Rigging Production

I feel I have exceeded in areas Such as accurate joint setups for controllability and manipulation of the rig.
I feel I have demonstrated a high standard of constraint knowledge.
I feel I have demonstrated a quality visual appeal for my rigs as well, cleanly and efficiently demonstrating their features.
I feel I have shown a good level of consideration for the user as well. adding additional controls for toe joints.
I feel I have demonstrated a good quality of weight blending from the many stretchy tubes and cables on my robot rig, to the smooth skin on my Jerry rig.
I feel I have improved my rigs control setup way beyond what my initial rigging attempt achieved before our rigging lessons started. Originally i did not have very defined control points for the user and could not get IK working at all, but from following more professional advice from my tutor Alan, and using a base human skeleton to control the secondary conforming peices, i managed to finally put IK in my arm and leg joints and still allowed the same range of movement, but with much better efficiency of the control of limbs. walking and grabbing on things now results in many fewer controls needing keyframes, and as a result, much faster animating.

To improve for next time, I would take more time refining and removing unnecessary polygons and faces to further optimise the rigs performance.
Another improvement would be to add more details and controls for the details to allow the animator to bring the rig alive more.
Another improvement could be to set up a switch so the animator can switch from IK to FK arms, this will indeed take a LOT of time, but seems very much worth it for such an already complex rig.
Another improvement I could make it with the animations showcasing the rigs, they weren't super polished and were mostly for demonstration, but a higher refinement would greatly enhance the rigs appeal. The robot running still felt jittery, and although I think a jittery stop motion effect adds to the mechanical motor effect, I still felt a little more smoothing was necessary. But I could label the jerkiness of the head as a happy accident, as the slight jerkiness visually adds the effect of a rubber spring-like neck that's held on my bendy metal wire cords, which would spring about more when he is in fast motion.
Another improvement I would add is Materials. As the rig was previously de-textured to help streamline the rigging proccess, it has lost its visual appeal to a degree by lack of colour.
Another improvement I noticed was needed was the quality of the clip that showcased the hand of the robot. I seeminly used a wrong scaling setting in After Effects, which has unfortunately lead to a burry and out-of-focus clip.
Another thing I would do differently next time in have more consistency. for my custom rig I tried to chroma key out the background so that I could lay it out nicely with text in After Effects, but for my Jerry rig, I tried using some viewport beauty tips from our tutor Alan. I felt both have their advantages and disadvantages, but when used together, they contrast quite a lot and don't really fit alongside. I felt I could have chosen one way and stuck with it, as it serves no benefit to have the layout change when the focus is supposed to be the rigs performance.
Another improvement I would add is a level of simulation.
Another improvement I would make would possibly be to add some sort of inner geometry that would allow the clavicle joint to rotate, allowing even more flexibility in the rig; this would require remodelling of the top half of the model but would allow the animator greater control and posing abilities in the upper body.
Another improvement I would make is with the chain on the leg. Although it functions well when playing the animation, having more control of the rig, to adjust the speed and time of when the chain rotates, would give more control and usability. allowing the animator to use the rig in a way to suit the action and moment of the story better and add more character to my rig with more nuanced movements.
Another improvement that could be beneficial to minimise clipping of the geometry, is to continue experimenting and bending my rig in extreme poses to see where the geometry collides with itself. I felt I have done well at avoiding geometry clipping, but there are still small and detailed areas that with more posing, I will spot more and more geometry that can be modelled to fit and slide along neighbouring parts more efficiently.
Another area for improvement would be to continue to name each and every single piece of geometry and bone in my outliner. This is a very long process that may seem useless but will always bring benefits to any rig, allowing for much easier debugging and identification of the hierarchy within a rig. Currently, I have made sure to at least rename all the main parts of the rig that the animator will use and come in contact with, including the joints and controls.

This rigging module captivated me with its technical challenges, evoking fond memories of my childhood LEGO experiences. I used to deliberately seek out all the hinges, pivots, and connectible pieces, finding joy in creating intricate moving mechanisms. Working with this module felt like exploring a technical playground, reminiscent of Minecraft's redstone systems with their complex input/output connections and various logic gates. The parallel between these different technical systems—from physical LEGO pieces to digital redstone to modern rigging—showcases how creative and mechanical problem-solving has always fascinated me from a young age.