Category: Sessions with George

Here is the final version of this animation (Why is there no clothing? Because I attempted to create a military uniform for this character using MD software. However, due to the character’s extensive range of motion, the cloth simulation resulted in the garment tearing into pieces. Therefore, I had to abandon this idea. Once I find a solution, I may revisit and add the clothing).

During this semester, we began by revisiting the logic of character movement, posture, and the principles of timing and spacing in animation through exercises with the BODY MACHINE. This foundational work was instrumental when we later practiced character dialogue. The exercises were excellent, prompting reflection on numerous issues encountered during animation production. We also identified several key problems that need to be addressed. For instance, I tend to overlook the ‘POSS’ issue when creating animations, which I should probably practice more to overcome. Additionally, I’ve been neglecting the sense of space in animation. However, I’m confident that with further practice, I can quickly resolve these issues. Thus, reflecting on animations and learning from the works of others are valuable lessons I’ve acquired this semester.

Summary of Learning Segments for This Semester: 

Week Eight: Identifying issues within the Blocking phase of animation

Week Seven: Let’s make progress by identifying the errors in our animations. 

Week 3: Distribution of SPACE for Character’s Center of Gravity in 3D Animation

After last week’s practice, we have obtained a rough outline of the animation curves and made some modifications to the lip sync. Now, we need to pay more attention to the finer details of the mouth, such as the presentation of the character in the camera’s view. Therefore, the spatial relationship between the character’s teeth and lips requires careful consideration by the animator before making a decision. There is no set formula; I believe it’s more about understanding the relevant knowledge and the animator being aware of this during the animation process.

The sense of space between the teeth and lips

It’s important to avoid overly realistic dental details in the mouth cavity (animation should prioritize expressive quality over realism to achieve better performance effects).

SomeThought

I have consistently compared my animations with those of advanced animators and realized that my work may lack an element that imbues the animation with a soul, known as subtext.

Since 80% of human communication is expressed through body language, I could incorporate appropriate secondary actions in my animation performances to differentiate the emotions within my animations and advance the narrative process (once I have mastered the technical aspects of animation production). Currently, it may be even more important to pay attention to character design during the animation process, immersing oneself in the creation.

After completing the modifications to the character’s center of gravity, it’s time to make some minor adjustments to our animated character’s poses. At this stage, we must pay closer attention to the character’s performance in front of the camera, incorporating appropriate animation techniques to ensure the animation flows smoothly and leans more towards a ‘true animation’ feel.

Once the character’s center of gravity adjustments are confirmed to be accurate, the twelve principles of animation become incredibly important at this moment (although they are often important).

Poses are indeed vital! Therefore, animators must meticulously craft each pose to ensure they are visually clear and impactful, while also aligning with the character’s dynamics and the rhythm of the animation.

Poses are crucial! Pay attention to the character’s left hand here. The original animation placed the left hand too close to the body, causing the entire hand to be hidden within the body, obscuring the hand’s silhouette. By slightly turning the hand outward and redefining the animation curves, we can make the hand’s movements more pronounced and the poses more aesthetically pleasing, as this avoids creating excessive negative space in the silhouette.

In this section, we notice that the original action’s center of gravity shift isn’t very distinct, or it feels artificial. Introducing a greater change in the center of gravity, making the character’s step forward more ‘resolute,’ can enhance the animation’s effect. The animation curves also become more appealing and well-defined. (Constantly focusing on curves during animation production is indeed the correct approach!)

Upon inspection, there might not seem to be anything amiss at first glance. However, trust me, the striding motion I’ve implemented here inadvertently makes the character resemble a lady struggling to take a step rather than a gentleman urgently striding due to warfare.

Therefore, it’s crucial to note that when we use character controllers for animating walk cycles, the master controller is designed to handle the overall rotation of the stride and the vertical movement of the body. The hip controller, on the other hand, primarily utilizes its Y-axis, which is the vertical rotation, to aid the motion of the stride. This was an oversight on my part in this instance.

When executing the walk cycle, the amplitude of the movements need not be so large. As the leading foot descends, our stride should lean towards the side of the lifted foot.

So, for the waist: It will rotate towards the side of the front foot, reaching its maximum angle. 

For the center of gravity sub-controller: We can use it to adjust the overall tilt of the body.

Action Choices

A good animation choice can enhance our animation, so we can step out of our reference to find poses that are more character-specific. Here, we can see that the modified S-curve and the bent arms make the character’s silhouette more pronounced and visually appealing.

Last week, we captured motion references that align with the dialogue and character actions. It’s now time to attempt the conversion of these into animation data. 

The primary focus should be on the stride and shoulder movements, while also ensuring the accurate emotional portrayal of the animated character.

Therefore, I have selected some BLOCKING pieces with roars that I consider to be very effective.

In this instance, we can observe the character extending their head forward, initially dropping the chin down, then compressing it upward before opening again to complete a cycle of mouth opening and closing, accompanied by a significant head movement. Concurrently, the head swings in a C-shaped curve that aligns with the character’s facial tangent line.

When the character bellows forcefully, the facial features first compress, then exaggerate into a wide-open position, with eyebrows raised and the mouth opening to an incredulously large size. The character’s head exhibits a slight left and right shake during the roar, conveying a sense of intense effort. This detail should be noted for the record.

The character feels fear and lowers their head. Here, one can observe the character’s shoulders rising, with the entire body engaging in the motion.

I have re-shot the video reference and have determined the primary Position of Significant Stance (POSS).

In the selection of the POSS, I prefer that when the character speaks the first sentence, they are in a state of shock and confusion, conveying the situation to the person opposite them. During the second sentence, the character carries a certain degree of anger. The final sentence is delivered with extreme anger and a hint of madness.

video reference

During the video reference shoot, my primary focus was to portray the three emotions mentioned above, incorporating a forward step to complete the transition between each emotional state. With each step the character takes, the emotional evolution intensifies, culminating in extreme anger. However, it seems that the shooting angle I used differs slightly from the angle in my reference.

When there is excessive variation in hand movements during a downward swing, we need to make meticulous adjustments to the motion curve to ensure the continuity and precision of the action. By doing so, we can elevate the professional standard of the animation, making it appear more fluid and realistic.

In the final stages of the animation, adding some hang time effects can enhance the visual impact. This involves initiating the movement with the main body parts first, followed by the limbs. This technique not only adds to the fun and dynamism of the animation but also creates a visual effect of the limbs being dragged by the body. Such treatment makes the animation more vivid, realistic, and engaging for the audience.

In the end, we add the scene behind the character and also add the ambient lighting. Here I place the final modified animation.

After addressing the issue of the velocity of the center of gravity movement, it’s time to resolve the spatial issue of the character’s center of gravity.

During the movement of the center of gravity, greater attention needs to be paid to the issue of spatial distribution, as the original allocation of the center of gravity space is too random. Therefore, we can use the Tween Machine plugin to readjust it.

Here, I have overturned the initial ordinary starting action and introduced a preparatory action to lay the groundwork for the character’s subsequent on-the-spot staggering, thereby enhancing the fun of the animation.

Additionally, incorporate more curvilinear motion during the movement of the center of gravity.

I must admit, when I animate too quickly, I subconsciously forget many of the fundamental principles of animation. As we can see in the illustration, when the character takes a large stride, there is a neglect in the use of curves. Incorporating ease-out into the stepping motion will make the action more forceful and swift.

When the character grabs the stick to perform a pendulum swing, the motion should also conform to that of a pendulum. Therefore, the movement trajectory should consist of easing in, accelerating, and then easing out.

In the animation production process, greater attention must be paid to the character’s silhouette. Additionally, the character should not be completely side-facing the camera.