Skin And Bones...

In order to further develop and test my Antron fleece style puppet shader, I used Maya to quickly model a generic hand puppet loosely based on the Glorified Sock Puppet pattern which I originally used to build No. 1.

The mesh is very straight forward and is bound to a minimal rig, the image below illustrates the construct of the model.

I made some adjustments minor adjustments to the length and the density to the fur feedback once it and the Antron shader were applied to the mesh in order to make it fit better and while there is still some room for improvement I feel that the effect, when rendered, is quite convincing.

While I rather like the aesthetic of the puppet, looking solid as though it is made from skin, muscle and bone, I would still prefer it to appear to appear like it is made from puppet making materials. To achieve this I need to think about the way that Antron hangs and reacts to motion and I will be looking at a number of techniques, including sculpting, blendshapes and cloth simulation, in order to determine the best solution for this problem before I commit to building my final puppet..

Have a Happy Christmas,

Mat :)

On Antron Antron Antron....

There is a material called Antron fleece which is used for puppet making, it is particularly recognisable in the construction of the Muppets, and I would like my CGI puppet to have a look similar to that Antron. Below you can see the texture that I am after in the puppet from Project Puppet.

Antron fleece is a rather complex material with a mixture of loose and tight fibres and a specularity that varies depending on the viewing angle. I have spent the morning trying to emulate the material in Maya and, while I have not quite got it nailed, I believe that I am definitely on the right tracks with my investigations.

I have applied my shader to an n-cloth plane which has been simulated to drape over a sphere in order to illustrate tone variation through folds and light angles.

The main texture of the material has been generated using an MIA Material X node into which I have plugged in a ramp to the Colour attribute and fractal noise nodes into the Reflection Colour and the Bump attributes.

In order to get the fuzzy look I have applied a Fur node to the plane which can be more clearly seen in the following close up render.

My fur node started life as the Duckling preset. The presets are a great starting block for any fur feedback in Maya and, providing you understand the nature of each of the samples, it is relatively simple to adjust your initial choice to suit the requirements of the job.

Because of the short length and light weight of the fuzz on Antron fleece it is not necessary for the fur to be dynamic. However, the processor requirements may still slow things down a bit so I will need to create an option on the user interface, when I get round to designing it, through which I can make it possible to switch the fur on and off depending on whether the model is being captured or rendered.

Meet No.2 .....

So, with the realisation that a sock puppet is not entirely suitable for this project I have moved my sights towards the construction of a foam puppet with the idea that the foam structure will provide a kind of exoskeleton for the controller components.

I grabbed the free pattern for a round head puppet from Pupppetvision, purchased a glue gun, watched the video below and set about the construction of my first foam puppet head.

I was really pleased at how easily the puppet head came together, the hot glue gun makes for very speedy sticking!! With the head constructed I made the mouth from felt covered mounting board and stuck it into place.

Although it wasn't really necessary I decided to cover the head with fleece, partly to make it look for aesthetically pleasing but mainly because I had never done it before. So, figuring that the stretch in the material would allow it, I cut some fleece from the same pattern that I used for the head and then sewed it together in much the same way that I glued the foam for the head. I left a small amount of the seam at the nape of the neck open so that I could pull the skin over the head like a helmet and then I sewed that up to ensure that it wouldn't slide off.

There's a lot of friction between the foam and the fleece which is ideal as it means that there is practically no slide, it also means that pulling the skin into place took a little manhandling but thankfully everything stayed together. The last thing to do was to glue the mouth seam to the foam and presto, covered foam puppet head... done!

As I hoped, I believe that the head will be ideal for the purpose of the controller and, having a physical object to work with I can already imagine possible design solutions for the control system and how I might be able to incorporate it into the puppet.

Obviously, being a first effort there are a few things that I would like to address before I can call it a final design.

• The head is too small - I'll try up-scaling the pattern by 50% next time.
• The skin is too tight in some areas - slightly modifying the pattern I should add more material where I want it.
• The sewing is a bit of a mess - learn to use the "Henson Stitch" and practice.
• A body or sleeve is required.

OK, I've got a to-do list I'd best get on and do it!

Little Baby Steps.....

I thought it would be a good idea to make a puppet being as I'm planning on making a puppet controller and so I did.... Meet No.1 (that's the puppet not the child)

Armed with a pattern from Project Puppet, some felt, some fleece, a spool of thread with a needle and some sharp scissors I am very proud that I was able to cobble together my first ever puppet regardless of the fact that it is completely unsuitable for this project.

Yep, that's right, this type of puppet, as endearing and full of character as he is, just doesn't lend himself to being stuffed with electronic do-dads and thingummy-jigs, and so my next foray is going to be a journey into the realm of foam puppets.

No.1 is essentially a sock puppet, he has no skeleton beyond that of the hand which is controlling him. I believe that a foam head puppet will be more suitable for my project because the foam structure will provide a semi-rigid enclosure for whatever inputs I end up using.

Making No.1 has by no means been a waste of time though, I can apply everything that I've learnt from making him towards the next puppet and just look at how much of a friend he has in Sooz.