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AUTODESK at VIEW with:

Quadruped Class by Javier Solsona

Advanced Character Rigging: Creating Dynamic Characters With Muscles, Tendons and More by TJ Galda

Cinematic Storytelling by Rodrigo Lopez

Javier Solsona
Lead Creature Technical Director
Propaganda Games

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Javier Solsona is the lead creature technical director at Vancouver's Propaganda Games, and is currently working on the latest installment of Turok.
He was born in Argentina and grew up in Patagonia. From an early age, he was creating graphics on his Commodore 64 at home-painstakingly painting pixel by pixel. Many years later- still in front of a computer- Javier obtained his B.Sc. in Computer Sciences from the University of Cape Town, South Africa. During his last year at UCT, he was introduced to Multimedia and 3D animation and there was no looking back. He worked for over 3 years at Electonic Arts in Vancouver as a character animator before making the jump to Propaganda Games. He is a member of the 3D Program Advisory Committee for the Arts Institute of Vancouver and can often be found answering questions on many of the rigging online forums.
Outside of work, Javier is an avid traveler, photographer, skier and kite-boarder.

Quadruped Class 1 – The back and neck

In this session, the creation of a quadruped IK/FK spine setup will be clearly explained.
Using the knowledge and tricks learnt from the spine setup, the head and neck setup will be explored.
Attendees will complete this session with an understanding of the challenges of building a quadruped rig and how to build a quadruped ik/fk spine. Using a similar technique we'll build the neck setup. The focus is on thinking outside the box to solve given problems.
Intended Audience: Intermediate and advanced Maya users who are familiar with Maya. Aspiring Technical Directors who are interested in a different type of rig than the standard biped.

Quadruped Class 2 – The Legs

In this section, the creation of both the front and back legs setup for a quadruped will be explored. A reverse foot lock setup will be explored as well as a very powerful pivot change system where the animator only requires one simple controller which gives them absolute freedom to control the foot. A look at how to build an automated tail setup so that the animation team can create efficient and fast animations with minimal amount of work. Finishing and cleaning all the loose ends is a very important part of rig creation that is often overlooked.
Attendees will complete this session with an understanding of how to build front and hind legs setups for a quadruped as well as how to build tools to help the animation team with tedious animation problems like animating secondary movements. A complete new look at how to build a foot setup will be explored and how to go think of new ideas from your existing toolset.
Intended Audience: Intermediate and advanced Maya users who are familiar with Maya.
Aspiring Technical Directors who are interested in a different type of rig than the standard biped.

TJ Galda
CG Supervisor at Technicolour

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Returning instructor TJ Galda, has distinguished himself in the field of film, animation, and video games since the '90's. Most notably, TJ is recognized for being one of last year's Autodesk Maya Master award recipients, as well as having earned a Lifetime Achievement award from the Ontario Government and McLean's Magazine, by age 29. Currently, he is the CG Supervisor for Technicolor Creative Services, the company who brought colour to film over 90 years ago. Working out of their Vancouver office, he helps to guide their visual effects department across multiple feature films.

An expert in his field, is asked to speak at round table discussions, and has received several notable accolades. His noteworthy work includes helping with the creation of DreamWorks' newest animated logo, and working on award-winning feature films and television shows such as: Shark Tale, Over the Hedge, Kung Fu Panda, Fantastic Four, Rolie Polie Olie and Rescue Heroes. His projects have accumulated a total of 5 Emmy Awards and 1 Academy Award nomination, as well as countless Annies, VGAs (including Game of the Year) and other awards.

In his previous role at Electronic Arts Canada, TJ was in charge of all art production for their 250 million dollar handheld gaming division (PSP, DS and Wii), and overseeing production on over 25 games at a time.

Mr. Galda is an active volunteer in the community and is currently on the Board of Advisors for Zerofootprint.
Overall, TJ is well-respected and highly recommended by his peers. He is held in this regard not only for his technical abilities but also for his ability to communicate with everyone, on every level. From MEL scripting, to modeling, rigging, texturing, animating, and lighting, TJ Galda can do it all at an expert level. You can see his Autodesk Maya Master profile and learn more here: http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/item?siteID=123112&id=7314668 or visit TJ on the web at: http://www.tjgalda.com

Advanced Character Rigging: Creating Dynamic Characters With Muscles, Tendons and More

You will learn how to create musculature for your characters that simulates sliding skin and flesh, while maintaining speed for animation. You will learn several tricks to create your own muscles, tendons and more that do not require simulation and baking time. Starting from examining your forearm and hand, TJ will go in depth on the usage and explanation of weight painting to maximize your efficiency. From there, we will progress into advanced rigging including rigging with muscles, allowing for squash and stretch, writing custom expressions to account for various predictable anatomical phenomena and a variety of other advanced topics. These techniques have been utilized in several feature films and are based on a solid understanding of anatomy and Maya. You will learn alternatives to dynamic musculature solutions and leave with a variety of options. This is going to be one packed session, and notes will be available on DVD after the class.