Update as of February 24, 2014

I'd like to say that the golem rig is at a good point at this time. I've managed to bind all of the key components to where they need to be, the vines are moving around nicely, and the diffuse passes on the textures have been completed. At this time, none of the dynamic simulation components have been added yet, as there are still some errors that need to be tended to. I have also added joints throughout the goelm in anticipation of both the construction rig and the usage of jiggle bones.

Test render of some of the textures

Second test, full view, no anchor vines

Updated materials on some of the components, plus a different light setup and the anchor chain.

An attempt was made to use the dynamic hair system on the finger curves, thereby allowing a more believable sense to the fingers being vines. However, I need to consult my advisers on how to make the base of the vine more stiff while not sacrificing the stiffness of the vine near the tip.

As a bit of an aside to the main project, I'm going to attempt t create a ragged looking cloak to add on top of the golem. It's mainly for a cloth sim class, but it can also allow for better insight onto using nCloth throughout the rig itself come time the rig is labeled ready as an animatable piece.

Below I've attached a current visual breakdown of the rig at this time.

16-02-2014 update

So much to place here, yet so little. Since the February 5th update, I've gotten a lot done behind the scenes, such as finishing up the UV unwrapping and binding the skeleton to controls. All of the vine curves on the main body have been bound to the skeleton, and a good deal of skin weight adjustments have been made so that deformation feels more believable when things move about. Thank you Component Editor.

Elsewhere in the project, I got some texture work started, focusing mainly on the diffuse pass for now. I've also cleaned up all the naming conventions, as I was scolded for not having my initials on everything within the file itself. Add to this the IK FK setup on the arms and the IK systems on the legs, and most of that technical bit was set.

Some planned sculpting for the back components

temporary mockup of the current textures on the model 

I know I'll need to adjust the texture a bit to closer match the original concept art colors, but that'll be on the next update.

Back on the setup page, I broke apart all of the vine animations onto their own controls, so now the arms, body, leg, and neck can grow into place individually. This was done using the set driven key setup and keying the max clip control on the paint effect brush stroke. Needless to say, I should look into a faster way, if possible.

 

Past this, I've also blocked in the anchor, as seen in the background of the video above, and setup a temporary control system for the vine chain leading to the golem. This simply consists of an IK spline controlled by free floating joints. Still, the section between the anchor chain and the golem's back vines needs to be worked on, as the current point and orient constrain setup has an issue where the joints flip. not a good thing.

Current rig setup

Lastly, I'm currently developing a design to place on the anchor to help round out things. I liked the look of the calligraphy word god in arabic I want to use on the stone in the golem's chest, so I want to create something similar to the look for the anchor stone.

Update for the week of January 27th, 2014

So after a semi break between sessions, the opening week classes brought about some more work on the Curpigeon birds. A few nodes weren't functioning as they should, so some reorientation was needed to fix the issue. However, I was asked to add additional controls to the facial setup to the sixth pigeon. There is still an issue with the right wing, but I will need to ask the person who set up that bird on their method for it so as to fix the issue proper.

Meanwhile, I've returned to my golem once again, completing the vines that permeate it's being.

I've also added in the sapphire horns atop it's head. All that is left is to replace the tree on it's head, and the stump that acts as it's left leg. The reason for this is due to an earlier version of zbrush creating some none to friendly geometry. The poly count ended up ridiculous, as well as spiraling down some of the branches and roots. not optimal in any way for unwrapping. Speaking of unwrapping, everything was also unwrapped over the weekend, minus the tree and stump. This means I can start hunting for some textures to use, as well as experiment without the texture being mangled.

For this week, I'm aiming to begin the controls setup for the arms and spine. I want to try a ribbon spine system, considering that there isn't a rigid fixture between the hips and the rib cage. I've also been asked to clean up my naming conventions on the file, which I completely agree on, as I've been sloppy about it this time around due to my focus on the vine growth system, what with it being one of the key elements of this character. I'll attach some demonstrations below.

The vine animations need to be broken apart and attached to a better controller, as currently they are all driven by one, and run simultaneously with one another, as can be seen in the videos.

I'll also be test skinning the vine curves onto the rig to check for areas that may be problematic when the character moves. There is also the construction system that I need to work out. I'm considering creating floating joints that animate into place on the main rig. This way, an animator can place the various parts where they please, and have each one move into place. I'll need to consult my professors about this, as they might have an easier method..