The Animated Climb – Part 1
by Darrol on Jan.14, 2012, under Uncategorized
So last week I posted the blocking for the animation project I started. This is the post for the first version of it completely animated. This project alone has taught my a lot more than what many of my school projects have taught me which I will go into below but for now, here is the video. If you could take a moment and give me some feedback/criticism, I would greatly appreciate it.
So I made a post about the walk cycle last week. Well I later found that what I had was a bit robotic when it came to walking. It all came down to a couple frames during each cycle for the forward position and the lifting position. Something so simple as a character setting his foot down a couple frames too fast makes a big difference.
Timing is another interesting subject in regards to this. I knew the basics of timing for the walk cycle but everything else was just estimation. Sometimes it worked out perfectly, other times not so much. Because of that, the animation has been extended by a few seconds but it makes a difference.
One of the tools that came in handy while editing this was Maya’s ability to display motion paths. While I had the graph editor open, it was not a very good way to see the path of an object. The only thing I think that would help with all of this was if the handles were a bit easier to modify. I am used to After Effects which as a tool dedicated to modifying the curve of points via the handles.
January 21st, 2012 on 7:11 pm
Hi Darrol,
It looks like you have the right idea for the walk and climb. They look good in and of themselves, but perhaps you could connect the different actions together rather than coming to a stop? It may help make it more natural looking.
Good job! Hope this helps.
Kevan
January 21st, 2012 on 8:18 pm
I agree with Kevan. Another thing I think is very important is that your camera cuts could be quite improved.
1)You change scene direction a few times(he’s looking left and then right without turning around) which is disorienting for the audience. It’s called the 180degree rule if you want more info on it.
2)You cut a lot of times to similar angles. A camera should only really cut when some new information is there. You could probably do all those shots in 1 or 2 cuts max. Good book to read is Framed Ink or a Visual Story.
Animation wise, it’s looking like it’s well on its way to being a solid piece,