Inspired 3D Advanced Rigging and Deformations

Maya users might already be familiar with the concept of rigging - but any needing a 'course in a book' to develop skills in Maya rigging will find this insider's look at real-world problems to be invaluable, especially if you're already learned from the prior Inspired 3D Character Setup. In-depth explanations and plenty of real-world examples of character rigs, high-res models and more pack in color screen shot samples and illustration. Scripts, functions and polishing results fine-tune an excellent guide for Maya users.

This book not only re-affirms my workflow, but offers distinct perspectives and techniques that help those who may have their own alternative to rigging. Pipeline issues are the most important element of rigging once you hit a certain level, and this book explains possible things to look out for and prepare for no matter what size of the production. Although skipping the book previous to this, I felt right at home while reading and it fit my 'style' of professionalism when discussing things thoroughly and not avoiding any part of the process no matter how small. The other part I loved that the tutorials and examples given don't hold your hand and treat you like you are just getting acquainted with 3D or a computer for that matter. There are subtleties that get mentioned that the experienced TD can learn to appreciate, but may be ignored by the beginner/novice. If you are a beginner a lot of those subtleties or other discussions throughout may confuse you and while you can pretend you understand you may need the 1st book or other hands on rigging experience to fully grasp it enough to be able to apply the knowledge how you want or see fit. THAT is the most important thing about this book.

Finally a well thought, well structured book catered to the advanced creature TDs out there. The kind of knowledge you'll get from this book would take years and years to master and now you can easily learn about them over the many pages of priceless info. It's good to see a book not forgetting about riggers in games since it talks about both games and film rigging alike. There are only a few true gems available and this is certainly one of them. Javier Solsona Creature TD - Propaganda Games

This book is fantastic. Its structure and layout are well thought out and executed. The information is for any creature TD looking to improve their skillset and learn new approaches to common creature setup problems. The book is a gateway to the knowledge base for the industry when it come to rigging concepts and approaches. There is so little information on rigging and this book fills the gap in a professional way. Timothy Naylor Creature TD - Industrial Light & Magic

I would have given more stars but 5 is the max. This has been a long awaited book that has been so needed for the Character TD community. This is more than a tutorial book, it's a step-by-step look into taking these principles and incorporating them into an already existing pipeline or creating a new robust one. This book is not for the faint at heart; this is an advanced book for sure. However, if you have a good working knowledge of Maya and Character setup, you will reap the rewards from this little gem. Great Job Brad, Joe and John.