Introducing the Animals & Creatures Characters!
Dragons, Cats, and Ogres, Oh My!

Introducing the cat, the dragon, and the ogre–Animation Mentor's new character rigs for the Animals & Creatures: Master Class!

The cat is a versatile rig that can be used in both realistic and fantasy animation. It can be used to learn the basics of quadruped motion and can be built upon to create even the most complicated quadruped movements, like a saber tooth tiger on the prowl.

Learning to animate a flying creature is something that Animation Mentor students and alumni have been asking for. It is also a much sought-after skill that studios value in animators. The new dragon rig makes learning to animate complex flying creatures a reality in the animals and creatures program.

As a quadruped/biped mix, the ogre rig allows animators to get really creative. The ogre can wreak havoc, walk like a gorilla, or walk upright like a human. The flexibility of the ogre allows him to take on the mannerisms of many creatures, so he provides students with endless opportunities to show the world something new.

The importance of creating industry standard rigs was at the top of our list. That's why we sought Industrial Light & Magic's (ILM) animation supervisor, Glen McIntosh, to design our new characters. Then, we recruited master animators from Tippet Studio, ILM, and Sony Pictures Imageworks to create rigs that accurately represent what is used in feature film studios today. The rigs all come fully documented.

Students also learn to work with match-moved image plates, just like those used in film studios. By teaching students on rigs that represent the industry standard, they have an umistakable competitive advantage on their demo reels.

Animation Mentor is excited to introduce these new characters to the world, and we can't wait to see what our students create with them.