Being Frank: Animating in 3D using a 2D Flash animation as a guide

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Animating in 3D using a 2D Flash animation as a guide

I'm learning a lot (the hard way) about animating in 3D compared to animating in 2D.

Don't let the computer be the animator! It's a tough struggle and teaching me about persistence.

Here is the 2D Flash animation I'm working with and a 3D 'blocking pass' that I'm just starting to break down. Keeping the arcs and spacing in the body turns are a real challenge.

My Son has a Gift - 2D from Frank G on Vimeo.

My Son has a Gift - 3D blocking pass from Frank G on Vimeo.

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Principles of Animation: A reference list for me to have up while I'm working

Character:
[ ] Appeal
[ ] Design for Animation
[ ] Architecture b4 Add-ons
[ ] Model Key poses
* [ ] LOA
* [ ] Power Centre
* [ ] Psychological Gestures
* [ ] Meaningful Symbolism

Animation:
[ ] Plan with thumbnails
[ ] Staging / Meaningful Framing
[ ] Key Frames
[ ] Timing, Spacing /Mah
[ ] Fill the Mah
* [ ] thinking
* [ ] intention
[ ] Anticpation
[ ] Squash and Stretch
[ ] Follow Through &;
[ ] Overlapping Action
[ ] Refine the Arcs
[ ] Offset Action
[ ] Exaggeration
[ ] Appeal in motion

modified from ...

Don’t illustrate words or mechanical movements

Illustrate ideas or thoughts, with the attitudes and actions

Squash and stretch entire body for attitudes

Change = Impact: If possible, make definite changes from one attitude to another in timing, LOA and expression

Animate the Thought: What is the character thinking?

It is the thought and circumstances behind the action that will make the action interesting

When drawing dialogue, go for phrasing. (Simplify the dialogue into pictures of the dominating vowel and consonant sounds, especially in fast dialogue

Lift the body attitude 4 frames before dialogue modulation (but use identical timing on mouth as on X sheet).

Change of expression and major dialogue sounds are a point of interest. Do them, if at all possible, within a pose. If the head moves too much you won’t see the changes

Don’t move anything unless it’s for a purpose

Concentrate on drawing clear, not clean

Don’t be careless

Everything has a function. Don’t draw without knowing why

Let the body attitude echo the facial

Get the best picture in your drawing by thumbnails and exploring all avenues

Analyse a character in a specific pose for the best areas to show stretch and squash. Keep these areas simple

Picture in your head what it is you’re drawing. Think in terms of drawing the whole character, not just the head or eyes, etc. Keep a balanced relation of one part of the drawing to the other

Stage for most effective drawing

Draw a profile of the drawing you’re working on every once in a while. A profile is easier on which to show the proper proportions of the face

Usually the break in the eyebrow relates to the highpoint of
the eye

The eye is pulled by the eyebrow muscles

Get a plastic quality in face — cheeks, mouth and eyes

Attain a flow thru the body rhythm in your drawing

Simple animated shapes

The audience has a difficult time reading the first 6-8 frames in a scene (don't do important movement in those frames)

Does the added action in a scene contribute to the main idea in that scene? Will it help sell it or confuse it?
Don’t animate for the sake of animation but think what the character is thinking and what the scene needs to fit into the sequence

Actions can be eliminated and staging "cheated" if it simplifies the picture you are trying to show and is not disturbing to the audience

Spend half your time planning your scene and the other half animating

How to animate a scene of a four-legged character acting and walking: Work out the acting patterns first with the stretch and squash in the body, neck and head; then go back in and animate the legs. Finally, adjust the up and down motion on the body according to the legs.

from ...

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Animating in 3D using a 2D Flash animation as a guide

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Principles of Animation: A reference list for me to have up while I'm working