Character Setup Process
Character Control File
Animating a character with Speech Graphics software requires a one-time setup of a unique binary file called the character control file (.k). This file contains all the information that determines how our animation systems work with your rig, including muscle definitions and idiosyncratic behavioral characteristics. To ensure the best quality, character control files are initialized by our team of trained animators, technical artists and animation linguists who have extensive knowledge of Speech Graphics' core technology. After delivery of the asset, users have the ability to edit or add to this initial setup through the SGX Studio plugin. As your character's rig or persona changes over time, its control file can be repeatedly edited accordingly.
Contents of the control file:
Animation targets - The choice of blendshapes, joints, and/or UI controls which SG muscle activations will drive.
Neutral pose - The pose the character returns to when all muscles are relaxed.
Muscles - The pose-based definitions of the virtual muscles in terms of your animation targets.
Behavior modes - Each behavior mode consists of a set of nonverbal expressions and other behavioral parameters.
Neural networks - Character-specific neural networks trained by Speech Graphics after setting up or editing the speech muscles.
Plugin support
All stages of the character setup process are carried out in SGX Studio. SGX Studio plugins are available in Maya and the Unreal Editor, and are under development for other platforms. At the time of writing, the character setup features are fully available only in Maya. For this reason, we need to receive your character rig in Maya in order to carry out the character setup process.
Rigs can be created in other 3D applications such as 3ds Max, Blender and MotionBuilder, but must be exported into Maya prior to delivery. Transferring rigs from other applications into Maya normally only works for simple rigs without a complex rig UI. For example, a basic bone rig can be easily transferred between 3ds Max and Maya, using FBX. It is also possible to transfer animation between platforms provided skinning information and other elements are the same (see Integrating Animation).
Setup services
In order to set up your characters, Speech Graphics will require access to some version of your character assets, along with other information.
Rig delivery checklist
A character delivery package for Speech Graphics should include the following:
- Final Maya rig (see Rigging Guidelines)
- All face textures and shaders
- Any plug-ins and additional files that are needed for the rig to function
- A list of animation targets (control channels that should be used for animation). These can be UI controls, skeleton joints or blendshapes. If possible, provide a selection set in Maya.
Optional materials:
- Reference animations showing the animation style and behavioral traits you want SGX to match
- Audio and transcripts that you want the character to be tested with
Additional helpful information:
- How will the face animation be combined with the body animation?
- How will animations be exported into the game engine?
- What game engine will be used? Unreal, Unity, custom?
Final rig
Character rigs should be final before delivery to Speech Graphics for setup. As with any animation system, if the target rig is changed, then animation applied to the rig controls will look different and may be broken. Changes to the rig may require changes to the character control file, which may incur additional time and cost.
The final rig includes the final face mesh, UI controls, skinning, blendshapes, and bind pose that will be used in engine.