Took a week off but kinda didn't

The good news is that I think the sex part of the next animation is pretty close to blocked out. The major movements are done, it'll just be a couple of passes afterwards for things like limbs going through each other, micro-movements, faces, blinking and eyes. Theoretically, it shouldn't take very much longer. A few days of sitting it down will get this part of the story finished and ready for the next section which continues the story and provides the hook for the next vote.

So obviously, this week I have done none of that.

I was organising files and clearing some hard drive space when I found a stash of models made by other people. I think I mentioned in a previous post that I was upgrading Kyn, and his fur has always been an issue. One of these pre-built models was a Judy Hopps that has been sat in there for a while but I remember it had pretty decent fur, so I opened the file up to do a bit of learning, and realised that I'd tried to play with this model in the past but couldn't get it to move because I didn't understand her rig.

This time was different. I've learned enough that I could get it animating after a few false starts. So my project for the week was started...

Judy has been built with Blenrig, which I think comes as part of Blender and has a fancy control system. I've not been able to generate a working Blenrig yet but I wanted to see if a well set up model with this kind of rigging system is easier to animate than the functional but crude ones I've been making. The plan was to get her to do something and post the result. Being honest, it's been a learning curve.

The actual animation with blenrig is a bit confusing to start with, but once I figured out how certain parts of the rig operated, it was a bit easier. Better, the test renders look pretty good too. As with literally everything I do, I started with a simple idea and it sort of got bigger and more complex. It's the end of the week though, I have AN answer. Maybe not an answer I asked the correct question to.

I do quite like Blenrig, and it was genuinely fun to work with a model that when rendered out looks good. Apart from anything else, a few times I found myself driving home from work thinking about how to improve or add to what I'd already done. It was kind of exciting.

The next big question is how I use this learning experience. Do I keep going with the models I have while dismantling and learning from the Judy model? Do I make some cosmetic improvement but stick with my custom rigs? Or do I bite the bullet and find someone to create the models I need with competent rigging until I can learn to make my own?

I'm not really sure at the moment. It's something to think about. Either way, the Judy animation is rendering, it should be released sometime this weekend.