On the second day of CEDEC (Computer Entertainment Developers Conference) 2023, a presentation on the character rigging in Final Fantasy XVI appeared. It was given by Square Enix Riggers Akihito Higashikawa and Hirotaka Kawasaki. [Thanks, 4Gamer!]
To begin, Higashikawa introduced how riggers contribute to development. Characters in 3D games cannot be animated with just a model alone. The job of a rigger is to create the skeleton of a 3D model so the animators have an easier time bringing the characters to life by manipulating the bones and joints to create movement. After the joints are in place, a technique called “skinning” is used to determine how much movement will be applied to the bones.
Image via Square Enix
Riggers contribute not only to animation but also to the creation of character silhouettes. For example, a character with clothes versus a character without clothes will interact differently with the in-game environment depending on their location. So, to avoid clipping animations, riggers will assist in verifying the silhouettes have proper collision properties.
Image via Square Enix
Riggers can also use a controller to increase work efficiency. This reduces the amount of effort involved in the animation process, which in turn leads to a reduction in labor time for the entire development process.
Next, a workflow example of the rigging for Final Fantasy XVI was shown. The riggers were in charge of creating skeletons for a large number of characters and appropriately scheduling their workflow. By preparing a standardized bone structure for non-playable characters, it was possible to reuse animations and reduce the amount of work and space needed to download the game. Main characters were given their own unique bone structure. There were times when the development team had to make quick decisions on whether or not to give a particular character the standard bone structure or their own unique bone structure.
Image via Square Enix
Next, Kawasaki detailed the creation of secondary animations. Secondary animation refers to the setting of objects such as hair and clothes, which are applied alongside the character’s movement itself. Since the characters in Final Fantasy XVI move differently depending on context, the team had to make adjustments to make the movements make sense in every scene. Higashikawa mentioned that the team needed to develop an efficient workflow system that prioritized both quality and quantity.
Image via Square Enix
In order to improve the look of the character animations, a layered texture was used to ensure smooth connections between poses. A mechanism was also incorporated to blend the wrinkle textures in accordance with the facial expression.
Image via Square Enix
Final Fantasy XVI is available worldwide on the PlayStation 5.
