Advanced and Experimental 3D Computer Animation Techniques – Page 4

Week Four: Story Confirmation It’s time to solidify the character designs.

We have two characters: one is a zombie, and the other is an infected zombie.

In the character design phase, we annotate the character’s backstory, the setting of the story, what happened at that time, and why the character acts in a certain way. This allows us to understand our characters more deeply and ensures that we stay true to the original concept during the animation production. Moreover, due to the distinct character designs, we can create different animations tailored to each character to better align with their individual traits.

Week 3: A collection of animation resource websites

A highly useful model website: https://agora. Community/assets

In this module, we explore the acquisition of 3D models for use in our animation scenes. These models come with quality rigging, and most importantly, they are available at no cost! It’s essential to recognize the significance of accessing functional models in the current landscape.

Another resourceful model repository can be found at https://animationmethods.com/rigs.html

This site offers a diverse array of models, including creatures and those tailored to American-style animation, broadening the spectrum of creative choices for our animated narratives.

Additionally, we share a valuable video reference platform: https://www.gettyimages.ca/collections/bbc-motion-gallery

Here, you can input desired actions and retrieve a selection of related movements, which are more natural and serve as excellent references for animation.

In the final phase, we may require instructional videos to continually enhance our animation production skills. For this purpose, we can utilize YouTube or other video platforms to access the desired tutorials. (A heartfelt thanks to those willing to share their knowledge.)

Week Two: World Design in Animation, Creation of Mood Boards, and Storyboards

Story One: The Taoist

In this phase, I commenced the production of mood boards and revisited the storyboards crafted in the previous week, incorporating additional camera movements to enhance the visual storytelling.

In the concluding segment, I designed a narrative twist featuring zombie resurrection, where the zombie reclaims its body with the aid of the person it had slain, subsequently launching a surprise attack on the still-recovering Taoist.

Subsequently, we can utilize MAYA to craft certain shots, establishing the visual effects for the entire narrative. However, it is imperative to adhere to the predetermined camera setup, ensuring that two-person shots conform to the camera layout, thereby rendering the shots more impactful.

Story Two: Personal Vendetta

Regarding the mood boards, I intend to design a color effect akin to that in Schindler’s List, where the aggressor is highlighted in red, setting him apart from the rest of the elements, which will be rendered in grayscale. At the story’s climax, the avenger, upon executing the aggressor, inherits his color, symbolizing the transfer of fate or consequence.

Storyboard Design:

Following this, we proceed with the camera setup in MAYA: after modifications, the opposition between the two characters is accentuated.

Week_01: The FMP thesis proposal

On graduation which area or environment of production do you wish to focus upon and why?

I hope that I can focus more on the personal competence of animators when I graduate. Having good animation production skills is one of the qualities that every animator should have.

What skills will you need to attain the standards required for vocational practice?

Self-study and good communication skills, animation production and understanding skills, learn the advantages of animation from reference videos and convert them into their own knowledge.

How will you showcase your FMP practice for the final shows?

In the final subject project, I want to make an animation about social justice issues, and discuss whether private revenge should be taken when the law fails to provide justice for the victims. The overall animation style will be more stylistic, and real-time calculation will be added to clothing and hair to achieve better results.

Is it important to directly connect the thesis research to your practical work?

This need to be discussed separately, the actual work does not need to show the reflection on social issues, then some people will ask, is the paper research related to the actual work? My answer is yes, in the postgraduate stage, we need to read a lot of relevant animations and movies through the research on social issues. In this process, we can exercise our sense of beauty and sensitivity to animation, and our skills can be exercised later. However, the research quality and exploration of animation aesthetics cultivated in the postgraduate stage will be the effective ability to make ourselves stand out.

Do you have an area of research you wish to conduct that is unrelated to practical element?

Of course, for example, I have recently been studying the representation of quadruped animals in animation, because I have found that most of the quadruped animal animation on the market follows the Disney style, with exaggeration and anthropomorphism as the main body. As a result, most animation references on the market revolve around this style, lacking the promotion of realistic style. I hope to enrich the resources and relevant knowledge in this area through my own research.

Week 1: Short Animation Conceptualization, Starting with IDEA and Shot Design

This week, let’s embark on designing an animation exercise, beginning with the conception of a story segment.

The first story segment revolves around a Chinese Taoist priest combating a demon. The inspiration for this shot stems from the cool visual of a Taoist priest flinging talisman papers backward, akin to a knight fearlessly charging at the enemy.

Here, I have conceptualized two distinct shot types to experiment with, in pursuit of discovering the one I deem most visually appealing.

The second story segment shifts focus to the concept of ‘personal vendetta’. I have devised a narrative where a man, who was bullied in his youth, enters the abode of his childhood tormentor as an adult. The culmination of this tale is marked by the man exacting his revenge, ultimately wielding a knife to end the bully’s life.

Here, we delve into the exploration of animation shot composition, also known as MISE-EN-SCÈNE. In the process of shot design, we may commence with a variety of aesthetically pleasing poses. However, at this juncture, it is imperative to adhere more closely to the principle of ‘proportion’ in our character shots. By conforming to these standards, we can craft our animation shots with precision and artistry.

So, how can one swiftly learn the intricacies of shot setup? In fact, we can turn to film trailers for guidance. These trailers are replete with dynamic camera movements and meticulous shot arrangements. The wealth of information they provide can expedite our comprehension of shot design principles.