Hehe, Vrauckis, accused of being complicated, the story of my life, well I think of being complex ;o). Let me say it in this way, before one can successfully simplify anything, one needs to master the complexity of the subject. If the “inner logic” is fully understood—then—a simplification can be done in a healthy way.
There is certainly a group of people who just chop a subject in the pieces they understood and ignore the more complicated or complex parts. They call it as well simplification, and then the trouble starts, as the term is misused. A fraction of a subject is never a simplification.
Having said that, there is not really a general answer to a subject with such an wide variety of options and targets. To set up a hand-rig alone follows not a best practice or standard rules, it follows the need of the scene and how the animator will use the rig. The target here could be in conflict between the time to set up a rig—vs—the time time to animate with the rig. A good balance seems th ideal, but ask the animator how much s/he is willing to suffer with a mediocre rig for example.
It sounds good to have for the main expression a slider for example. The question here would be, is that the target? How much do “we” use the object with the sliders in transition mode among the target expressions and how well is that working?
Character-animation is a complex field, it is beyond technically or acting as it contains both worlds an more. The fine nuances in each expression-change and how the before and after move-ments around the target expression are very important to define. Just go from one target to the next, might be the exact requirement for one scene, but for the next project it will perhaps fail. In short, you need to know what works for your project and animator mix, then you get an answer. One size fits all, I don’t believe that. But your milage might vary.
Based on that, sketch out your targets, the scenes and the need to operate the rig. Then you will know if a rig needs only Final-expression sliders, or if you have an rig that allows for, e.g., each finger a different motion/expression, and build from there a master-slider set up, with the option to fine tune. Either way check how you can go from one target-expression to the next, and how natural does it looks, based on the story you like to tell. We normally don’t go from one target expression back to neutral and then to the next target expression. Hence the mix of two half target expression will answer how it will work for you, etc.
Your rig and its operational sliders, handles etc will allow—or not at all—to work precise, fast, and efficient. If the rig is more in your way, than supporting your efforts, nothing is achieved. This is the most simplified answer I can give, as I certainly see the complexity, but I do not have a single answer for that, besides, it has to fit like a glove to work well, an individual set is needed—in other words.
The more you know yourself, if you are the animator, and the more you know your target and the story to tell, the better you can judge any set up. To boil it down, the rig itself without context can be good or bad.
All the best
Sassi
