This model was created for a school assignment with the main objective of learning new skills independent of class and instructors. I chose to design and model a low poly character and try my hand at rigging for the first time.
Sketches
These are the side and front references I created for modeling the squirrel in Maya.
3D Procedure
The model was built in Maya from primitive shapes and divided further to achieve minimal amount of roundness and detail to describe the overall shape.
Model completed in Autodesk Maya.
Textured in Substance Painter.
Rigging
The rig was created in Maya, and was my very first attempt at rigging. I used online tutorials and forums for better understanding of the process, and employed the Joint Orient MEL script created by Michael Comet.
IK Controls were put in place for joint manipulation.
Weight Painting
After the model had all of its rigging done, the next step was to assign weights to each joint to tell the skin of the squirrel how to behave and stretch when moved.