Looking for Efficient Method for Creating Face Variations Without Disrupting Rig
Hello, I am working on a project that requires a large number of variations of different characters, especially variations of different face types/facial features. It is essential that modifying character variations is not time-consuming. Of course, I am familiar with changing the model through sculpting, but the problem with this approach is that modifying the model this way would require a new facial rig, new wrinkle maps, and similar adjustments. Therefore, I am looking for a way to modify character faces without disrupting the rig or wrinkle maps, or alternatively, a method that would allow the rig and wrinkle maps to adapt automatically to the facial shape changes without requiring extra time. Simply put, I need a lot of character variations with different facial types. Since I am not a technical expert, I am looking for someone who can advise me.
Replies
It would probably break eventually if the changes are too big
But if you can morph/blend from one sculpted state to another, you can automatically move the bones relative to that blend and have them where you want them. Then apply skinning and maps again and win?
Sounds like a tech artist job to build a script/interface and you as an artist could input the sculpted/changed variations
Thank you for your reply! I actually thought about doing this using ZWrap. I would have a default, rigged, optimized 3D model and then I would have a model with desired face shape and using ZWrap I would transform the default model face shape into the desired face shape. But from my understanding, I thought that the problem is that the only thing that would change is the mesh, but the facial rig etc. would stay the same from the default model, so the facial rig would be inaccurate. Or was I missing something?
,,But if you can morph/blend from one sculpted state to another, you can automatically move the bones relative to that blend and have them where you want them. ‘’ - This part caught my eye. Are you saying that I could adjust the facial rig based on proximity? So if I created a default, fully rigged model, I could somehow ‘’attach’’ the facial rig to a specific vertex/vertices? So if the mesh shape could change without increasing polycount, I could somehow transfer the facial rig based on the position change of specific vertices?
But yeah if you want the rig to adjust, this is what I would try. Any bone in the face will have a specified position right? Relative to say the brow ridge. Now if you adjust the brow ridge, you would want to move those bones to the correct new position?
If the vertex order stays the same, you can likely set up a morph/blend and bind the bone position to that. Once morphed the bone position is updated.
I am sure this can be done manually, but personally i think a script is less prone to human error. And also depending on your rig, it might just be too many damn bones to handle manually?
I would say any surface level bone would work pretty perfect. Might be more complex for internal ones, say the jaw, which doesnt correspond to the surface as directly
how large is large ? worked on a football game IIRC almost 600 individual "characters". In that case It was a single head (with expression morphs) and a an individual head mesh as a base morph target for each player. We had automated tools to generate the meshes and textures though you could clone a head mesh if needed. It was pretty old school stuff though and it also helped they were all relatively young men so not much call for a wrinkle map even now
where it gets hard is if you're trying to represent real people at a high level of fidelity
we used wrap4d for several hundred scanned heads on a recent project which basically solved that problem - zwrap does basically the same thing I think, just less automated (and a lot less money)