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| Occupation | |
|---|---|
| Names | Character TD, creature TD, technical animator |
Occupation type | Profession |
| Description | |
| Competencies | Anatomy, computer programming, mathematics |
Fields of employment | Film & visual effects, feature animation, game development |
Acharacter technical director (TD), also referred to as acreature TD (ILM,Weta) ortechnical animator (Imageworks), is a type oftechnical director in film andvideo games who is specifically concerned withcharacters, creatures, and mechanical objects.[1][2]
The role of a character TD may vary from studio to studio in its scope, but is almost always centered around the discipline ofrigging: the process of engineering anatomical or mechanicalkinematic systems that move and deformdigital models, and the design of higher-level interfaces used bycomputer graphicsanimators to control the movements of those models.
The role may additionally encompass disciplines such as modeling and simulation.
The software used by character TDs may vary widely from studio to studio, from off-the shelf tools to proprietary in-house systems.Autodesk Maya is used predominantly throughout the VFX and animation industry, withSoftimage also having a large user-base. In the gaming industry, Autodesk Maya andAutodesk 3ds Max have been the dominant presence.
Many studios pair off-the-shelf software with their own in-house software and plug-ins for rigging and simulation. For instance, Industrial Light & Magic does much of their sim setup and simulation in a proprietary package called Zeno, and Weta Digital uses an in-house simulation system they call Tissue.
Notable newcomers to the field of rigging include the independent platformFabric Engine, being used byDouble Negative,MPC andHybride.
| Title | Creature TD |
| Department | Creature dev |
| Responsibilities | Body rigging |
| Software | Autodesk Maya |
| Title | Technical animator |
| Department | Rigging |
| Responsibilities | Body rigging |
| Software | Autodesk Maya |
| Title | Character TD |
| Department | |
| Responsibilities | Body rigging |
| Software | Autodesk Maya |
Within the VFX, animation, and game development communities, a number of artists have gained name-recognition for their contributions to the field of rigging. A few of those artists include:
Jason Osipa is anEA andLucasArts character TD known for pioneering and disseminating (through his bookStop Staring: Facial Animation Done Right)[3] a type of facial-rigging that did not rely onphonemes and pre-built expressions, but rather the blending of more generic poses using simplified controls often referred to asOsipa-Style controls.[4]
Jason Schleifer is a Weta and DreamWorks creature TD Known for his video series "Animator Friendly Rigging", in which he discusses techniques for building complex rigging control systems that are intuitive and easy to use (thus the term "animator friendly").[5]
Dick Walsh is a DreamWorks character TD who won a Technical Achievement Academy Award in 2003 for his development of the PDI/DreamWorks Facial Animation System. He is also known as Shrek's Dad.[6]