🧭 Lesson Objective

1️⃣ Learn how to move the head in the X-axis and Y-axis

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🎯 Lesson Quests

🚩 Quest 1: Art Meshes for the Head
🚩 Quest 2: Parameters for the Head
🚩 Quest 3: Deformations for the Head XY
🚩 Quest 4: Synthesize the Head Angles
🚩 Quest 5: Augmented Physics for the Head

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🚩 Quest 1: Art Meshes for the Head

Here are the two art meshes that need clean meshing for deformation:

• Head_Lines
• Head_Colour

You can select both of these art meshes and mesh them manually to keep them identical, which will also allow you to glue them together.

Steps to glue:

1. Select both art meshes
2. Open Manual Mesh Editing
3. Select all points on both meshes
4. Press Glue: Bind in the tool window

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🚩 Quest 2: Parameters for the Head

For head movement, we use Angle X (horizontal) and Angle Y (vertical). However, to add softer motion with physics, we’ll key our deformations to augmented parameters instead.

Create the following parameters:

• Angle X Augment
  Min: -30 | Default: 0 | Max: 30
• Angle Y Augment
  Min: -30 | Default: 0 | Max: 30
• Angle Z Augment (For later use)
  Min: -30 | Default: 0 | Max: 30

These will later be linked to the main angle parameters in the physics settings.

(If you're using the provided course file template, these should already be included.)

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🚩 Quest 3: Deformations for the Head XY

All deformations will be made on:

• Head [XY] Deformer

🔁 Angle X Augment – Value: 30

The important thing to note for this deformation is the anatomy of the face.

A face can be broken into 3 parts.
A Circle for the bulk base of the head. (Read circle)
Lines coming slightly inward and downwards for the side of the face. (Green lines)
And curved lines coming downward and sharply into the center to form the jaw and chin. (Blue lines)

Now let's see how we can make sense of this for the head turning sideways.

As we can see, the lines still apply to the head turning to the side, but the curvature of the lines changes.

However we must note the following:

The lines on the far side of the face follow this outward and inward pattern.
1. Outward for the Forehead
2. Inward for the Eye socket
3. Outward for the cheek (Or nose if the head was 90 degrees)
4. Inward towards the point of the chin.

Point 3, outwards for the cheek can differ depending on the style of the model.
Typically more cute characters will have bigger or puffier cheeks.

With this infromation, we can deform our face in the X-axis and reflect that motion over to the other side, or value of -30.

🔁 Angle Y Augment – Value: 30

For this deformation, we simply want to bend the middle of the head upward, and move the deformer slightly upwards.

We can then vertically reflect this deformer downward for the -30 value.

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🚩 Quest 4: Synthesize the Head Angles

Let’s compute the corners:

1. Select both Angle X Augment and Angle Y Augment in your parameter list
2. Go to Palette Menu > Synthesize Corners…
3. Confirm your parameters are correct and hit OK

You will now need to fix your deformations, as synthesizing corners is always just a better starting point

Angle X Augment - Value: 30
Angle Y Augment - Value: 30

Select your Angle X Augment Parameter, make sure Angle Y Augment is in the up position (Value 30).
Reflect the motion to your other corner.

Angle X Augment - Value: 30
Angle Y Augment - Value: -30

Again, you can reflect your motion to the other bottom corner.

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🚩 Quest 5: Augmented Physics for the Head

Let’s add soft motion to the head movement using physics:

1. Open Modeling > Physics Settings
2. Create a new group, name it something like "Head Physics X"

In the Group:

• Input: Angle X

• Pendulum

• Output: Angle X Augment

3. Duplicate this group and adjust:

• Input: Angle Y
• Output: Angle Y Augment

Now your Angle X/Y will softly affect your augmented parameters, which control the head deformer!

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📦 Study File

Level 4 - Stage 1 | Study File

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🏁 End of Level 4 – Stage 1 | Head XY

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