Duplicity: Using the Reference Editor for Multiple Head Animations
by Brian Immel
This tutorial assumes that the user has prior knowledge of Maya's interface and file management. In this tutorial, you will be exposed the basic functions and uses of the Reference Editor.
1. Open up the file where you have all the controls, modeling and texturing completed. Before going any further, you should have all controls working (whether you are using control objects, blend shapes, etc.), completed the modeling and finished UVs and textures. We can tweak this later on but its better to work out any and all bugs before moving on.
2. If there are any lights in your scene, delete them.
3. Reset all controls, blend shape attributes to their zero or default position.
4. Delete all keyframe animation (if you have any leftover from a previous project).
5. Select all remaining items and group them. Name this group Fred (or the name of the first character). If for any reason, one or more of your selected items ‘jump’ when grouped, try grouping the jumping items be themselves and then group the jump groups with the non-jumping items.
6. Go to File > Save As. Name this file Fred (or the name of the first character).
7. Make any changes to the textures that you see fit to make the two heads different from one another.
8. Select the group again and rename it to George (or the name of the second character).
9. Go to File > Save As. Name this file George (or the name of the second character).
10. Next, we are going to make a file where we reference or ‘link’ files to another. In this ‘master’ file, we will perform the keyframe animation to files that have been linked to it. To make a new empty file, go to File > New Scene. Save this file as Master_Animation.mb or something similar to this name.
11. Next, lets set up the dynamic links between the master file and linked files by using the Reference Editor (File > Reference Editor). Select the file you wish to link to the current file and hit Reference.
12. The Reference Editor will show the name of the current file at the top of what looks like a hierarchy. To see the files that have been linked to it, click on the triangle next to the master file name. Any changes that occur in any reference file will be shown (updated) in the master file once the linked file has been saved and the master file updates it’s references (Reference Editor window > Reference > Load Reference).
13. As you are working on the animation, you will notice that the file size of the master file is relatively small in comparison to the files you have referenced. That is because only the animation and referencing information is being saved, not the modeled or anything else.
Notes
- If you need to make changes to the model(s), you cannot do that in the master file. You will need to open up the originating file and make the changes there. Also, you cannot group or rename anything that has been referenced.
- Notice that the objects, controllers, layers and so forth have a prefix added to its regular name. This is one good way Maya helps you keep track of what is what. The prefix follows the name of the file referenced, so name you files well! Try avoiding files such as bigHead0021a or anything that is rather long in length. Refer to illustration to the right for a good clean name.
- In the Outliner, any object that has been referenced will have a little box with the letter r in it to signify that this item has been referenced and generally cannot be modified.
