In this clip, AnimSchool student Igor Madeira shares his experience creating an animation using trending audio from the “Possessed by an Owl” meme, and offers some insight to his animation process from reference to final animation.
Igor explains that he was inspired by other people using the trending audio to reimagine the scene, and decided to utilize it as well for his own assignment. He mentions that he does not like to limit himself to just shooting one reference video; instead, he records himself multiple times, pushing the poses differently in each, and finds something new and worth referencing in each iteration.
Igor’s shot was featured in the 2024 AnimSchool Student Showcase, linked below.
Watch Igor Madeira’s full showcase clip here:
Watch the full AnimSchool Student Showcase Livestream here:
At AnimSchool, we teach students who want to make 3D characters move and act. Our instructors are professionals at film and game animation studios like Dreamworks, Pixar, Sony Pictures, Blizzard & Disney. Get LIVE feedback on your Animation from the pros. Learn more at https://animschool.edu/
Whether you’re a modeler, a lighter, a rigger, or an animator, the one software we all share is Maya. Maya is an incredibly powerful tool that can help you as an artist achieve amazing, incredible, and unimaginable things, but with great power comes great… troubleshooting. We’ve all been there: we open Maya and something unexpected occurs. Most of the time a quick Google search will lead you back in the right direction, but sometimes the problem is just so odd and confusing that you are at a complete loss as to what to do next. In this short lecture, AnimSchool Instructor Luis Labrador highlights just a few of the most common Maya mishaps he has seen students struggle with over his career. No matter your specialty or how far in your career you are, these tips could save you time and energy that you can now spend on making your next masterpiece.
Clipping Plane
When an object is extremely small and the user attempts to zoom in, the object may appear to cut open or clip through the perspective camera. The reverse can also happen when objects are extremely large. To remedy this, open the camera’s attributes and adjust the Near Clip Plane (default is 0.1) and the Far Clip Plane (default is 10000) by multiples of 10. In Luis’s example, he sets the Near Clip Plane to 0.001, which allows him to zoom in closer to the small object without the clipping occurring. When zooming out, you may need to increase both the Near Clip Plane to prevent shading artifacts, and increase the Far Clip Plane to prevent “losing” the object as it clips from behind.
Exporting/Importing as OBJ
Sometimes, you may find that something in your file has changed unexpectedly, resulting in various issues across your project. The best way to “bleach” and clean up your project, as recommended by Luis Labrador, is to export as an OBJ file and reimport it into a fresh Maya file. To do so, first ensure that OBJ exports are enabled in the Plug-in Manager by checking the “Loaded” and “Auto load” boxes. Then, the OBJ option should appear in the drop-down list of export file types. When exporting as OBJ, two file types will be exported: OBJ and MTL. The MTL file is a reference file that can typically be ignored.
OBJ files work well for “resetting” your project because, in 3D, it is the most basic file type, and only represents coordinates of points in space.
Maya ASCII vs Maya Binary File Types
When saving out a Maya file, you may come across two main file types: Maya ASCII (.ma) and Maya Binary (.mb). Maya ASCII files are generally “heavier,” containing data that allows the file to be opened in test editors that have the ability to change the version of Maya being used. Maya Binary files are much lighter and more efficient in comparison, as they store the data as 1s and 0s. Luis explains that neither are technically “better” to use – it’s up to personal preference.
Watch the full clip from an AnimSchool lecture here:
At AnimSchool, we teach students who want to make 3D characters move and act. Our instructors are professionals at film and game animation studios like Dreamworks, Pixar, Sony Pictures, Blizzard & Disney. Get LIVE feedback on your Animation from the pros. Learn more at https://animschool.edu/
In this lesson, AnimSchool instructor Scott McWhinnie takes us through his process of creating breakdowns that will best define a character’s motion. As Scott says in his lesson, “In CG animation, the computer is your inbetweener— and it’s the dumbest inbetweener — so it’s your job to give it all the information it needs.”
What is a Classic Breakdown Pose?
A classic breakdown is typically defined as the “middle transition pose,” giving the computer information to describe the arcs, what is leading, dragging, overlapping, etc. There can be more than one classic breakdown.
Analyzing a Scene
Scott offers an example scene from Zootopia (2016), in which Nick rests his head into his hand, leans forward, and speaks to Judy. The main key poses consist of Nick’s starting position, leaning in, leaning down, and leaning forward towards Judy.
To identify the classic breakdown poses, look for the poses that begin to describe arcs, what’s leading, and what’s being delayed or dragging behind.
The next step is to look for antics and overshoots, ensuring that any build up of action is present and any overshoot of emotion is visible. Generally, great and intense emotions don’t come to a full stop because there simply isn’t enough time; as a result, emotions will often overshoot and settle back. The sharper and more abrupt an action, the greater the overshoot. Anticipations and overshoots are not always necessary.
Then, it’s time to identify the spacers. Spacers define the spacing for the action. As an action starts to move from a resting state, a spacer sets of the ease out; by the same token, as an action settles into a resting state, the spacer sets the ease in. Additionally, as a character or object changes directions, the spacers help define the slow down in order for the change to occur.
Being able to identify and properly use different types of in-between poses is vital to the animation process in creating smooth, flowing actions and preserving efficiency.
Watch the full clip from an AnimSchool lecture here:
At AnimSchool, we teach students who want to make 3D characters move and act. Our instructors are professionals at film and game animation studios like Dreamworks, Pixar, Sony Pictures, Blizzard & Disney. Get LIVE feedback on your Animation from the pros. Learn more at https://animschool.edu/
Animation is a powerful medium for storytelling and visual expression, and adding subtle details can make a significant difference in how your work is perceived. One such detail is the incorporation of vibration effects, which can bring life, energy, and realism to animated elements. Whether you’re animating a character, a piece of machinery, or any other dynamic object, introducing vibration can add depth and impact to your animations. In this video (linked below), AnimSchool instructor Louaye Moulayess explains how to add vibrations in your animation shots to better sell the struggle, force, and energy a character exerts in order to lift a heavy object.
Louaye begins by identifying the point of maximum vibration – in this case, where the character is struggling the most in order to lift the box. From there, he identifies two more points: where the start of the vibration is, and where it ends, ensuring that the beginning and ending points are at zero so as to not affect past/future poses.
Louaye demonstrates various possibilities for the shape of a vibration curve, citing that “there are no rules.”
He then adds a key to every single frame between the start and end of the vibration, and quickly shifts each key in alternating directions to create a buildup to the apex and gradual fallout.
Add keys on each frame between the start and end, and ensure you only have the desired channel(s) keyed.
Adjust each key to create a gradual climb and fall in vibration amplitude and intensity.
Before concerning himself with the polish and exact values of each key, Louaye plays through the animation to get a feel of how the vibration looks, and then begins to slowly adjust. Louaye recommends to use check your animation using playblasts in order to see the subtle movements of the vibration.
Louaye finishes off the animation by demonstrating how to copy and paste the vibration to another control using animation layers, citing to be careful about what controls are selected and knowing specifically what is transferring. In this case, he copied the vibration of the head’s gimbal rotation control onto a knee pole vector translation control, ensuring that he tests the animation and makes necessary corrections, such as scaling down the amplitude of the animation curve.
Incorporating vibration into your animations can significantly enhance their dynamism and realism. Whether you choose to manually animate each frame or use automated techniques, the goal is to create a believable and engaging effect that complements your animation. By mastering vibration techniques, you can add an extra layer of detail that elevates your work and captivates your audience.
Watch the full clip from an AnimSchool lecture here:
At AnimSchool, we teach students who want to make 3D characters move and act. Our instructors are professionals at film and game animation studios like Dreamworks, Pixar, Sony Pictures, Blizzard & Disney. Get LIVE feedback on your Animation from the pros. Learn more at https://animschool.edu/
Understanding the basics of splining your animation is key to crafting a smooth performance. AnimSchool instructor Ricky Renna explains how to spline a shot for beginner animators by demonstrating his method, in which the first step is cleaning up curves in the Graph Editor.
Before splining, Ricky recommends to ensure that your animation is stepped with keys on at least every three or four frames. Depending on the action, you may be able to get away with keying every five frames; however, the more keys you have, the more accurate your blocked animation will be to the final result.
When you are ready to spline, select all of your keys and controllers and switch them to auto tangents. Ricky explains that he prefers to start cleaning up with the “biggest” controllers, such as the body and gimbal controls. He also mentions that he will split up the animation into sections and fully spline them one section at a time, rather than splining one controller through the entire animation, then moving on to the next. One section may range from 30-40 frames; however, depending on the animation, it may make more sense to split it up according to when one action ends and another begins, resulting in varying lengths.
Before cleaning up the curves – note the overall shape of the curve
In the Graph Editor, the key is to look for smooth curves. Ricky explains that he simply addresses one channel curve at a time before moving onto the next: Translate X, Translate Y, Translate Z…
After cleaning up the curve – note the reduced keys and smooth shape
As you delete and rearrange keys, consider how the changed keys affect the shape of the curve: is it making it more jagged? If so, try adding some keys back in to make a smoother and cleaner action. Keep in mind that one of the most important aspects is whether or not your animation reads well: does adding in an extra key actually affect the feeling and believability of the overall animation? Don’t overcomplicate things! Simplify the curve, and ensure that the intended action still reads in the easiest way possible.
Watch the full clip from an AnimSchool lecture here:
At AnimSchool, we teach students who want to make 3D characters move and act. Our instructors are professionals at film and game animation studios like Dreamworks, Pixar, Sony Pictures, Blizzard & Disney. Get LIVE feedback on your Animation from the pros. Learn more at https://animschool.edu/
In animation, anticipation is what will sell your character’s action and intention. Animschool Instructor, Gwilym Morris steps through the importance of anticipation in animation. Anticipation doesn’t just add drama and believability to an action, but, by anticipating an action or a thought, you are preparing the audience for what is about to come. Successful anticipation can drive a character forward in space but also a plot forward in energy. By taking a few extra frames to build believable and interesting animation through anticipation, your piece will feel faster, better-paced, and more interesting.
Animators use anticipation to prepare the audience for an upcoming event. For instance, when a character is about to move forward, they will move backwards first to help build up the momentum of the forward propulsion. By the same token, this prepares the audience for the motion of the character. A “surprise gag” is when the anticipation pose is left out altogether to create a feeling of surprise in the audience when the movement takes place.
Anticipation, in addition to preparing the audience, adds texture and movement to the animation by helping it become more believable. Consider a runner getting ready to spring into action and leap into the air; before the main action, they will stoop down and “compress” in order to prepare to spring up and move against the forces of nature and have a greater buildup of momentum.
Anticipation can also be used to direct the audience’s attention somewhere. If a character is reacting to something happening off-screen, the audience may see this as a cue to prepare themselves to watch and wait for the main action. Depending on the nature of the reacting character, the audience can infer and anticipate what sort of action is about to occur. However, using anticipation in this way can also be a tool to mislead the audience. The audience may perceive something as a heavy object due to the character reacting a certain way, when it is actually very light.
Watch the full clip from an AnimSchool lecture here:
At AnimSchool, we teach students who want to make 3D characters move and act. Our instructors are professionals at film and game animation studios like Dreamworks, Pixar, Sony Pictures, Blizzard & Disney. Get LIVE feedback on your Animation from the pros. Learn more at https://animschool.edu/
AnimSchool instructor Daria Jerjomina has rigged characters all over the industry. In this short lecture, she not only walks through what it means to rig a character, but also discusses how it differs in each part of the industry.
Most are familiar with two stages within the 3D pipeline: modeling and animating; rigging occurs between these two steps. Rigging consists of adding a skeletal structure to the model which allows the model to respond fluidly to the animator’s directions. Without rigging, 3D animation as we know it would not exist.
Daria begins by providing a general definition of rigging: a process of setting up a character, providing an animator with a control over its movement. It falls between rigging and animation within the pipeline.
Parts of a pipeline (not all pipelines are the exact same, but most will follow this general order):
Visual development (concept art, storyboarding, color script, etc.)
Modeling
Rigging
Animation
Texturing
Lighting
Riggers will work closely with both the modeling and animation departments. Animators may request specific features and functionality on the rig, and riggers may need to work with modelers to get the model best suited for adding in those features.
Rigging in Different Productions
CG Feature Animation
Tries to simulate the work of a 2D artist
Rigging needs to give animators the ability to change the model/give the same type of control that they would have if they were to draw the character on paper
Oftentimes that means pushing the model with features like squash and stretch
Give animators the ability to “cheat” certain poses and movements
Visual Effects
Unlike feature animation, in VFX riggers want to achieve a realistic representation of how the character moves
Important to study the anatomy of the character, even if it is a fictional character; the muscle structure and skin deformation needs to resemble that of the animals we have in the real world
Games
Keep in mind that the highest concern in video games is performance – riggers must be conservative and cautious of how complex the rig can be
As hardware improves, rigs can become increasingly complex with less constraints for things like number of joints. However, rendering in real time still carries limitations!
One of the examples of performance optimization is the level of detail (LOD) that changes depending on how far the character is from the player
Characters cannot be rendered at the highest resolution all the time, so the model/rig/animation is going to be switched when the player moves closer or farther from an NPC
Other Mediums
Animations can be exported from 3D applications to a variety of mediums
For stop motion: models are created in Maya, 3D printed, and then replaced on a physical and tangible model
Some challenges include the intersection of parts and the thickness of the mesh
For robotics: animation is created in maya and then exported as code for the physical robot to perform
Analyzing Existing Rigs
It can be extremely useful to closely examine rigs built by other people or companies. It can help in finding features that both work and do not work, see how intuitive the rig is, and look into how it’s built. Try to open up rigs to see how they work; pose them to get an idea of how an animator might use the rig.
Watch the full clip from an AnimSchool lecture here:
At AnimSchool, we teach students who want to make 3D characters move and act. Our instructors are professionals at film and game animation studios like Dreamworks, Pixar, Sony Pictures, Blizzard & Disney. Get LIVE feedback on your Animation from the pros. Learn more at https://animschool.edu/
AnimSchool instructor Scott McWhinnie starts the discussion on facial animation by breaking down the face into its three main components, the eyes, brows, and mouth.
When learning to animate, most students will slowly build their knowledge over time and, typically, facial animation is saved for an advanced level. This can lead many new animators to approach facial animation with fear and trepidation. However, just like the rest of the body, the face can be animated successfully by employing the 12 principles of animation and approaching the process thoughtfully and intentionally.
Speed
Eyes and Lids
Pupils and lids move very quickly, typically 1-2 frames for movement.
Eye darts
Note that eye movements are typically very jumpy (unless tracking a moving object) because the eyes need to “lock onto” something
Blinks
Down movements are quicker than ups
Try to offset the movements to help relieve the robotic feeling
Scott McWhinnie uses examples from The Incredibles 2 to demonstrate how quickly each part of the face moves as well as how they influence one another by counting the amount of frames used for each action.
Brows
Brows can move slower than the eyes
Typically move sharply but can move intentionally slower
At times this could have jumpy movements if moving slowly
Generally staying in 3-10 frame range for speed, but can depend on the situation/context – not as hard of a rule as with the eye speed
Mouth
Variation in speeds – depends on the situation/context
With lip sync, things are going to move fast
This is why animators try to live within an expression and animate the lip sync within that pose rather than changing the whole pose of the mouth
Hold the M, B, and P shapes for at least 2 frames
Try not to have the mouth open up for just one frame and then close (sometimes the closed shapes don’t always have to be closed all the way)
If the mouth moves very slowly (which it can), it will feel more deliberate and purposeful
Understanding how the major facial components independently move while influencing one another will allow an animator at any skill level to improve how they approach facial animation.
Watch the full clip from an AnimSchool lecture here:
At AnimSchool, we teach students who want to make 3D characters move and act. Our instructors are professionals at film and game animation studios like Dreamworks, Pixar, Sony Pictures, Blizzard & Disney. Get LIVE feedback on your Animation from the pros. Learn more at https://animschool.edu/
How do you keep a character alive, when they aren’t moving? How do you enable a character to feel real and animated when they are stuck in one spot?
Animschool Game Animation Instructor Seth Kendall breaks down a successful idle animation. The term idle often means to sit still and do nothing, but in animation, to idle means to breathe life and personality into a character in the most minute and delicate manner. To idle successfully is a true test to see if you understand what it means to create the “illusion of life.”
Preparing to Create
Get inspired
Get reference
Have an idea/vision of what you want to do
Creating the Idle
Seth explains that the first thing you should consider is the “base loop.” Generally, this may be some type of breathing cycle with back-and-forth movement, tensing and relaxing, etc. You’ll want something that can loop well to form a “ground texture” for the overall animation.
What to Pay Attention to
Seth breaks down a few examples of idle animations and points out notable details in each, including common elements that make a looping animation successful:
Good overlap: hips are driving the motion – overlap occurs as the motion travels up the spine and though the arms
Layers of motion: in a simple breathing idle (as seen in the examples), this may be the up/down motion of the body as the base layer, a slight head shake as another layer, accessories jingling as another, etc. Layers can become more complex as you add more specific movement.
Try to ensure that the layers complement each other!
Use variation in timing and frequency to create contrast + draw the viewer’s attention
Consider adding macro variations that occur over three to six loops
Remember not to just repeat the fidget multiple times
For a more dynamic loop, blend and overlap the fidgets so that the character is never still; having the character constantly in motion can be a good way to hide the loop
Ensure that your base idle animation has life and variation to it
Watch the full clip on the AnimSchool YouTube channel here:
At AnimSchool, we teach students who want to make 3D characters move and act. Our instructors are professionals at film and game animation studios like Dreamworks, Pixar, Sony Pictures, Blizzard & Disney. Get LIVE feedback on your Animation from the pros. Learn more at https://animschool.edu/
Appeal is often a misunderstood term in animation. It doesn’t just mean creating a cute, cuddly, and beautiful character. Any character can and should be appealing, from heroes to villains.
Appealing animation is what keeps you watching, whether it be good or evil, beautiful or gruesome. Appealing animation captures your attention and hooks you into a scene.
What is appeal?
Appeal is the ability to attract, interest, amuse, or stimulate the mind or emotions. Appeal is subjective.
To help understand the nuances of appeal in animation, AnimSchool Instructor, Matthew Sheppard, has come up with an easy-to-remember and easy-to-navigate acronym, CRAISINS:
Complexity: used to support area of interest, or draw/lose attention to create clean contours/silhouette/shapes; think about what is competing for attention
Readability: clarity and legibility of the pose – potentially going beyond the accuracy within the 3D space to ensure the pose is effective
Asymmetry: weighting the face and body to support the line of action; using the “wedge” properly (opening up the character towards the action/who they are speaking to)
Intent: is the intention of the pose clear? Is there enough information to interpret the intent of the scene, thought, or action? Find the right balance to keep the intent of the pose/animation clear and decisive – do not be ambiguous; intent should be made clear during planning stages!
Silhouette: Clean up lines and contours to support the line of action/pose; hide tiny bits of information to strengthen a pose or add information to draw the audience in
Negative space: used to help direct the audience where to look either by creating or eliminating it
Simplify: reduce the information the audience sees or the amount of keys used to clarify the ideas and actions
Watch the full snippet from an AnimSchool class lecture here:
At AnimSchool, we teach students who want to make 3D characters move and act. Our instructors are professionals at film and game animation studios like Dreamworks, Pixar, Sony Pictures, Blizzard & Disney. Get LIVE feedback on your Animation from the pros. Learn more at https://animschool.edu/
