3D Animation Reel
OVERVIEW:
A showcase animation reel for showing my 3D character animation skills.
FINAL VERSION:
MY ROLE:
This is an individual project assignment, so I worked on this project myself from project planning to implementation.
INSPIRATIONS & RESEARCH:
> The Twelve Basic Principles of Animation:
The content provided intends to follow《The Twelve Basic Principles of Animation》.
Run Cycle
This is a run cycle animation to showcase my understanding of the 12 principles of animation. I used a rigged character from Animate School to make this piece of work. Run cycle is a basic but difficult motion to make for me, every time I tried to make a running animation, I learned something new from it.
Throwing ball
A throwing ball animation to practice the connection of two objects which is the character and the ball. This also reviewed how the character center of gravity changes when having a fast motion. I spent a lot of time adjusting the key poses of the character in this animation because the body of the character is twisted a lot during this action.
Lifting heavy thing
This lifting animation aims to train the ability to show how heavy an object is without facial expression. I need to find a lot of references to observe how people struggle with a heavy object like how their legs move, how their bodies support the action, and how they find relief after they release the object.
Mouth sync
This is a practice animation to showcase the ability of mouth syncs. The process of mouth sync is a little different than normal action. People need to make the mouth shape first then pronounce it out. So, I will need to separate the time I heard the sound from the motion.
Dialogue
This one is for training my sense of the character’s reaction when having dialogue. When one character is talking, the other character should have some living motions without taking over the focus on the talking one. It is also required to consider how their eye should move in their conversation. I tried to play with the lighting in this scene to restore the bar environment.
PAIN POINTS & CHALLENGES:
I love animation, even though it is really challenging work to do.
> Learning Basics
They always said animation is an endless learning journey. It's true, I never stop learning the basics of animation, which is The Twelve Basic Principles of Animation and it is painful when I have to admire my works that still need a bunch of improvement, still, I love my works, and I will keep making myself better.
> Follow the Reference or Not?
It is quite difficult to decide when to follow one simple reference because they might not completely fit with the situation. Sometimes I would need to record a reference myself to make sure the acting is correct.
> Rest the Eyes
Spying on the screen is an eye-hurting job. However, it is easy to forget to rest while making animation. Usually, I will set a timer to make sure my eyes get rest enough.
> Character Rigging
All the 3D characters I used are outside resources, they have perfectly great rigging and weights for animators to work. Sometimes, I will get some awkward models, too. It will limit the animation work so will be quite challenging and painful.