Doc:Tutorials/Animation/BSoD/Character Animation/Outline

From BlenderWiki

[edit] What you'll learn

In this tutorial, you'll learn:

[edit] Modeling

• Mesh modeling
• Basic vertex selections and editing, extruding, proportional editing
• Modifier stack: Mirror and Subsurf, toggling views
• Creating faces out of component vertices
• Edge loops

[edit] Texturing

• Basic materials
• Multiple materials on one object
• Basic textures

[edit] Rigging

• IK vs FK and when to use them
• Envelopes vs Vertex groups
• Pose mode vs Object and Edit modes
• Bone draw types
• Constructing an armature:
  • X-axis mirror editing
  • The different ways of adding IK constraints
  • Constraints: track-to, copy location, copy rotation
  • Elbow- and knee-lock bones
  • Foot rig
  • Stride bone
• Skinning/weight painting, posing bones in weight paint mode
• Custom bone shapes

[edit] Shape Keys

• Basic phonemes: open, narrow, smile, upper lip up/down, lower

lip up/down, inner eyebrows raise/lower, outer eyebrows raise/lower, eyelids open/close

• Making asymmetrical shapes via weight painting

[edit] Lighting and rendering

(combined here because both will be simple)

• Basic lamp types
• Basic 3-point-plus light setup
• Camera setup and movement
• Basic render controls (size, output, OSA)

[edit] Animation

• Using the Timeline
• IPO curves and curve types
• Action window
• Adding keys via sliders (for shapes) and IKEY
• Scaling and moving keys to adjust timing
• Combining keys into actions
• Onion-skinning
• Tweaking IPO curves
• Adding sound
• Lip synching
• Blending actions together in the NLA editor

Next: Setting up the mesh