Game Art: Robot // Rigging, Binding & Weight Painting

Prior to this module we had to create an Alien character to help us get to speed to this current module. Rigging was one of the learning paths we went through. Rigging a humanoid Alien was very simple, only if you understood the techniques of a humanoid skeleton although applying the controls and constraining them can be a bit tedious  My robot had way less joints compared to the Alien therefore building the skeleton and applying it's controls became straight forward. 

I first drew out my skeleton (figure 1) on paper to get a clear 
idea of what it would look like when its rigged. After the approval from my tutor I then began building it on Maya. 

figure 1

After the skeletal system was fully built, I was confident it would work, it required way less controls that the one of the Alien model, it requires the root joint, hip dislocate, arms, drill spins, knees and the legs.

figure 2

I was first advised to bind my robot using the rigid bind as this was a rigid metallic robot, but I realised that the only moving parts of the robot where the arms, drills, the eye and the legs. Most of these required a smooth bind, it it impossible the use multiple binds on one skeleton, so my only choice was to use a smooth bind and then flood the rigid joints with 0% influence when weight painting. Figure is the robot fully rigged, bound and ready to be weight painted.

figure 3, bound rig