Now for the head rig. This rig is simple, no FK-IK switching, no facial controls anims and very fast.
  1. STEP 1: Create the lower head anims

    unparent the cen_neck_1_bind_joint.
    Hide everything else.
    Place a circle anims around the neck_1 joint.
    Rename the circle anim, neck anim.
    Place a circle anims around the head joint.
    Keeping the pivot at the head, move the CV's up over the head.
    Rename this circle, head_anim.
    Place a circle at the jaw joint.
    Move the CV's of the anims, to make it easily selectable.
    Rename the jaw circle, jaw_anim
    Don't forget to freeze transforms on the anims.
    lower head anim placement
  2. STEP 2: Rig the neck and head

    Parent constrain the neck_1 joint to the neck_anim.
    Orient constrain the head_ joint to the head_anim.
    Point constrain the head anim to the head joint.
    Orient constrain the jaw joint to the jaw anim.
    Parent the jaw anim under the head anim.
  3. STEP 3: create the head expression

    We are going to add a little expression so when we bend our head the neck slightly bends also.
    This will give us a better blend between the neck and head, and look more smooth.
    Open the expression editor, window -> animation editors expression editor.
    And name a new expression, head_tilt_expr.

    Copy the following into code box below.
    cen_neck_2_bind_joint.rotateX = head_anim.rotateY *.2;
    cen_neck_2_bind_joint.rotateY = -head_anim.rotateZ *.5;
    cen_neck_2_bind_joint.rotateZ = -head_anim.rotateX *.5;
  4. STEP 4: Place the eye anims

    Import a circleArrowTwo.mb from the given rigging files.
    Rename the anim, both_eye_anim.
    To position the anim, select both eyes geometry,then the anim.
    Create a point constraint with the maintain offset off.
    This will place the anim between the eyes.
    Delete the constraint.
    Move the anim infront of the face, as shown.
    Rotate and scale to better fix the eyes.
    Create two more circles.
    Rename them left_eye_anim and right_eye_anim.
    Snap both to their correstponding eye_joint.
    Then in the z axis only, curve snap them to the both eye anim.
    Rotate them to match the both_eye_anim.
    Freeze transforms on all anims.
    lower head anim placement
  5. STEP 5: Rig the eyes

    We have to be careful when rigging the eyes to make sure they stay in their initial position.
    To combat this, we are going to create a texture and make sure the texture doesn't mode.
    Create a ramp on a blinn, and assign it to each eye.
    Then move the ramp colors around slightly to resemble an eye, you don't have to be fancy something simple will work.
    Parent the left and right eye anims under the both eye anim.
    When we move the both eye anim they should both follow to give a general postition, then we can tweak with the eye anims.
    Aim constraint the both eye joints to their respective eye anim.
    The constraint may differ depending on how close you followed joint etiquette.
    If you were followed it really close you made sure your eye joints don't have joint orient.
    In this case, my bad, this will cause the Z axis of the eye to point somewhere else but forward.
    For the eyes we need an axis to point forward at the eyes.
    If you didn't turn the joint orient to 0's, don't worry everything is fine.
    If you did, unparent the geo from the eyes. adjust the eye bind joint's joint orient around the Z or Y until you have an axis pointing forward.
    reparent the geo under the eyes. Then when you create the aim constraint, set the value of 1 in aim constraint in the box corresponding to the axis.
    lower head anim placement lower head anim placement
  6. STEP 6: Rig the eyes

    We have to be careful when rigging the eyes to make sure they stay in their initial position.
    To combat this, we are going to create a texture and make sure the texture doesn't mode.
    Create a ramp on a blinn, and assign it to each eye.
    Then move the ramp colors around slightly to resemble an eye, you don't have to be fancy something simple will work.
    Aim constraint the both eye joints to their respective eye anim, use the options shown below.
    Parent the left and right eye anims under the both eye anim.
    When we move the both eye anim they should both follow to give a general postition, then we can tweak with the eye anims.
  7. STEP 7: Outliner cleanup

    Group the head, neck and both_eye anims together.
    Rename the group head_anim_grp.
    Parent head_anim_grp under the anim_grp.
    Group the cen_neck_1_bind_joint to itself.
    Rename the group neck_skeleton_grp.
    Parent the neck skeleton group under the skeleton_grp.
    On the head, neck and jaw anims, lock and hide all the attrs except rotate.
    On the eye anims lock and hide all the attrs except translate.