Rigging Part 1: Research and Development

Before getting into rigging I find that reseaching is an essential part of it. To understand the way in which a quadruped (similar to our monster) moves, I could research into a number of areas before I even open Maya.

Firstly as a rigger I must first understand the anatomy of the creature. Only by first analyzing the way in which the bones comprise the system statically, would I be able to eventually create something that can simulate dynamic motion. Therefore I thought it would be a good idea to research animals of a similar make up, ie. dogs, cats, lions, panthers and even bears/gorillas when they walk on all fours. Using this as a basis to work from, I discovered a large number of resources that led to a better conceptual understanding of the anatomy of a quadruped.

This is the basic bone layout for a tiger

muscle anatomy of a lion

skeletal anatomy of a lion (details to paws)

additional lion skeletal structure

basic house cat muscle structure

Summary

At this stage I am now in a position to at least start thinking about the fundamental bones that make up a generic quadruped. 

Looking at the muscle anatomy has also given me an idea of the painted weights that may be needed in the future.

With this information in mind, I can start thinking about things that may be necessary, or in some cases redundant depending on the functionality of the rig.