Osipa J. Stop Staring: Facial Modeling and Animation Done Right

2nd ed. — Wiley/Sybex, 2007. — 352 p. — ISBN: 9780470175040Lips, brows, frown lines - they're all in motion in an expressive face. Stop Staring analyzes facial structures and movements and shows animators how to enliven the faces of their characters. The author, whose own handsome head (in modeled form) graces the cover, is an experienced animator currently working on The Sims.He writes with a dry wit and a confidence born from experience. The book is friendly but also loaded with content and precise in its directions. "I am by no means God's gift to animation, but I do pretty well at making a talking head look like a living one, not just a set of gums flapping. This is not a how-to manual, but a richly detailed guide to achieving the right movements for a given situation and emotion. The companion CD includes all the pieces readers will need in order to work along with the text: models (both realistic and stylized 'toon characters), lip-synching samples, finished Quicktime movies, and even a copy of Maya Personal LE. (More info and some movies can be found at jasonosipa.com.)Readers move from "Getting to Know the Face," to synching audio, working on the mouth, eyes, and brows, and rigging. Osipa has created a methodology for facial animation that gets results and makes the process fun. The book can be used as a step-by-step guide for learning new skills or finessing techniques, or as a reference book for troubleshooting specific expressions (for example, "happy eyes," "frustration," and "sneers" are all in the index). Although the projects are presented using Maya, the concepts involved pertain to animation in general.Getting To Know The Face
Learning the Basics of Lip Sync
What the Eyes and Brows Tell Us
Facial Landmarking
Animating And Modeling The Mouth
Visimes and Lip Sync Technique
Constructing a Mouth and Nose
Mouth Keys
Animating And Modeling The Eyes And Brows
Building Emotion: The Basics of the Eyes
Constructing Eyes and Brows
Eye and Brow Keys
Bringing It Together
Connecting the Features
Skeletal Setup, Weighting, and Rigging
Interfaces for Your Faces
Squash and Stretch and Squoosh
A Shot in Production