Wall-E Rig - By Carla Martínez

          Wall–e rig was created and designed as a full rig that can be use to make a complete animation. It is possible because of the different systems and attributes that it has and are connected together, making it very versatile.

          At the very beginning Wall-E rig was thought to be just a small exercise to test different systems, like IK (Inverse Kinematics) and FK (Forward Kinematics) in mechanic legs and how the connections are between them.

          However, at the end the results were more impressive as I expected, so very soon the project became a full body rig, although at the beginning that was not the principal idea. This poses were made to test how versatile the rig is and how the systems and the deformation works.

DEVELOPMENT

          Starting from the beginning, making the IK and FK system was not as easy as it was thought. I had to tried different combinations with joints to make sure every pivot was in its place so everything has the right movement. The IK was a challenge, I had to create a pole vector control to make it possible to do small adjusts in the middle of the leg.

          Tank wheels were the most difficult and challenging part. I had to invent a new system paying attention at the needs of the rig, especially because a lot of deformation was necessary to make it. At the end, the animator will be able to create different shapes while the wheels follow all mechanic parts that are inside them.

          It was created with a curve with a follow path so every single chain will follow it, and then they were all connected together to a specific attribute. For the deformation the best option was making some blend shapes to deform the curve and then making connections to different controllers that are inside the tank wheels.

          The arms are a bit different, the main reason is that there were some mobile parts that should work properly together. The IK system is not the same as the legs, I had to create a new one to make it work properly, with different joints connected with the pieces. For makeing it work properly I created an aim constrain form the shoulder to the hand, so if the hand is rotated or translated the shoulder will follow the movement.

          For the arms I also decided to add some follow attributes, so it is possible to open Wall-E's body depending if the animator wants the arms to follow  the body or just the upper body.

          The neck was created studying it properly and making it completely functional with a IK and FK switch to make it more variable. Finally, the head was realized to look more or less as in the film, with a lot of movement in the eyes and the eyebrows. There are two cables in the back part that can be connected a disconnected from the head, created with an IK Handle so it is possible to move them in harmony and make some small adjusts.

          One of the biggest problems that I faced while creating this rig was making the eyes rig, I wanted them to look appealing and very expressive, so I decided to make some attributes that allow to move each iris both separated and together.

          Finally, there are some secondary controllers: the ones for the doors, the buttons, the fingers and also the automation of the back, so if Wall-E opens its body, the back part would follow the movement, making easier the animation if it is needed.

FINAL POSES

CONSLUSION

            In conclusion, Wall-E rig has been the most challenging project that I have made since I started studying animation. It made me create and adapt some of the basic systems that I have learnt to make them fit perfectly with this character. I have enjoyed and learnt a lot making it, solving different problems that appeared throw the process and I am also very happy with the final result.

Credits: model by Corey Drake