Senescence: An aging based character simulation framework

The 'Senescence' framework is a character simulation plug-in for Maya that can be used for rigging and skinning muscle deformer based humanoid characters with support for aging. The framework was developed using Python, Maya Embedded Language and PyQt. The main targeted users for this framework are the Character Technical Directors, Technical Artists, Riggers and Animators from the production pipeline of Visual Effects Studios. The characters that were simulated using 'Senescence' were studied using a survey to understand how well the intended age was perceived by the audience. The results of the survey could not reject one of our null hypotheses which means that the difference in the simulated age groups of the character is not perceived well by the participants. But, there is a difference in the perception of simulated age in the character between an Animator and a Non-Animator. Therefore, the difference in the simulated character's age was perceived by an untrained audience, but the audience was unable to relate it to a specific age group.