ADVANCED ANIMATION - EXERCISES

 ADVANCED ANIMATION - EXERCISES

week 1-week 4

DONG XINBEI / 0359733

Advance Animation / Bachelor of Design (Honours) in Creative Media

Exercises

INSTRUCTIONS

Lecture

Week 1

In the first week of the course, Mr. Kamal provided us with a detailed explanation of the key aspects of this module, giving us a clear understanding of the overall learning plan. He comprehensively outlined the critical topics covered in the course, including technical knowledge, the creative process, and industry practices. Additionally, he focused on explaining the differences between 2D and 3D animation.

Mr. Kamal also thoroughly explained the structure of the course assignments. He clarified the objectives of the tasks, helped us understand the requirements of each step, and emphasized the essential skills needed to complete the assignments, such as modeling, material application, and animation techniques. Furthermore, he encouraged us to actively explore and experiment during our learning journey, laying a solid foundation for the upcoming coursework. This week’s content was both informative and inspiring, leaving me excited about the subsequent lessons in the course.

Week 2

In Week 2, Mr. Kamal guided us through the process of creating a bouncing ball animation in Blender. He explained the key steps of animation production in detail, particularly how to use the timeline and keyframes to simulate the ball's bounce trajectory and motion rhythm. Additionally, he emphasized the importance of timing in animation, such as how to use proper acceleration and deceleration effects to make the bouncing ball's movements appear more realistic and natural.

Week 3 and Week 4

Mr. Kamal demonstrated how to create a pendulum animation using Blender. He started with the basics, guiding us step by step through the process of building the animation and providing in-depth explanations at each stage. He particularly emphasized key animation principles, such as drag effects, overlapping actions, and follow-through movements. These principles not only helped us understand how to control the pendulum's swinging rhythm but also taught us how to make animations appear smoother and more natural.

Mr. Kamal also focused on achieving a realistic feel in the animation. He explained in detail how to adjust the timeline and set keyframes to simulate the pendulum's acceleration and deceleration, as well as the gradual reduction in swing amplitude. Additionally, he highlighted the techniques for animating the tail of the pendulum, showing us how to ensure the tail's movement closely follows the main motion while incorporating appropriate drag and delay effects to enhance the animation's dynamism.

Week 5

In Week 5, Mr. Kamal provided us with a character model and guided us through the process of creating animations for it. He explained in detail how to adjust the character's body, focusing on ensuring that the poses and movements were both logical and natural. The process of animating the character was very engaging, as we were able to bring it to life by designing different actions and poses.

Later, Mr. Kamal assigned us a task to create multiple poses for the character. This exercise allowed us to experiment with various emotional expressions and physical stances, helping us better understand how to convey emotions and actions effectively in animation. It was an enjoyable and educational experience that significantly enhanced our skills in character animation design.

Week 6

This week, Mr. Kamal provided a detailed explanation of the first project, which focused on creating a walk cycle animation for a character. Although we had previously explored similar concepts in 2D animation, translating it into 3D animation was an entirely new challenge. Initially, I thought that creating a 3D walk cycle would be more complicated, but as I worked through it, I realized that the greater flexibility and control in 3D animation actually made the process more intuitive and seamless.

During the production process, I adjusted every detail of the character's movements in the 3D space, allowing me to gain a deeper understanding of the mechanics behind a walk cycle.

Week 7

-- Independent Learning Week --

Week 8

-- No Class --

Week 9

-No Class --

Week 10

In Week 10, Mr. Kamal introduced the second project—Jump Animation, focusing on how to create a cartoonish and appealing effect through exaggerated actions and precise timing. We started by analyzing the jump motion, studying reference materials to identify key poses in the jumping process. We then considered techniques such as drag, follow-through, and overlap to make the jump appear more dynamic. Special attention was given to the character's body posture while in the air and the details of landing, aiming to convey a sense of fluidity and bounce in the animation.

Week 11

-- Consultation Week --

Week 12

-- Consultation Week --

Week 13

-- Consultation Week --

Week 14

-- Consultation Week --

INSTRUCTION

Figure 1.1 MIB

Exercises

Exercise 1

The first exercise involved animating various types of 3D balls, such as a soccer ball, ping pong ball, bowling ball, and beach ball. Mr. Kamal provided us with the 3D models for each of these balls.

Find image/video reference for these bouncing ball:

Soccer ball - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01cm7H1QoJg

Ping Pong - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTsx5eW2eLU

Bowling ball - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTz_5quG_ig

Beach ball - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s74P1ejubEA

Figure 2.1 

Figure 2.2

Figure 2.3

Exercise 2

In Exercise 2, my task was to create an animation for the pendulum rig, aiming to demonstrate basic animation principles like drag, overlapping action, and follow-through. First, I downloaded the pendulum rig and took time to familiarize myself with its controls, ensuring I could adjust the various parts of the pendulum freely. During the animation process, I paid special attention to the details of drag, overlapping action, and follow-through. 

The drag effect allowed me to add a natural delay after the main swing of the pendulum, making the movement of the tail less stiff, while overlapping action helped me show the layered motion of the pendulum swing, adding more dynamic tension to the animation.

Additionally, I focused on the response of the pendulum's tail. The tail's motion had to follow the main movement closely, while also reflecting the dynamic relationship between the two, ensuring the animation appeared more natural. This exercise deepened my understanding of basic animation principles and helped me improve my ability to adjust animations in Blender.

Figure 3.1 exercise pendulum 1

Figure 3.2 exercise pendulum 2

Figure 3.3 exercise pendulum 3

Exercise 3

In Exercise 3: Emotion Pose, you first need to download the character rig "Snow" and familiarize yourself with how to control the character's body and facial expressions. You can capture still images from videos, and once you have your references, carefully observe the key poses for each emotion, focusing on the line of action, silhouette, and weight distribution, while avoiding parallel or symmetrical poses. 

Using the Snow rig, adjust the character's body and facial expression to accurately convey each emotion. Use lighting to render the background and enhance the visual effect.

Figure 4.1 angry

Figure 4.2 scared

Figure 4.3 happy

Figure 4.4 sad

Reflection

Through these exercises, I gradually realized the importance of details in animation. First, in Exercise 1: Bouncing Ball, I focused on refining keyframe and timeline adjustments to ensure each bounce naturally and realistically reflected the laws of physics, thereby enhancing the dynamism and believability of the animation. Next, in Exercise 2: Pendulum Animation, especially in the reaction of the tail, I improved the continuity and realism of the animation. Finally, in Exercise 3: Emotional Poses, I concentrated on using changes in posture to convey different emotions, utilizing techniques such as action lines, contours, and the distribution of weight to make each emotion more distinct and expressive.

 These exercises not only helped me improve my technical skills but also made me realize that animation is not just a display of technique; it is an organic blend of emotion and movement. Every frame requires careful consideration and design, and only then can the animation truly resonate with the audience. These experiences have given me a more comprehensive understanding of animation creation and laid a solid foundation for my future, more expressive work.