skin Weights

• Skin weights are copied from linear curves onto bound curves while maintaining default positions for accuracy.

• After copying skin weights, it’s verified that both upper and lower lip curves align perfectly with their respective geometries when the jaw opens.

Setting Up Sticky Lip Motion

Adjusting Sticky Curves' Positions

• Sticky curves need specific weighting adjustments so they sit correctly between the head and jaw during movement.

• Weight values are determined using component editors, allowing precise placement of sticky lips relative to mouth corners.

Creating Blend Shapes

• Upper and lower lip blend shapes are created using wire deformers linked with corresponding sticky and bound curves.

Implementing Attributes and Code Execution

Adding Control Attributes

• Left and right attributes for sticky lips are established, enabling control over their motion through user input ranging from 0 to 10.

Running Code for Motion Control

• A series of set range nodes convert attributes into usable data for controlling blend shapes effectively across multiple CV targets.

Finalizing Setup

Verifying Functionality

• After executing all code segments successfully, both left and right sticky lips exhibit desired motion when activated alongside jaw movement.

This concludes an overview of building initial curves necessary for implementing sticky lips in character rigs within animation software.