Exercise 1:
Things learnt from the tutorial videos:
- Setting up a project
- Creating the background models (simple wooden planks)
- Texturing
- Bump-mapping (which we haven't covered yet)
- Keyframing
- Using the graph editor to control animation
- Lighting/camera setup
- Rendering
Exercise 2:
1) Do you need to be able to draw well to create good 2D animation? Explain your view.
Yes, I feel that you need to draw well in order to create a good 2D animation. As 2D animation is different form that of 3D, 2D animation require drawings as it is only a one way perspective view, so you need to draw well so to make the animation move in a single way view, thus drawing is needed to make a good 2D animation.
2) Do you need to be able to draw well to create good 3D animation? Explain your view.
As for 3D, it doesn't really need to draw well to create a good 3D animation. For 3D animation, there are programs such as Maya, to help users to create what they want inside the program, thu if you have the idea and concept, you just need to use the program to create what is in your mind, thus drawing is just a wireframe to get a better view of the objects, where is not really required compared to 2D animation.
3) What do you think would separate a piece of poor animation from a piece of good animation? In other words, how would you go about deciding if a piece of animation is good or bad?
A good animation is that the animation is well plan and thoughtful, where it is very realistic and good looking. Even minor factors such as breathing will be considered, as well as factors like the 12 principles we have learnt before is well-done.
A poor animation is animation which is just dull and robotic, which does not have the factors such as the 12 principles and etc.
4) In 2D animation, you need to be very aware of timing at a frame by frame level, using timing charts and other techniques - but for 3D animation, this is handled using the graph editor, which is more concerned with manipulating rates of change over time.
Does this affect how you approach your animation work? Explain.
Yes, for 2D animation, keyframes is just a more simple way of changing the timing and is not very detailed. For 3D animation, using the graph editor is much more detailed than those in 2D animation, which helps me to make animation more realistic, thus 3D animation shows the detailed of what it is compared to 2D, and that 3D requires more in-depth research and patience in order to make a good animation.
5) Give a brief critique of Maya as an animation tool. Don't just say Maya makes animation difficult, or easy, or that you need to learn a lot of stuff to use Maya - explain what Maya does well and not so well in terms of creating animation.
Maya is one of the better tool used for 3D animation, what Maya good about is that it have very detailed functions like graph editor tool, which makes animation more realistic and also with the detail points such as x-axis, which is able to allow users to make a detailed animation move. Maya is still improving, where I feel it could add more functions to make animation easier like a shortcut tool and etc, this also means that we need to remember more functions on Maya, where everything has its good and bad.
Sunday, 31 July 2011
Sunday, 24 July 2011
Week11_Lab2
This week is e-learning, so you'll just follow on from the simple Maya tutorial exercise from Lab 1.
Go through the notes in Adding Squash and Stretch to a Ball.doc.
Create TWO ball animations with squash and stretch:
1) A small ball, like a tennis ball, with less squash and stretch
2) A more cartoony, larger ball (like a soft beachball), with lots of squash and stretch, ie. with exaggeration
In your journal, discuss the following:
1) Why is squash and stretch so useful in animation?
Squash and stretch makes the animation more realistic, where you will need to have it in the future on further animation, which will make the animation more lively and interesting.
2) Think of a situation in which extreme squash and stretch could be applied to a character - try to be original.
I think it will be when a person falls from a very high level and land on a bouncy trampoline, where he will be squash and stretch and bounce around.
3) Think of an animation example where squash and stretch would NOT be appropriate
I think will be when a person falls from a very high level on a flat ground, where it will not have the squash and stretch animation.
4) If squash and stretch doesn't really happen so obviously in real life, why do you think is it so effective in animation?
(Look at the title of Disney animator Ollie Johnston's famous book about animation - do an Amazon search ... there's a clue in the title!)
"The ILLUSION OF LIFE: DISNEY ANIMATION" , the book illustrates about how animation goes about for the disney characters and is very inspiration. I think animation will give life a more inspiration touch, to make the impossible in real life into a possible one in animation.
Go through the notes in Adding Squash and Stretch to a Ball.doc.
Create TWO ball animations with squash and stretch:
1) A small ball, like a tennis ball, with less squash and stretch
2) A more cartoony, larger ball (like a soft beachball), with lots of squash and stretch, ie. with exaggeration
In your journal, discuss the following:
1) Why is squash and stretch so useful in animation?
Squash and stretch makes the animation more realistic, where you will need to have it in the future on further animation, which will make the animation more lively and interesting.
2) Think of a situation in which extreme squash and stretch could be applied to a character - try to be original.
I think it will be when a person falls from a very high level and land on a bouncy trampoline, where he will be squash and stretch and bounce around.
3) Think of an animation example where squash and stretch would NOT be appropriate
I think will be when a person falls from a very high level on a flat ground, where it will not have the squash and stretch animation.
4) If squash and stretch doesn't really happen so obviously in real life, why do you think is it so effective in animation?
(Look at the title of Disney animator Ollie Johnston's famous book about animation - do an Amazon search ... there's a clue in the title!)
"The ILLUSION OF LIFE: DISNEY ANIMATION" , the book illustrates about how animation goes about for the disney characters and is very inspiration. I think animation will give life a more inspiration touch, to make the impossible in real life into a possible one in animation.
Friday, 22 July 2011
Week11_Lab1 (Exercise 1 and 2)
Exercise 1:
Using the Maya tutorial, I have manage to learn on how to move the ball over the fence and make it more realistic.
Things learnt from Maya tutorial:
- Keyframes
- Graph Editor
Video from tutorial:
Exercise 2:
Using keyframing, to animate out the moving ball and also using the graph editor tool, by using the tangents to sharpens the bounce to better simulate the effect of gravity.
Maya Animation done in Maya on keyframing:
Reflection
A fun and interesting exercise, using keyframing to animate and move the ball, which is also our 1st exercise on how to animate and move objects in Maya, the skill learn will beneficial and be used in our final project.
Using the Maya tutorial, I have manage to learn on how to move the ball over the fence and make it more realistic.
Things learnt from Maya tutorial:
- Keyframes
- Graph Editor
Video from tutorial:
Exercise 2:
Using keyframing, to animate out the moving ball and also using the graph editor tool, by using the tangents to sharpens the bounce to better simulate the effect of gravity.
Maya Animation done in Maya on keyframing:
Reflection
A fun and interesting exercise, using keyframing to animate and move the ball, which is also our 1st exercise on how to animate and move objects in Maya, the skill learn will beneficial and be used in our final project.
Wednesday, 13 July 2011
Week10_Lab2
Things learnt from this exercise
- Keyframes
- Frame per seconds
Extra Things
- Colours added
Keyframes is the a unique frame that represents each of the section of the animation. For this animation, I have used 32 unique frame.
Frame per seconds represent the speed of each of the section moving. For this animation, I have used the speed of 18 frame per seconds.
I also added some colours in each of the key frame to make it look more attractive.
Reflection
A very simple exercise, using the pencil tool to create a 2D bouncing ball. I think this exercise allows us to have a brief view of what keyframes are in a much more simple concept, using 2D to let us see how it is done first before moving on to 3D. A very interesting and meaningful exercise.
- Keyframes
- Frame per seconds
Extra Things
- Colours added
Keyframes is the a unique frame that represents each of the section of the animation. For this animation, I have used 32 unique frame.
Frame per seconds represent the speed of each of the section moving. For this animation, I have used the speed of 18 frame per seconds.
I also added some colours in each of the key frame to make it look more attractive.
Reflection
A very simple exercise, using the pencil tool to create a 2D bouncing ball. I think this exercise allows us to have a brief view of what keyframes are in a much more simple concept, using 2D to let us see how it is done first before moving on to 3D. A very interesting and meaningful exercise.
Thursday, 7 July 2011
Week10_Lab1 (Exercise 3)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZBbtk47vZw&feature=related
Principles Involve
- Anticipation, the person prepare himself before he jumps and crash at the wardrobe as well as the audience preparing to sell what will happen next.
- Squash and stretch, when the person jumps on the wardrobe his hands and legs are stretch out wide.
- Follow through and overlapping action, after the person hits the wardrobe and fall, his hands and legs follow up when he falls after coming to a stop.
- Arc, when the person running towards the wardrobe, his arms swings in a circular motion.
- Secondary action, when the person is talking, his hands are moving at the same time.
- Slow in and slow out, when the person starts to run, he gets faster and faster before banging the wardrobe.
Reflection
One funny video I had chosen, haha. Nevertheless, from the last part of exercise I have learnt, I manage to apply some of the principles even in a short video in it. Although the video is funny and does not mean anything, but the actions and movements involved can still be able to include the 12 principles inside the various elements of movements involved. No matter what video it is, there will still be at least 1 principle involved in it.
Principles Involve
- Anticipation, the person prepare himself before he jumps and crash at the wardrobe as well as the audience preparing to sell what will happen next.
- Squash and stretch, when the person jumps on the wardrobe his hands and legs are stretch out wide.
- Follow through and overlapping action, after the person hits the wardrobe and fall, his hands and legs follow up when he falls after coming to a stop.
- Arc, when the person running towards the wardrobe, his arms swings in a circular motion.
- Secondary action, when the person is talking, his hands are moving at the same time.
- Slow in and slow out, when the person starts to run, he gets faster and faster before banging the wardrobe.
Reflection
One funny video I had chosen, haha. Nevertheless, from the last part of exercise I have learnt, I manage to apply some of the principles even in a short video in it. Although the video is funny and does not mean anything, but the actions and movements involved can still be able to include the 12 principles inside the various elements of movements involved. No matter what video it is, there will still be at least 1 principle involved in it.
Week10_Lab1 (Exercise 1 and 2)
12 basic principles of animation
1. Squash and Stretch
2. Anticipation
3. Staging
4. Straight ahead action and pose to pose
5. Follow through and overlapping action
6. Slow in and slow out
7. Arcs
8. Secondary action
9. Timing
10. Exaggeration
11.Solid drawing
12. Appeal
1. Squash and Stretch - This principal is involved in this video, as kevin jumps, his hands and legs are stretched out which involved the principle.
2. Anticipation - This principle is also involved as kevin was preparing for his actions to begin thus involving the principle.
2. Anticipation - This principle is once again used, as jeremy is preparing for his acions to punch vanan, whihc involved the principle.
7. Arcs - This principle is involved as when jeremy punches vanan, there is a form of curve in his punching which form an arc, where this principle is involved.
10. Exaggeration - This principle is also involved, as jeremy is about to punch vanan, you will be able to see his angry face which shows how angry he was and wanted to attack vanan, and when vanan got hit, he crash on the wall due to the impact of the punch which make it more realistic, this this principle is involved as well.
2. Anticipation - This principle is once again used, as both kevin and jinghong is preparing to throw or catch for their actions, thus the principle is used.
1. Squash and Stretch - This principle is used again, as both kevin and jinghong throws and catch the ball, they stretched their hands to throw and catch the ball and also squad down when throw and catching the ball, thus the principle is involved.
5. Follow through and overlapping action - This principle is used, as both jinghong and kevin throws the ball, their movement follow up after throwing the ball and to a stop, where the principle is used.
2. Anticipation - This principle is again used, as both vanan and jinghong is faking one another, their also preparing to throw the ball at each other without giveing them time to react, thus the principle is used.
5. Follow through and overlapping action - This principle is again used, as both vanan and jinghong throw the balls, their hands follow through their actions and to a stop where the principle is involved.
2. Anticipation - This principle is also involved here, as hussain is getting prepared to run up the stairs, thus the principle is used.
7. Arcs - This principle is used, as hussain is running up the stairs, his hand motions from a circular shape, where the principle is involved.
2. Anticipation - This principle is also involved here, as jeremy get ready to do push-up, thus this principle is used.
1. Squash and Stretch - This principal is involved, as jeremy is doing push-ups, his arms and legs are stretching up and down, which the principle is involved.
3. Staging - This principle is used, as jeremy is already prepared and in push-up position, and what he going to do next is also predictable, so staging is involved here.
Reflection
A fun exercise!! Finally can go out of the lab and have some fun!! Using the 12 principles of animation, we can know how should a video be made to include these principles in it, to make the video attractive and much more interesting, to attract the audiences. We can implement these principles in our maya animation next time(very soon), and I think we gonna do animation of moving objects in maya, finally something that can move around and interact in Maya!
1. Squash and Stretch
2. Anticipation
3. Staging
4. Straight ahead action and pose to pose
5. Follow through and overlapping action
6. Slow in and slow out
7. Arcs
8. Secondary action
9. Timing
10. Exaggeration
11.Solid drawing
12. Appeal
1. Squash and Stretch - This principal is involved in this video, as kevin jumps, his hands and legs are stretched out which involved the principle.
2. Anticipation - This principle is also involved as kevin was preparing for his actions to begin thus involving the principle.
2. Anticipation - This principle is once again used, as jeremy is preparing for his acions to punch vanan, whihc involved the principle.
7. Arcs - This principle is involved as when jeremy punches vanan, there is a form of curve in his punching which form an arc, where this principle is involved.
10. Exaggeration - This principle is also involved, as jeremy is about to punch vanan, you will be able to see his angry face which shows how angry he was and wanted to attack vanan, and when vanan got hit, he crash on the wall due to the impact of the punch which make it more realistic, this this principle is involved as well.
2. Anticipation - This principle is once again used, as both kevin and jinghong is preparing to throw or catch for their actions, thus the principle is used.
1. Squash and Stretch - This principle is used again, as both kevin and jinghong throws and catch the ball, they stretched their hands to throw and catch the ball and also squad down when throw and catching the ball, thus the principle is involved.
5. Follow through and overlapping action - This principle is used, as both jinghong and kevin throws the ball, their movement follow up after throwing the ball and to a stop, where the principle is used.
2. Anticipation - This principle is again used, as both vanan and jinghong is faking one another, their also preparing to throw the ball at each other without giveing them time to react, thus the principle is used.
5. Follow through and overlapping action - This principle is again used, as both vanan and jinghong throw the balls, their hands follow through their actions and to a stop where the principle is involved.
2. Anticipation - This principle is also involved here, as hussain is getting prepared to run up the stairs, thus the principle is used.
7. Arcs - This principle is used, as hussain is running up the stairs, his hand motions from a circular shape, where the principle is involved.
2. Anticipation - This principle is also involved here, as jeremy get ready to do push-up, thus this principle is used.
1. Squash and Stretch - This principal is involved, as jeremy is doing push-ups, his arms and legs are stretching up and down, which the principle is involved.
3. Staging - This principle is used, as jeremy is already prepared and in push-up position, and what he going to do next is also predictable, so staging is involved here.
Reflection
A fun exercise!! Finally can go out of the lab and have some fun!! Using the 12 principles of animation, we can know how should a video be made to include these principles in it, to make the video attractive and much more interesting, to attract the audiences. We can implement these principles in our maya animation next time(very soon), and I think we gonna do animation of moving objects in maya, finally something that can move around and interact in Maya!
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