If you have read my previous posts, you already know that I planned to spend my summer focusing on learning Rigging. I'll share here my experience and challenges I faced and how I overcame it to rig a biped character, learn Python, create tools in Maya using Python, create a name generator but most of all, I learned how I work (feels strange to say but it is a "thing"!). Here I go...
I started small and easy with watching tutorials on Pluralsight for the Fundamentals of Rigging and working along with the instructor. It helped to gain an understanding of what exactly we do as a rigger. I gained confidence after I rigged that character but I knew I cannot add it in my portfolio. I contacted my faculty who is an animator and received a lot of feedback from him. It helped a lot to better understand the needs of an animator, which sometimes is different from the needs of a rigger. I got a character from him to rig and I took it as an assignment so that I can add it in my portfolio and he can use in his class in Fall 2020. I liked this feeling, I felt like I was contributing to something in entertainment study field. Working on the Frank Model came up with a lot of challenges, I had to make it ready to rig, modify the mesh, then I started rigging. The skin weight painting was challenging and there was a time when I left it aside for a week and then started working on it again. It was sometimes dragging but I had to do it, since I committed to it. I learned a lot about skin weight painting and found a couple of techniques which I wish I had known earlier. I found issues where I could create tools and noted it down for my future tool creation in Maya using Python. I finally delivered the Frank model and it is being used in his class.
I wanted to practice python but I didn't know where to start. Luckily, I found that CMU offers some resources for their students who help in academic planning. I contacted them mid-summer, at the time when I was not motivated, was lost in my chair playing Overwatch. Asking for help and honestly telling them that I had been spending 5-6 hours playing games for a week was the most courageous thing I did this summer. They asked me to focus on 1 thing at a time and the most important thing for me was to make my morning the best I could make. So, I told them that I will study from 9am - 12pm daily, Python. There was a reason for choosing Python and this particular timing. As per science and Ultradian rhythm, most of the people's minds work in a particular fashion - before 11am, our mind works in an analytic way, between 11am - 5pm, our mind thinks in a managerial way (tasks like replying to email or planning) and after 5pm, our mind thinks creatively. I didn't believe it and I'm not sure if I believe now but I was not happy with myself so I tried it. After my 1st morning, I felt so happy that I did a lot of work at the start of the day and the feeling that my whole day is still ahead of me and I could do anything I want. I love this feeling. It builds confidence in me to spend time in anything else I want, which I really wanted since I was also in a book-club reading fantasy novels. I continued my 9am - 12pm routine. Also, I told my loved ones that I will talk only after 12pm (9:30pm IST), this made my head clear because I told it explicitly and there was no other reason to pick up my phone (i.e. diversion). I also asked help for teaching me Python and they actually provided me a student who taught me Python basics. It was an unbelievable experience. I felt like I got so much power in me and I can create the things that is in my head.
My afternoons were not so productive, somedays I slept, other days I watched anime "Hunter X Hunter", I enjoyed it but I knew I should make use of this time as well. I was suggested to exercise in the afternoon, check emails and read online stuffs, explore things, etc.., do things which doesn't requires much of the technical aspect of mind. I was unable to utilize my afternoon even till the end, maybe because I was spending my afternoon watching movies in Netflix Party with my loved ones. I didn't wanted to miss it because I knew once Fall semester starts, I won't be able to even talk to them daily.
My evenings were focused on rigging. It was fun and productive. I also used to write the things I was learning in the tutorials. It helped me to revise the things I learnt without going back to the video. I used to get my breakfast ready the night before because I didn't like to cook in the morning. I learned which topic interests me at what time of the day.
For august month, I had planned to create a portfolio piece not considering the fact that I will be thinking about the project for Fall 2020 and there was SIGGRAPH conference coming online. My august went mostly on these topics and I got to work just a bit on the auto-rig I was creating.
This post is getting longer so I'll share my august month's post-mortem in next post. I am glad that I spent my summer self-studying and learning more than I had planned.
See you!