PART 2 - Animating the eyes.
a Tutorial by Calvin

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Animating the Shape
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If you go into edit mode, you can assign certian vertex points in a lattice: a "hook."
1) Select the points you want to be able to grab when you are outside of edit mode.
2) Click Ctrl+H
3) Add, To New Empty.


Using these hooks (empties) you can now animate the shape of the eyes.


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Eyelid Rotation
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Try rotating the eyelids. Pretty cool huh?
But there is a problem, at one point your character will be in such a position that the eyelids will be hard to rotate correctly.

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Getting eyelids ready for IPO
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In order for the ipo curves to work correctly we need to set the eyelid's closed position as the default rotation position. So that if we tell the eyelid to go to 0 degrees, the eyelids would close.

Select all all four eyelids and clear their rotation.


If the eyelids do not go to a closed position.
- Rotate the eyelids to a closed position.
- Select the eyelids and click (Ctrl+A) This will make the current state, the default non-rotated state.

- So now to the side, create an empty. Be sure to clear it's rotation. (Alt+R)


As a matter of fact, create 3 more empties, and give them the following names:



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Setting up IPO curves.
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1) Spilt the window in two.


2) Select the IPO curve editor.


3) Select our first eyelid.


4) In our IPO curver editor Window, Select the RotX.


5) Open the Transform Window. (Click N) And apply the following settings:
Note: Our corresponding empty is "01.R"


6) Insert a curve. (Click I)

7) Select the curve and click TAB, to go into Edit mode. AND apply the following settings:


8) Apply the same setting to all other eyelids, only change the object name: corresponding to the empty names we gave.
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Conclustion
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Now try to move the empties around.

I hope you enjoyed the tutorial.

Here is the blend file of the final product of this tutotial: cartooneyesIPOcurves.blend

Here is the Latest Beta file (my latest tests, if sucessful will be integrated into the tutorial): cartooneyesFINAL.blend
Do not use for commerical purposes, give credit where credit is due.