Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Week 1 Research

So after deciding I probably needed a way to add some dynamic motion to my stunt doubles I decided to research a few ways I could possibly make a rag doll in Maya. With some Google searching I came across this thread on 3dbuzz http://www.3dbuzz.com/vbforum/showthread.php?136330-Ragdolls-in-maya . After reading some of the posts I got super excited about using a product called Endorphin http://www.naturalmotion.com/endorphin made by natural motion who is the company behind the Euphoria Engine http://www.naturalmotion.com/euphoria which might be the most amazing behavioral simulator available. If you ever wondered why every time you almost run someone over in GTA 4 the stagger away in a completely different way than you have seen previously it's because of Euphoria.
They have a Learning Edition for free download but it lacks the ability to export and buying a commercial license is $13k. I just emailed the company to ask about pricing on an educational License of the product and I am waiting to hear back. Assuming the educational license is still a few thousand dollars I will probably have to default to this tutorial http://www.goldenxp.com/tutorials/ragdoll/index.htm on making a rag doll in Maya capable of being effected by forces. it wouldn't be anywhere near as fancy as Endorphin but it will get the job done.

1 comment:

  1. Nick -
    In the spirit of "Do it my way, then hate it with authority", I'd like to see you build a rag doll using the tutorial that you displayed. Let's make a study of controlling joints and handles with dynamic objects. Otherwise, sit back and write a check for $13K and you're done!

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