VisKefi’s Rigging Library - Fluent in the Language of Creatures
For those of us unversed in the wizardry of animation, when we hear the word, ‘rigging’ our minds eye might muster up images of old ships draped in grand systems of ropes and chains. On land and nestled in the workshops of animators, however, rigging is a way more interesting feat.
It all started back when VisKefi were assisting projects where creature animation was required. Their plug-in creature department capabilities mean that they are able to provide these services for any production. After receiving some requests for assets they decided to put their heads together and think about what exactly they could do to service this need, in the most creatively-effective way possible. Having friends who were fellow animation leads, Danu got them on board as a leadership team who then began to search for artists who could meet the task. “We began compiling a small team of artists who were fluent in the language of animals and creatures. That’s how we started to make things like dinosaurs come to life and get into asset building,” says Danu.
The team then started to notice lots of requests coming in for other, often smaller creatures too. Some wanted dogs, cats, bats, and the likes. After fulfilling building requests, the team decided not to rest, “instead of having downtime, we decided to build other animals, and beef out the library’ he explains. “It became a training exercise of sorts too for others. Where people have come from VFX backgrounds where creatures are not at the forefront, we have been able to teach them about things like naming conventions and how to build the asset to the highest quality.
Then we get into the more complex pieces like breaking down how it would be built for an episodic or TV versus film or commercial for example.” Danu tells us that in commercials the model might only need to be built up to 60% whereas film might require 100%. The library already has around 70 animals which are ready to be adapted for any production need. These are often broken down into families. For example, the cat family will have things like domestic cats and transcend all the way through to cheetahs, jaguars and lions. Domestic dogs also share a family with jackals and hyenas; whilst cows and buffalos form another.
That’s when the team began to explore the rigging side of things. “Now we have this leadership team supported by new talent who are building a new rigging system. We’ve been developing this for around four months.” Danu explains that it is the animators who input the rigging system. They then come to the riggers with the best rigs they have found and encourage them to get to work. “What we are building based on these inputs is a model system which is not based on human error,” Danu explains. He continues, “If we have some of the smaller animals developed, for example a cat, we are able to scale up the rig to become some bigger beasts. The exact same standard of rigging system can be transferred from small to large, and different variations of the same. You no longer have to spend 30 or 40 days to build a new rig because it’s already within the rigging system.
Outstanding Quality Means Trial & Error
Efficiency is at the core of everything they’re doing here. At this stage, the team are taking around four months to build the basic models of different animals and creatures within their system. This is being done with an extreme amount of care and precision. The idea is simple - the time they spend here, will save a client time later down the line when they come with a request or a specific brief. Delicate rigs of certain animals and creatures mean that when one is requested from a similar animal family, such as lions to tigers, the team are able to manipulate or add to the form in order to achieve the desired result. The system means that rigs can be replicated in different forms, as and when needed. Their robust system means that they are not only able to create, but begin testing production too. The rigger who works on the project knows the being inside and out, so has the unique ability to distinguish which features will work best for each ask.
Viskefi’s lead rigger, Siamak, started his career in the CGI industry back in 2004 as a 3D generalist. He specialised in things like modelling, rigging, animation, lighting and rendering. Over time, however, he found his love for rigging growing paramount. He started to become more interested in creatures as time went on and ended up working on some pretty big titles where he always used them as a learning exercise for the next project. “I learn from everything I work on, but especially my mistakes,” Simak tells us. He continues, “At Viskefi I’m trying to implement and improve our rigging pipeline to have a fully procedural rigging system which is suitable for producing a large scale of creature work.” According to Simak, the greatest benefit to the system is being able to use a rig they currently have, so long as they have the same anatomical specifications - “let’s say we have a lion rigged and ready for production, we can easily use the same data for rigging a similar character, just by doing some minor changes to the data.” When we think about the time that it usually takes to build one of these rigs from scratch, the entire workflow timeline begins to decrease, if we think about it with this system application in mind.
The benefits apply to the animators too. We spoke to Nagaraju(Raj), lead animator at Viskefi, who walked us through some of the tangible benefits of the system. “In my years of experience in this industry, testing a rig and getting it right is as challenging as animating the shot in production, or dare I say, even more challenging than animating.” He elaborates that animating a believable creature is already a big undertaking in and of itself with the right setup. “We at VisKefi take the task of getting the rig right very seriously. We always aim to get it better by testing it as many times as possible with as many animators as we can. We use the feedback to fix even minute and meticulous issues.” The rigs created are all done to industry standard way before it is sent out on its merry way for the animation team to get to the animation side of things. For Raj, he believes that finding the correct reference for a creature and all parts of its body, whilst keeping in mind the mood and situation of the shot is absolutely paramount. “Most animators think that animating a creature can be done from the memory of it,” but gathering the right references before hand will help to take the animation to the next level with the right rig, he’s seen first hand how quality can be upgraded when the correct amount of care is taken at the rigging stage
The Future is Automated
Danu tells us, “what we are building is the absolute highest standard of rigging system for VFX that can be stripped back for any means necessary.” There is a laser focus on the deformation of the model, keeping the volume preservation, as well as how the animal will move in a shot. The team hones in on how movements will be made when a paw lands on the floor or when an animal turns its body or looks over its shoulder. They spend a painstaking amount of time reviewing how animals move through the world, before feeding that information into the rig, rather than doing it manually in animation. This means that later down the line, these sentiments can be automated. Logging each different section of an animal's body, limb for limb, means that these elements do not need to be added every time and instead can be applied.
Secondary elements are also taken care of here. These assets can be automated to around 80% and then added to when director requirements are given to create the correct effect. Animals that come from different areas, for example, snow lands, or dry lands are created with those assets in mind and then made unique when the storyline is applied. The basic asset is then put to the animation. Once the animation is right it can be exported to the mesh, where things like fur can be simulated on top of the animation.
Interoperability with software and tools is at the heart of what Viskefi are doing. They have created a system which is much more nimble and flexible whilst also utilising software that is the best available. Regardless of the software that clients are using, whether it be Cooper, Maya or pretty much anything else in between - everything can be accommodated here.
Facilitating Ultimate Expression of Ideas
The depth of research that Viskefi undertakes is something to be marvelled at. If a client comes in asking to animate a lion, they will go as far as to investigate the surrounding scenery. They will ask questions like, “is the lion in a well known or familiar place, or is she in an environment where she needs to be scared, or why is she there?” - the answers to these questions will change everything. “We always keep a close eye on the story so we can figure out how her body might react, or where we might need to balance ourselves, given the storyline the character is involved in.” The entire sequence feels like putting together a puzzle, where the team at Viskefi are sure to observe and include every necessary piece. It is only when everything from motive to plot is considered that they are able to create the most realistic image. This helps not only animators, but directors too, creating an environment where retakes are at an absolute minimum.
“This gives a huge amount of flexibility to the animator. Most of the time they will need to reanimate or counter animate to get these effects normally” - the rigging system means that the main body will stay the same and they can add on top anything that might be needed.”If you are testing regularly, a pose test of 10 poses might take 60 minutes. If you are testing with this new efficient rate, it might take you only 8 minutes.” Danu tells us to imagine working on a six-month show, just how much time might be saved on an animation front.
These foundations are incredible when we consider how it might work when it comes to things more fictional. “It is purely about understanding which body part works on the animal it can relate to. We go in depth into the science as far as thinking about how each character might react to outside elements based on things like their weight; this also informs what other features we can include and how much we can automate things like tails and ears.” Many of the weird and wonderful creatures that have been created in the worlds of make-believe are compilations of different animal body parts. Being able to utilise these separate parts to create new creatures opens up a whole new realm of creative opportunity.
Beyond Imagination
When I sat down with Danu to take this interview, I really had no idea what to expect. What I was met with was far more than I’d imagined. Once I’d gained an understanding of the intricacies, I realised that what Viskefi are curating is something far beyond what many in this very niche industry have even contemplated as being possible.
It isn’t merely a collection of assets; it’s a testament to innovation. By embracing automation, honing their craft, and understanding the intricacies of creatures, they’ve unveiled a realm of creative possibilities far beyond imagination. It isn’t just about rigging, it is about taking their fluency, and using it to help others learn the language.
