Head Rig | the Netherlands Cancer Institute – Antoni van Leeuwenhoek

Between September 2022 and January 2023 I did an internship at the Netherlands Cancer Institute – Antoni van Leeuwenhoek (NKI-AvL), during which I had to create and rig 3D models with the purpose of featuring them in videos that explain the location, surgical procedure and consequences of surgeries for different types of oral cancer to patients.
This was a very complex task for me, but I was able to overcome it. I sculpted the head (skin, skull, throat, mouth and tongue) in ZBrush, retopologized and rigged it in Maya and textured it using Substance Painter.
The rig was the most difficult part. The tongue has squash and stretch, as well as a custom control that can be used to fade between 3 textures (before surgery, right after with stitches, and healed). The skin has a similar control for showing the surgery scar. I used custom controls for an easy way to toggle the visibility of various elements, such as the tracheostomy tube, and for the movement of skin transplants. The skin wounds can be closed and lymph nodes can swell with blend shapes.
Overall, it has been a great learning experience, especially for my technical skills.