Maya blend shapes for 3D facial animation
David Xu
Regent University, USA
: J Comput Eng Inf Technol
Abstract
Blend shapes, also known as morph target animation, are a powerful way of deforming geometry such as human face to create various facial expressions, from happy to sad. In this presentation, after overviewing Autodesk Maya blend shapes, their features and work flow, Professor Xu will demonstrate and discuss how to create a more efficient workflow by combining blend shapes with Maya’s set driven key features, and how to create a more complex facial animation with advanced blend shape techniques and features. Concepts and techniques such as blend shape deformer, blend shape node, tweak node, set driven key, morph target animation, vertex position, and more will be introduced and demonstrated. Finally, Professor Xu will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using morph target animation over skeletal animation in 3D facial animation.
Biography
David Xu is an Associate Professor at Regent University, specializing in Computer 3D Animation and Movie Special Effects. He completed his MFA Computer Graphics in 3D Animation at Pratt Institute, USA. He served as senior 3D Animator in Sega, Japan; senior CG Special Effector at Pacific Digital Image Inc., USA; and Professor of animation in several colleges and universities where he developed 3D animation program and curriculum. He has been a committee member of the computer graphics organization.
Email: dxu@regent.edu
