Description:
The Char panel is a tool set designed to automate and standardize my character rig control panel creation process. It provides intuitive tools for both the rigger and the animator.
This project is currently in development.
Motivation:
A lot of character setup artist's time is spent on re-creating and re-adjusting known solutions to fit characters as they come through the pipeline. The character panel is an essential tool for many animators, but one that generally takes individual attention for each character. I set out to make the customization process as fast and intuitive as possible.
Technical Details:
The Char Panel tool is made up of several components:
To achieve an intuitive tool with as little custom code per character as possible, the script makes use of Adobe Photoshop's selection and layering systems to define any buttons or selection ranges.
A series of python and javascript scripts handle the export and code generation from photoshop. The output is a ready to go character panel that could be built upon to further fit the needs of the animator.
The power of the system lies in the fact that it is very easy to customize or re-generate the entire panel from the original photoshop document. The output code makes use of the Jquery javascript library and xhtml/css. This allows for a great level of interactivity.
On the max side, the char panel maxscript tools handle the communication between javascript and max via the .net webbrowser component.
