Eye direction matters. If animated characters aren't looking at each other, or if the motion of the eyes feels weird and lifeless, the animation will lack believability. Fortunately, most character rigs come with a "Look See" or "Eye Direction" controller, which control the character's eye direction, so that the eyes always seem to be focused and alert. To see how to use the "Look See" control with the Kayla rig (one of the rigs we recommend for learning animation), watch the short video above.
Create a Character Offscreen
One of my favourite tricks when animating a character is to create an "offscreen" character for them to talk to and look at. Create a simple cube, turn it into a tall slender column, move it off screen, and name it "Character2". This is the person that character1 is talking to. So, all you have to do is move Character1's eye direction controller, position it onto Character2, and Character1 will look at Character2 throughout the shot. To see how it works using the "Eleven" rig (another rig we recommend for learning animation), watch the video below.
Create a Face Camera
We also recommend creating a Face Camera when you animate characters in Maya. To do this, follow these steps. Creating a camera, name it faceCam, and parent it to the facial controls. Then tear it off (Panels/tear off) so you can return to the faceCam whenever you need it. This will save you a lot of time when animating facial expressions. To see this process in more detail, watch the video below:
Fine-tuning the eyes
This doesn't mean you won't have to fine-tune the eye direction at the end of your shot. Whenever you tweak your animation, you will - inevitably - slightly mess up the eye direction. So, when you do your final animation pass, you will always have to check the eye direction to make sure that the character's eyes aren't wandering around.
Blinks and Eye Darts
And, of course, don't forget to add blinks, and also eye darts. Keeping the eyes alive is how we create the illusion that our characters are actually thinking.
To find out more about Animation Apprentice, click here for a link to Frequently Asked Questions. To sign up for our next classroom at Animation Apprentice, follow this link.
Create a Face Camera
We also recommend creating a Face Camera when you animate characters in Maya. To do this, follow these steps. Creating a camera, name it faceCam, and parent it to the facial controls. Then tear it off (Panels/tear off) so you can return to the faceCam whenever you need it. This will save you a lot of time when animating facial expressions. To see this process in more detail, watch the video below:
Fine-tuning the eyes
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| Always Make Sure Your Characters Look at Each Other |
Blinks and Eye Darts
And, of course, don't forget to add blinks, and also eye darts. Keeping the eyes alive is how we create the illusion that our characters are actually thinking.
How to Animate Eyes
To see more about how to animate eyes, follow the links below:
- How to Animate Eye Darts
- How to Animate a Blink
- Why Eye Direction Matters
- Always Add a Blink on a Head Turn
- Animate a Simple Head Turn (with a Blink) With "Monty" (Beginner)
To find out more about Animation Apprentice, click here for a link to Frequently Asked Questions. To sign up for our next classroom at Animation Apprentice, follow this link.
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