Learn SHAPES,
one topic at a time.

EP01Interface overviewOverview of the fundamental features of SHAPES and a quick guide on how to get started with creating and editing blend shape targets. EP02Features overviewIntroduction to the various feature sets of SHAPES and how to customize the interface.

EP03Introduction to symmetry mappingGives an overview of possible types of meshes and their differences in regards of working with symmetry mapping in SHAPES. EP04Working with symmetry mappingCovers the workflow of symmetry mapping in SHAPES and how to best get started when loading a mesh. EP05Loading and editing a meshShows the basic steps to load a mesh and creating the first blend shape target. Also covers the use of undo and possible implications. EP06Editing a mesh in MudboxShows how to edit blend shape targets in Mudbox or ZBrush and also covers the FBX and custom export. EP07Add and edit in-betweensExplains the necessary steps to add and edit in-between shapes. EP08Edit mode preferencesCovers the preference options for the edit mode, such as geometry and viewport display. EP09Mesh tweaksExplains the general issue when a deformed mesh gets modified without being in edit mode and how to fix it. EP10Sculpt compareShows how to preview the currently edited blend shape target in relation to the underlying deformed model to avoid constantly going in and out of edit mode. EP11Blending between targets in edit modeDemonstrates how to use the SHAPES Grab and Blend Brush to blend the currently edited shape to either the original mesh or another blend shape target.

EP12Organising your setupCovers the different options to organize and display blend shape targets. EP13Slider rangeShows how to set the slider cover a different value range if needed.

EP14Adding and updating from existing meshesCovers how to add or replace blend shape targets or in-betweens from selected meshes in the scene. EP15Additional actionsShows some helpful functionality, such as publishing attributes on control objects from currently selected channels, baking the currently deformed state to the original mesh, cleanly duplicating the original or deformed mesh and adding/removing of blend shape nodes. EP16Split, Merge and Swap shapesDemonstrates how to split a shape into separate shapes for the left and right side, how to merge multiple shapes and how to exchange the data between two blend shape targets.

EP17Shape driver basicsShows how to add nodes to use them as drivers for blend shape targets. EP18Setting up a shape driverCovers the workflow of how to set up and edit a driving relationship for a blend shape target, as well as related preference settings. EP19Understanding the weight driverIntroduction to the weight driver node which can be used as an alternative to set driven keys when driving blend shape targets. EP20Using the weight driver translationShows how to use the weight driver's translation feature to drive a shape based on the controller movement along two axes. Also introduces the custom curve interpolation for the output value. EP21Working with driven channelsExplains how to edit blend shape channel values when a target shape is driven. EP22RBF solver and Pose Interpolator setupCovers how to set up a weightDriver in RBF mode or Pose Interpolator before adding poses for RBF-based pose-space deformation. EP23Adding poses to the RBF solver and Pose InterpolatorShows how to add poses to an existing weight driver in RBF mode or pose interpolator and explains the related attributes and preference settings. EP24Editing pose influencesShows how to edit the contribution of existing pose shapes in preparation for creating a new pose for the weight driver in RBF mode or pose interpolator. EP25Working with the Pose InterpolatorExplains the few differences between the weight driver in RBF mode and the Pose Interpolator.

EP26Shape sequenceCovers the basics and general workflow of Shape Sequences which can be used as an alternative to blend shape in-betweens.

EP27CombosCovers the basics and general workflow of how to set up corrective shapes which are used when two or more blend shape targets collide. EP28Edit propagation for combosExplains how to apply edits to a combo-related shape to all subsequent combo shapes in order to maintain the visual appearance of combos. EP29Item tracking for combo creationShows how to deal with a long target list when creating combos.

EP30Mirror type basicsExplains the two mirror modes of SHAPES and how to work with these. EP31Mirror optionsTakes a look at the preferences for mirroring. EP32Mirroring shapesCovers the different ways to mirror a shape.

EP33Shape weightsCovers the basics for working with blend shape target weights and how to put them into action. EP34Blend shape global weightsExplains the problem when the Maya tools settings are open when working with target weights and how to fix it. EP35Ramp weightsShows how to set up a ramp weights node for a target channel and how to drive it with any node in the scene. EP36Weights serverShows how to set up a weights server node for a target channel and connect it to influences in the scene. EP37Influence mapShows how to work with the influence map feature to split a target shape into as many targets as needed through the help of a skin cluster node. EP38Weight maps as SHAPES Brush freeze mapsShows how to use weight maps in conjunction with the SHAPES freeze brush. EP39Weight maps as Maya freeze tool mapsShows how to use weight maps in conjunction with the Maya freeze tool.

EP40Region mapGives a complete overview of how to create partial blend shape targets based on a complex source shape.

EP41AnimationCovers the basic key framing functionality for corrective animation. EP42Shot fixDemonstrates the usage of the Shot Fix feature to automatically set keyframes when doing corrective animation.

EP43Driven set basicsExplains the advantage of Driven Sets compared to manually setting up set driven keys for joint based articulation and shows how to create and edit a Driven Set. EP44Editing driven setsShows how to create poses with Driven Sets as well as adjusting these. EP45Mirroring driven setsExplains the different ways of how to mirror driven sets with workflow examples and what to look out for.

EP46Exporting the blend shape setupShows how to export the blend shape setup and takes a look at the options. EP47Working with referencesExplains the limitations of blend shapes in Maya when working with reference scenes and shows how SHAPES is able to deal with it. EP48Creating a mirrored setupShows how to mirror the entire blend shape setup to the other side of the character. EP49Transferring the blend shape setupTakes a look at how to transfer the blend shape setup over to a model with different topology. EP50Transferring blend shape deltasShows how to export blend shape deltas to a JSON file and to import a delta file back to one or more blend shape nodes.

v1.0SHAPES Brush v1.0Legacy video but contains useful information. v1.2SHAPES Brush v1.2 - WIPLegacy video but contains useful information. v2.0SHAPES Brush v2.0Legacy video but contains useful information.