Block 2 : Rigging a Quadruped
Block 2 students were recently divided into groups of two for a gazelle rigging assignment. Students had previously learned techniques for rigging bipeds, now they faced a four legged challenge. The assignment required a full rig skeleton capable of animation including walking, running, jumping, and posing. Students were encouraged to rely mainly on their combined team member's strengths and knowledge, much as they would in the environment of a real job, instead of counting on an instructor to solve any issues they encountered. The goal is to rig the skeleton to the model so that an animator can properly and more easily animate it; an invaluable skill.

Student Profile: Jana Yarbrough
Jana is currently a Block 3 student at The DAVE School.

Where are you originally from?
I am from Katy, Texas.

What brought you to The DAVE School?
I was in college studying Business and realized that it was not my passion and I should pursue what I always wanted to do, CG.  I was about to graduate and started looking for schools that had 3D programs, but most places wanted a Demo Reel, which I did not have.  So, after searching and looking at different schools on the web, I kept coming across the DAVE School and it had everything I was looking for to help me get into this industry.  It seemed like the best way to get my foot in the door and turns out, it is.

What is your ultimate dream job?
My ultimate dream job would be to work for a company that does feature films or television shows.  I like so many aspects, such as modeling, animating, and compositing, that I would love to have a job doing any of these.

What has been your favorite DAVE School assignment so far?
My favorite assignment so far is the U-Robot project which is inspired by the movie I-Robot.  We are modeling a robot from sketches, using MoCap to animate our robot doing certain actions, and then compositing him into footage we have shot at Universal Studios.  This project incorporates everthing I have learned in class since Block 1 and is expanding it by using motion capture software, and we get to direct how we want the shot to look.

How has your experience at The DAVE School been so far?
Having incredible instructors and staff who are willing to help you out at any time and are full with so much information about this industry, it has made my experience here so amazing.