Unforseen problems

Mouth up was HORRIBLE!!!!

I've probably spent like a full day's session on it. Each new blend shape is as hard as all the previous ones combined almost. Fortunately, mouth down was easier, and the lip curls are really easy. I also came across another layer of complexity. When u smooth the head, there are many artifects appearing whenever I push some blendshapes to the max. Especially mouth wide in combination with the mouth down and up shapes. It's sooooo tough to smooth it out. Remember I was talking about how simpler characters are easier? Well, they're not! If he starts having rinckles around his mouth when he smiles or does mouth wide he looks really freaki. It all needs to be flowing and smooth - flawless. I also realize I must have modeled him inapropriately too - they're shown us here in sony, that for cacrtoony faces, they really try to have the geometry made with perfect squars. As close as possible. And they try to have the mouth corner line go directly across - totally horizontal. Although my model was pretty darn clean, and all quads, I wasn't aware I should make the faces as square as possible. This causes problems when I try to tweak a few BS simultaneaously, because u lack refference when u try to squash or stretch a certain area. But it's too late now I'm afraid. I rather have a few tiny artifects at the end (or just not push the BS to the max when I animate), than to toss everything I have, and go back to modeling (thus throwing away a month's of hard work, and risking not finishing the film).

Oh well. Next time I'll know better........