Hello again!
This is a production book created to document my growth in character animation from Week 07 to Week 12 of this course. The second half of the course has hit like a truck with the complexity of exercises jumping way up. It is bitter sweet as I am always excited to be challenged by my work and to improve from the experience. The downside is that my file name will probably say v06_t12. Despite this, being able to work with full body rigs is something I looked forward to throughout these weeks.
As requested, here is a video essay where I reflect on my time studying in KNB135.
Video Essay
Unfortunately, my Adobe account was switched from being registered as "Personal Account" to a "School Account". Because of this, I no longer have access to the work submitted in A1. Luckily, everything is still accessible for viewers through this button!
Pendulum Swing
Process
I actually had to change my approach to the animation in the planning phase after searching up how a multi joint pendulum moves. I pulled up this exact video below and cried after I saw the type of overlapping movement these things had.
(stevenbtroy, 2010)
Seeing something this impossible "motivated" me to rethink my process and trat the pendulum more like a chain. Chains are more restrictive in movement and don't allow for behavior only possible to create with a simulation.
While working on the pendulum, Cordell caught a small problem with the overlapping action of the chain. It looked super stiff and as if there was a mechanism in within the chain that resisted motion and forced it to swing unnaturally.
A small change that fixed the issue was offsetting the rotation of each joint leading to really smooth movement. It brought back overlap and gave a sense of gravity affecting the chain.
Front View
Quarter View
Side View
Process
I had done walk cycles in the past and knew from the start that something separated my work from the professionals. My characters were just stiff and didn't have any life in them. And I couldn't understand how other animators just gave that bounce to their character's steps. Therefore, I learned a ton from this video on the I Want to Be an Animator YouTube channel. Their video was dense, detail-oriented, and technical. It shed light on everything I was missing. I was amazed (and frustrated) with how much went into a simple walk cycle.
(I Want to Be an Animator - Animation Tutorials, 2020)
The key lesson I learned from this video was every action causes a reaction in other areas of the body. Either through overlapping action or counterbalancing weight, different body parts will naturally react. Relating to the walk cycle, it never crossed my mind to consider these minor movements that complement the major movements. Of course, you need to have the timing of the legs and arms to make the motion clear to the viewer. But it only feels believable when you involve the small things like hip rotation, head tilt, offsetting the center of gravity, curbing the path of the feet moving in front and behind, the drag of the hand, and so many other details that compound into appealing ovement.
With this tutorial showing me the attention to detail necessary for animation, I'm very happy with the flow and appeal of my walk cycle.
Front View
Quarter View
Side View
Process
The run cycle felt like a test to see if I really learned the techniques for appealing motion from the walk cycle. Instead of depending on a tutorial, I would be referring to examples online, creating my own reference, and pulling from my knowledge in previous weeks. I found two really good running videos online that followed different styles of animation. One was an exaggerated samurai running while the other was a realistic marathon runner. A great set of references to see the fundamentals of a good run and where to push the stylization.
(HappyLMegas, 2017)
(Hoon Heo, 2017)
Biggest things I saw were that each step takes 7 frames, the foot only touches the ground for 4 frames, and the most extreme point in a stride is when both feet are off the ground.
Additionally, having footage of how I ran helped me understand how the shins and feet pivot on the knee and move between poses.
Action Cam
Side View
Process
Such a fun animation to work on! This is the type of work I enjoy creating, things that are creative and exciting to look at. The idea for Jill trying to stop the sliding safe came from a frustration I had about finding an interesting way to show pulling. I couldn't imagine anything interesting being restricted to just pulling a rope on a wall. Through a few iterations, an idea popped in my head to flip the script. The rope could be pulling the person and they are trying to resist it. The bank vault evolved out of this spark.
For something this specific, it was very difficult finding reference. I found it hard to find anyone doing this sort of motion that would fit the scene in my head. Even videos showcasing professional tug of war athletes didn't fit the bill. I built a lot of the poses by acting it out in my room and thinking about how being pulled would look.
The one thing that I just couldn't figure out was how did the hands and rope move? I couldn't act out that sort of tension nor recall any experiences that were similar. That's when the idea came along to refer to wakeboarding. An activity where a person is pulled by a boat across the water. A perfect example to pull from!
(David OC, 2021)
I learned that your hands don't move all that much and stay inline with the position of your body. I had them flying everywhere originally, but was glad to know I could reel it in and keep them very controlled.
Gap Jump
Process
Not a whole lot to talk about with this exercise, just good old use of reference combined with stylization. I filmed myself performing a very simply two foot jump and used that information to create a strong foundation for the animation.
I really wanted to nail the swinging of the arms as they communicate the force of the jump due to how strongly they portray anticipation. It was such a pain to smoothly swing arms from one side of the body to the other so I switch to IK
References
[stevenbtroy]. (2010, Aug 6). Double Pendulum [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/79p8rfveK6M?si=0M7hJw_6_dQNF2Ct
[David OC]. (2021, Jul 22). 7 Easy Tricks For Beginners - Wakeboarding Tips [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/79p8rfveK6M?si=0M7hJw_6_dQNF2Ct
[HappyLMegas]. (2017, Nov 7). Jetstream Sam Attack Animation & Run Cycle [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/3QJwH1yq92I?si=dgoqq_-t60LVDn2K
[Hoon Heo]. (2017, Nov 4). Run Cycle Animation [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/Ai5McA8VIeQ?si=9F9cir3mgRhN0pSX
[I Want to Be an Animator - Animation Tutorials]. (2020, May 31). WALK CYCLE IN 15 STEPS ▶️▶️▶️ TUTORIAL #12 (Intermediate level) [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/4Icj7fhPZbs?si=xjCmQ9Cz1e-xA5xG