II - Making & Moving Virtual Bodies
In this section:
◉ We will learn how to model a 3D body using the free online tool SculptGL.
◉ We will learn how to animate those bodies using the free online tool Mixamo.
◉ We will learn how to "bake" the colors from SculptGL into our characters using the free modeling software Blender.
◉ Optional: We will learn how to make GIFs using the free tool ScreentoGif.
Big Idea: We always move through spaces in bodies, and we move through digital places in both our physical bodies and in virtual bodies. Understanding how virtual bodies are made, and the limits and assumptions built into the tools for making them, can help us re-think our own assumptions about bodies.
Modeling a body in sculptgl
Follow the tutorial below to become acquainted with SculptGL and its modeling tools. We'll be using this to create our body for moving through our world, as well as other objects we want to add to it.
MoVING A BODY USING MIXAMO
Follow the tutorial below to "rig" your body with a skeleton, and animate it.
Developing our avatar
Before we move on with other tutorials, now would be a good time to take a moment and start developing the body you want to use to move through your digital place.
In SculptGL, use the various tools you've learned, including the paint tool to add color, and develop a body to move through your digital place. The only restriction is that it has to use what Mixamo and Unity call "humanoid" skeletons. Those programs assume a "humanoid" has two arms, two legs, and head (though as we know, human bodies come in way more varieties than that).
"baking" in model colors using blender
Follow the tutorial below to "bake" the colors from SculptGL into your model, so you can animate a colored character in Mixamo (and later put them into your world in Unity!).
OPTION: Making gifs of your animated characters
Follow the tutorial below capture animated gifs of your animated characters using the free program ScreentoGIF, and to further modify them using the website GIPHY.
