3D Free Time Project- Controlling a Figure's Eyes

http://www.e-frontier.com/article/articleview/38/1/319/

TAC.COM presents the first in a series of tutorials for our 3D artists. Below you will find the Controlling a Figure's Eyes tutorial from E-Frontier .

We're wanting to encourage our artists to try something new and give an insight on how they would use this tutorial, so we're putting up the challenge to all artists to incorporate this tutorial into a piece of their artwork. This is a free time challenge so you can apply it to any type of render.

Challenge: Use E-frontier's -Controlling a Figure's Eyes tutorial - in their artwork.
Due: Feb 1st
Restrictions: There are none, really. We just ask that you credit your sources; ie. Photoshop, Poser, etc and any images to their original owner/creator if it is not your work.
Theme: Anything - fantasy, sci fi, MMO's, photo manipulation, etc.

Any questions, feel free to contact me, Vex or ROz. =D Enjoy!

Tutorial from E-frontier:

Problem: Control a figure's eyes so that they can follow a camera in the scene as it moves through space.

Solution: In Poser, select an eyeball and click Objects>Point At to open the Choose Actor window. Select Main Camera and click OK. Repeat the above steps for the other eyeball. Now move the camera around, and watch the eyes follow. Or, try moving the head or body around and notice the eyes remaining fixed on the camera. You'll be able to key frame these movements so that in your finished animation, the eyes appear to be locked and focused on the camera. It's a very easy technique to automatically have your character watch the camera!

You can use this procedure to make the eyes to follow an imported object or prop such as a ball or another figure, or even follow a body part such as a moving hand. You can make any part of a figure, as well as cameras or lights follow any item in the scene by using the Point At control. This option is also useful for creating complex mechanical devices, such as pointing cylinders and pistons at each other.

ROzbeans 18 years ago
WIP - This is something I'm working on for 3dconnect on deviantart.com. I tried out the controlling eyeball thingie and wow, it can be a little difficult.

With Vex's suggestion, I ended up pointing the eyes towards the aux camera instead of the main and I repositioned the aux camera. It's a little freaky moving the camera and having her follow it. O_o

Mai 18 years ago
Yeah try going from a standing pose to a sitting pose some time and watching their eyes roll back in their heads before you move the camera. I always get a kick out of that but I guess creepy is kind of cool. The one of Mai has her eyes following the camera but I ended up liking a more straight on pose so you'd never know it. The old alfarinn did also but he's all old looking so it didn't work.

It is a good tip though especially if in the beginning you tried to move then each seperately and ended up with a few cross eyed looking renders. >_<