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 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 - A list of Maya node attributes (blendshapes, joints, and/or UI controls) which SG muscle poses will drive.
  Note that control files can contain two levels of animation targets; one level for controllers (to use in Maya) and a separate level for mesh deformers (for game engines), see Animation Levels for more information.

• Neutral pose - The pose the character returns to when all muscles are relaxed.

• Muscles - A library of facial muscle poses that SGX activates to output animation.

• Behavior modes - A library of non-verbal facial expressions.

• 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 your character assets, along with other information.

Rig delivery checklist

A character delivery package for Speech Graphics should include the following:

• Your final Maya rig and the Maya version (for more information, see our Rigging Guidelines).
• If you plan to use breath animation, include your final body rig as well as the face rig.
• All face textures and shaders pre-mapped with a workspace.mel included.
• Any plug-ins and additional files that are needed for the rig to function.
• A list of animation targets, these can be UI controls, skeleton joints or blendshapes.
  If possible, provide a selection set in Maya and name it “SG_targets”.
• Audio (and corresponding transcripts) that you want the character to be tested with.

If you want to utilize the dual animation levels (needed for game engines), also provide the following:

• A list of baked level animation targets. If possible, provide a selection set and name it “SG_baked_targets” in your Maya scene.
• If using Unreal Engine or Unity, specify the version for testing, and include your character’s FBX imported into the engine.

Additional helpful information:

• Reference animations or footage showing the animation style and behavioral traits you want SGX to match.

Let us know if you do not want us to include any of the following:

• head and neck motion
• eye darts
• breath animation

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.