Interesting Things with the Maya Python Api

I have found the API becomes a lot easier to understand as you realise how attributes are inherited between classes. Also, if you read this and see that I am incorrect, please correct me. I am writing this as I learn and this is being written down as best as I understand. Writing it almost helps unravel my thought process and break the concepts and problems down into their raw data. Thus making the information easier to understand.
So I was writing a default dependency node template. As I am writing this I am trying to understand why each of the pieces of a node are there, and what they do. Each time I need to use a piece of code, I will refer to the API guide and understand where the command or attribute had come from and how it is returning the data.
The interesting one I just came accross was when working with a MFnNumericAttribute class. I was using this in the initialize() function where the different attributes are built for the dependency node.
What I found was when I came to set the attribute to keyable, storable etc, I could not find any information relating to these attributes in the documentation for MFnNumericAttribute. This is where I realised that these attributes were being inherited from the parent class, MFnAttribute. So by creating a MFnNumericAtribute, I had access to all the attributes associated with this command, but I also had access to everything above. So:

nAttr = OpenMaya.MFnNumericAttribute()
nAttr.create('longName','shortName',OpenMaya.MFnNumericData)
#now you can access attributes from MFnAttribute
nAttr.setKeyable(True)
#or attributes from MFnNumericAttribute
nAttr.setMin(1.0)

Ok I know this is super novice. But one thing I realised when I was starting to learn, is these little things can really help learn how to read the documentation, and I couldn't find that info anywhere out there, a lot of it was assumed knowledge. That being said, to find the information for yourself means that you will always remember it and understand how to apply that same knowledge to different scenarios.
Once I'm done with my default node template I'll bang it up here. Cheers.

Learning the Maya Python API

This is something that I have been meaning to do for some time. As always I haven't found the time, or need, to do so. I have constantly been so busy with work that hasn't really required the development of API tools, or that I haven't been able to justify the time expense to convert the work to an API based toolset.
I think that a time comes when you realise it is time to learn some things. Coding is like learning a language. Without the right mindset or need, it is very difficult. But when offered a good practical reason to learn, new concepts and knowledge seem to be learnt a lot more fluidly. I feel this is where I am now. My python coding has got to a certain point in Maya, and I now see a use for the power that I can harness through the API. Although slow, I am picking it up a lot better than last time I started reading the API.
I find one of the biggest things is realising how to read the help docs, and being able to read the C++ documentation and convert it to python. This will prove useful when delving into C++. For the moment I am learning the Maya Python API so I can focus on learning the API toolset, and not have to worry so much about syntax. Once I have that sorted I will start moving accross to C++.
For the time being my goal is to work though David Goulds Maya Programming Books, and as I do so to build some simple nodes and commands that package up some commonly used rigging node graphs that I often build.
Keep checking back for my progress.

Creature TD Reel

Tim Forbes Creature TD Reel 2015 from Tim Forbes on Vimeo.

My latest Creature TD reel with my favorite work. Latest additions to the reel are Chappie and TMNT. I hope to add some more updated personal work soon.

Big props to all the crew at Image Engine for the amazing work.

Music By Arcade Fire. "Sprawl 1" from album "The Suburbs".

Chappie

So stoked to have been involved on this project at Image Engine. It looks amazing!

Chappie

I can finally share the first trailer of chappie. It was amazing working at Image Engine and producing the rNd and rigging for Chappie. I'm so stoked to have been involved in what looks like is going to turn out to be an amazing film. Image Engine is killing it again!

Learning Houdini

The last few weeks I have started teaching myself Houdini. Some work that was very Houdini centric was required recently at work and I could see the benefits of Houdini over Maya so I started embarking on the long process of learning this amazing bit of software.
It is amazing. So complex and so much to learn, but as I start working through everything and getting the basics down, it all just starts making more sense. I am working through a bunch of online video tutorials and keep applying what I have learnt to work.
I'm pretty stoked with the first rounds of work that I have produced. Check back for more to come as I post some WIP and tutorial shots!

My Reel on It's Art Mag

I couldn't believe it when my reel started getting hundreds of hits on Vimeo. I was kinda suspicious as to why it was, then a buddy shot me a link that my reel had been added to It's Art Online Magazine. So Stoked.
Check it out here!

Updated Showreel...with Elysium :-)

Enjoy!

timForbes RiggingReel 2014 from Tim Forbes on Vimeo.

Last Day At Image Engine

What a bitter sweet day. The prospects of moving home and continuing my life with my wife in Adelaide are so near; albeit I never saw myself leaving Image Engine. I have always felt so comfortable here; a very integral part of the team. I am going to miss IE a lot, it has been a fantastic place to work, full of amazing people and great ideas. The work that comes out of Image Engine is second to none. The opportunities here and the knowledge that I have picked up has been amazing.
Elysium was such an amazing experience, and to be offered an opportunity like that with only a year of film experience is absolutely amazing and very flattering. I have made such a good group of friends here, which is one thing that makes the place unique. Everyone here is so friendly and they have a great core team which ensure that the place keeps developing and evolving to produce amazing work more efficiently. Not only have I made great work friends here, but also great friends out of work. I find that most of the people that work here have such interesting lives outside of work, and there is always an excuse to catch up for sport, a nice meal, a film or coffee.
The knowledge that I have picked up here will serve me well for my career in the future. It has set me up with a profound knowledge of how a VFX pipeline works and a great thought process to deal with solving problems, not only in VFX, but in any industry. I know that IE will keep producing amazing work and I can't wait to see what looms on their horizon.
The photos below are from my last day lunch at Chutney Villa. Pretty much everyone in the photo is from IE :-)

Elysium

This is a reel of the awesome work that Image Engine did on Elysium. You can see a lot of my rigging work in this reel. All of the droids and any vehicle was rigged and seen through the pipeline by me. Enjoy :-)

Shot Management Tool Development

I have got around to continuing some work on my asset management tool. I am breaking it down into modular pieces of code so that I can work on one part at a time. It makes the task a lot easier to manage and makes it seem like a smaller task than it really is. Also it makes it very easy to adapt, as in adding in new functions, removing old functions or really altering the way the code works.
For the moment I am still nailing down the project and folder structure that I want to have for me project scenes. I have something that I like for now that is building nicely. This morning I tightened up this code, reducing my line count by probably a hundred lines, and then implemented custom scene saving with versioning. The next step is to save out an image on scene save so the the management tool will display an image of the scene, and then following that I will enable the UI to read all the versions and display them so you can choose to open which ever version you require.
Slowly but surely this is coming along. I hope it will only be a week or so until I can start using the first rudimentary release to manage my own personal and freelance shots.
Images/Video to come once it is all wrapped up a bit nicer.

Asset Management Tool

I have been starting to prepare for some downtime once I wrap up at Image Engine and return to Australia. I am really hoping that I can sort out a new position, but in the case that I don't I want to be ready for some freelance work. SO I have started developing my own asset management software. I have got some cool ideas about what I want to do, and have been recently cleaning up my pose manages tool, and realised that it wouldn't take "too much" work to convert it to the basis of an asset management tool.
The code is coming along pretty quick, and currently I am at the point of developing my default folders and shot structure, methods to add new shots, add new assets and tie all this into the pose manager too.
Versioning will be the next pass which should be pretty easy. It's been cool as I have had to learn some new python which is always interesting, and I am getting to develop on my rigging pipeline too so that I can develop how my assets tie into this tool correctly.
It's going to be a great tool to have as it should make my asset tracking at home so much cleaner and more manageable, but also it's going to be a great tool to demonstrate my pipeline ideas to potential employers. Screen shots and working videos to come.

Updated Showreel

I have finally got some new footage to add to my showreel. In this latest update my work on RIPD has been added.

Rigging Reel 2013 from Tim Forbes on Vimeo.

For any more info shoot me an email at: timforbesdigital@gmail.com

Face Rigging part 1

As promised here is my first video showing the progress of my facial rigging project. Fully joint based facial rigging in Maya.

Joint Based Muscle Face Rig from Tim Forbes on Vimeo.

Face Rigging

So I have been working on setting up a joint based muscle face rig system. It is coming along nicely, and I showed it to a work mate yesterday and he was blown away and said I've gotta post the work. You can see a little bit of it in my reel here: Showreel, but I will record a detailed screen grab of the rig working and post it up to show off the deformation and skin sliding that I have set up. I have set up a very cool sticky lip system as well as some nice soft eyes and muscles that slide over the surface of the underlying skeleton to preserve volume and create some nice skin sliding effects.
Finally I am doing a dynamics pass to get some jiggle in the looser neck skin, and I think I will do a final hi-res render mesh that I may sculpt some wrinkles on to be driven by the muscles so I end up with a nice overall package. The final result will hopefully be a rendered greyscale pass with some nice lighting to show off the deformation.
I'm going to try for an initial post of the rig in progress in few days by the time I record and upload it.

Houdini

I have embarked on the mission of learning Houdini. It is bizarre learning a new piece of software, it rekindles a passion for learning that I remember from when I first started using Maya. Having used Maya now for 6 years, it has become such second nature, that to learn a new piece of software has been quite interesting. No longer is it easy to build setups that work how you want them too, and it is necessary to research how different nodes work in order to discover how to derive the correct data to achieve the desired result.
That being said, with all of my experience, the process is coming along quicker than when I first used Maya mainly because I now know which questions to ask. I have a better idea of what information I need to get to achieve an end result. I also know the kind of work that most interests me so I am focusing on only a small part of Houdini for the time being, namely simulations relating to creature FX.
Hoidini seems like a very smart piece of software and makes a lot of sense in terms of it's procedural nature. I can't wait until I start putting some shots out!

Elysium On FXGuide

This is a cool little documentary on FxGuide about Image Engines role in Elysium. Definitely worth a watch and it shows some cool breakdowns on the shuttles and droids that I rigged. Enjoy :-)

More Elysium

So I am still super stoked on Elysium. FX Guide dd an interesting article on the movie and posted some great little images that I have put here. Check out the article here: FX Giude on Elysium. I rigged the droids and vehicles you see in the images below. The amazing realism is thanks to Image Engine and all their amazing artists.

Elysium Credits

So I went to see Elysium on Sunday night with Kate and some friends. I managed to get a piccy of my name up on the big screen. Stoked! There is also a great article on the work that Image Engine did on Elysium here: FX Guide On Elysium

Elysium Finally Released

So Last night I finally got to see Elysium. We got to go to a preview screening put on by Sony. Open candy bar.... Anyways, the movie was amazing, Neill Blomkamp was there ti say a few words before the film rolled. We were all so stoked with how the movie looked. Image Engine killed it and I am so proud to have worked on such an amazing film.