Tag: 3D animation Page 1 of 6

Dynamic Poses: Tilt, Rhythm, & Twist

When it comes to creating compelling animation, strong posing is everything. But crafting great poses isn’t just about technical skill—it starts with understanding character. Effective posing is a storytelling tool, and every pose should say something intentional, emotional, and clear. In this clip from a live AnimSchool lecture, instructor Tyler Kakac talks about how to create appealing, interesting poses that are genuine to who the character is using tilt, rhythm, and twist.

Before even touching a rig in Maya or any animation software, animators must ask the core questions: Who is this character? What are they doing? Why are they doing it? A pose is more than a static image; it’s a reflection of the character’s personality, mood, and intent. If you, as the animator, do not have a solid grasp of who the character is, you will not be able to translate that effectively to the audience—they will not understand the character anymore than you do.

Kakac draws from The Illusion of Life, explaining how three guiding principles can shape stronger poses:

  1. Emotional – A pose should carry feeling. But avoid overcomplicating it: “Too much action spoils acting.” Subtle, intentional movement often speaks louder than a flurry of motion.
  2. Intentional – Every pose must have purpose. Mushy actions lead to unclear storytelling. Clear poses stem from knowing exactly what the character is trying to convey.
  3. Simple – Clarity is king. If a character is doing too much, the pose loses impact. Keep it focused so the audience knows exactly what to feel.

To add dynamism and visual interest, three elements can elevate any pose:

  • Tilt – Breaking symmetry adds appeal. A simple tilt of the head or hips loosens a stiff pose and creates a more natural feel.
Consider the bust in the bottom right: it feels stiff in comparison with the drawings to the left, demonstrating how tilt can add life and loosen up an otherwise rigid pose.
  • Rhythm – Think of the body’s overall flow. Strong poses use curves and lines to lead the eye where it needs to go. It’s not about detailing fingers or facial expression right away—it’s about capturing the essence of the movement.
  • Twist – Turning different parts of the body in varying directions adds form, movement, and dimensionality. Avoid flat, direct-to-camera poses unless there’s a good reason. Twist introduces energy and helps tell the story more clearly.

Strong posing is the animator’s first line of communication with the audience, bridging the gap between motion and meaning. When used with intention, tools—tilt, rhythm, and twist—power is added to the pose, and a single pose can not only tell a story, but elevate the entire story to another level.

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/

Creating Rig Controllers in Maya

Whether you are an aspiring character rigger or an animator trying to rig a simple prop for a shot, knowing how to create rig controls is essential. In this clip from a live AnimSchool lecture, instructor Daria Jerjomina demonstrates how to create rig controls with NURBS curves, change their colors, and create attributes attached to them.

Controllers allow animators to interact with complex rigs in an intuitive and manageable way. While there are various options for building these interfaces, NURBS curves have become the standard for a number of reasons: non-renderable, easily distinguishable, scriptable, customizable, and overall easy to use.

From Unreal Engine forums

The fastest way to create a controller is by creating a NURBS circle, which can instantly be used as a controller. However, the circle an also be further customized, or the user can draw out their own custom control using the CV curve tool. More complex and three-dimensional shapes can be achieved through creating a polygon and snapping the curve points to the vertices. These shapes are easily distinguishable from the rest of the 3D scene, which make them more user-friendly. Color coding further enhances usability—typically red for right-side controllers, blue for left, and yellow for center—allowing animators to instantly understand the layout of the rig.

Some things to keep in mind when creating a controller:

  • The controller should be a single object (parent shape or draw one curve)
  • Delete the history on the controller
  • Freeze transformation on the controller

Custom attributes can be added directly to curves to expose useful controls—like switches, sliders, or dropdown menus for facial expressions, visibility toggles, or rig modes. NURBS controllers also support advanced UI functionality. By locking or hiding certain transform channels, riggers can prevent users from breaking constraints or applying unintended transformations. Attributes can even be muted temporarily or add additional data with string or enum fields for scripting.

NURBS curves controllers blend seamlessly into the animation workflow by being visible where needed and invisible where not. Their scriptability, customizability, and efficiency make them ideal for building controllers that are both technically sound and easy to use.

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/

Hand Posing Basics

When it comes to character animation, hand posing can make or break the believability of the overall performance. In this clip from an AnimSchool Facial Performance class, instructor Thom Roberts demonstrates some tips for posing hands with more appeal.

Starting with a Natural Pose

The default hand is typically flat and rigid, with no natural form to it. Instead, consider forming a more neutral and relaxed pose. In this state, fingers naturally arc across the palm rather than lying straight. Rotating the fingers slightly in the Y-axis introduces this natural curvature and immediately makes the hand feel more lifelike.

Notice how the left pose feels stiff, while the right feels relaxed.

Breaking the symmetry is also an important step in creating a natural feel. By default, fingers are perfectly aligned and parallel. Introducing subtle rotation helps avoid that uniformity. For example, as soon as you rotate the fingers in Y, it allows for natural overlaps when rotating in X. This technique helps simulate how fingers rest and move in real life — with the pinky slightly overlapping the ring finger, and so on. A common mistake in hand posing is overusing the third finger joint (the one closest to the fingertip). In a relaxed hand, most of the curvature comes from the first and second joints. The final joint is usually reserved for poses that require tension, like clenching or grasping.

When transitioning into more specific poses like a fist, the trick is to maintain visual interest and avoid robotic symmetry. For instance, keeping the index finger slightly elevated or angled differently can add personality and interest to the pose. Avoid even spacing between knuckles — subtle variations help sell the realism.

In quick animation or stylized movement, you can exaggerate hand poses to emphasize motion. This might include scaling fingers or grouping them for a simplified, dynamic silhouette. The goal is to support the direction of the movement and reduce distracting negative space between fingers.

Crafting great hand poses in Maya takes more than just rotating joints; it requires an understanding of anatomy, asymmetry, and the visual language of movement. Focusing on these small but meaningful adjustments will elevate the overall animation and bring the characters to life.

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/

Animating Weight

When animating any sort of physical action, understanding and being able to effectively convey force is crucial. It’s about using motion to communicate struggle, weight, and intention. In this clip from a live AnimSchool lecture, instructor Anthea Kerou discusses the basic principles of animating weight. Through the classic “lift a heavy object” animation assignment, Anthea demonstrates what key features your animation should have in order to create a feeling of believable weight and force.

Force and weight becomes visible through the pose. A character pushing a heavy object won’t stand straight—they’ll lean, brace, and shift their center of gravity. This imbalance, with feet pushing backward and the torso leaning forward, is how animators signal effort. If a character’s center of gravity stays balanced, it won’t convincingly show that the object is heavy. Another useful way to assess how heavy an object is is the relationship between effort and effect. If a character puts in little effort but causes a big movement, the object appears light. But if there’s a lot of effort and little effect—like a character straining to lift something that barely moves—it signals weight and struggle, and force being applied.

An example of a character lifting a heavy bowling ball – the action of lifting the ball upwards and back creates momentum in that same direction, causing the character to step backwards to compensate for the change in center of gravity.

Note the difference in poses. In the upper example, the character stands straight—if they tried to push a box, it wouldn’t appear heavy/work properly because the center of gravity is straight with the body. In the lower example, the character’s pose allows for more force to be applied towards the box, indicating that it is heavy and requires more effort to be moved.

Gravity also plays a major role in how we perceive weight. Heavy objects fall faster and take longer to change direction. This principle can be applied through proper spacing—using arcs that accelerate as objects fall and decelerate as they rise or shift direction. Even spacing takes away from believability and realism, feeling robotic and stiff; instead, variation in timing and arcs gives the impression of mass and momentum.

From cristinateachingart.com

Storytelling in animation goes beyond motion—it’s about intent and response. If a character tries something that doesn’t work, they should visibly readjust and try harder. This adds realism and emotional depth, creating a much more compelling shot. Whether it’s a simple lift or a complex push, mastering these principles of force and weight is essential to creating realistic animations that resonate with audiences.

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 Constraints in Maya

Knowing how to use Maya constraints is important for both riggers and animators. Navigating the world of constraints and parenting can be confusing, but mastering them opens doors to a more flexible and nuanced approach to control. In this clip from a live AnimSchool lecture, instructor Daria Jerjomina demonstrates how the different kinds of constraints work, and how to utilize constraint weights.

Constraints allow an object to follow another’s position, rotation, or scale without the strict dependency of parenting. By applying constraints, you can fine-tune how one object behaves in relation to another. This method offers greater flexibility, especially in complex rigs, by allowing animators to maintain offsets, blend movements, and create more dynamic interactions.

Types of Constraints

  1. Parent Constraint: This is the most commonly used constraint. It links both the translation and rotation of an object to another—essentially mimicking the behavior of parenting but without directly linking the two objects. A major advantage here is that scale is not affected by a parent constraint. This makes it ideal when you need to control the position and rotation of one object without altering its size.
  2. Point Constraint: The point constraint focuses only on translation. This means one object will follow the position of another but will not inherit its rotation. It’s a useful tool when you need one object to follow another in space, but with independent orientation.
  3. Orient Constraint: The orient constraint only affects an object’s rotation. It makes one object rotate in the same way as another, without influencing its position. This is particularly useful when you need an object to face a specific direction or match another object’s rotation.
  4. Aim Constraint: The aim constraint affects the direction that an object faces or points, which is especially useful in creating eye rigs. Adding an aim constraint will allow the eyes to always face the controller, which gives animators easy control over facial animations.
  5. Pole Vector Constraint: Used more in IK (Inverse Kinematics) rigs, pole vectors allow for more precise control over joints and limbs, offering a different and potentially more intuitive way to pose characters depending on the situation.

Constraints can also be used in tandem with one another. For instance, combining point and orient constraints will allow it to follow the translation and rotation of multiple objects independently, which can create more complex behaviors.

Benefits of Constraints

  1. Maintaining Offsets: The ability to maintain an offset between objects is a powerful feature of constraints. For example, when a parent constraint is applied with the “maintain offset” option enabled, the constrained object won’t snap to the parent’s position—it will retain its relative position in space.
  2. Adjustable Weights: Constraints come with adjustable weight attributes, meaning you can control how much influence one object has on another. Setting the weight to zero will completely remove the effect of the constraint, while a weight of one will fully enforce it. This is useful for creating dynamic rigs where an object might follow another at certain times and not at others.
  3. Multiple Constraints: You can also apply multiple constraints to a single object. For example, you can apply both a point and orient constraint to an object, allowing it to follow another in both position and rotation independently. This can be expanded further by blending the influence of multiple objects, as seen when applying a parent constraint to an object, or directly parenting it via the hierarchy, and controlling its position between two different objects.
  4. Separation of Controllers and Mesh: By constraining objects rather than parenting them, animators can separate controllers and mesh components into distinct groups. This ensures a more organized rig and hierarchical structure, where controllers and mesh elements can be toggled on or off as needed.

Constraints are an essential tool for animators and riggers, providing flexibility and control that parenting alone cannot achieve. By understanding the different types of constraints—such as parent, point, orient, and aim constraints—you can create more dynamic rigs with cleaner hierarchies. Constraints not only improve the organization of your project but also enable more nuanced animation controls, which is crucial for creating sophisticated, interactive animations.

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/

Setting Up Hot Keys in Autodesk Maya

Every animator wants to have a quick, clean, and organized workflow system that helps them animate more efficiently. Hotkeys in Maya can help achieve that and save valuable time. In this clip from a live AnimSchool lecture, instructor Justin Barrett explains how to set up these hotkeys, and how to manage the hotkeys in order to animate quickly and efficiently.

The Default and Duplicate Hotkey Sets

When you first open the Hotkey Editor in Maya, you’ll notice a default hotkey set, labeled “Maya Default.” This set cannot be deleted, so you can always revert to it. However, as you interact with the interface, Maya automatically creates duplicate sets to avoid accidental changes to the default set. These duplicates copy all the hotkeys, allowing you to make changes without altering the core configuration. Be cautious—if you switch back to the default set or jump between duplicate sets, you may end up with conflicting changes across multiple sets. You cannot merge sets, so, to keep things organized, it’s best to stick with one duplicate set and make all your adjustments there.

Categories and Runtime Commands

The Hotkey Editor organizes available commands into categories, such as “Menu Items,” “Editors,” or “Custom Scripts.” While browsing through these categories, you’ll encounter runtime commands, which are essentially single commands that trigger a sequence of other actions. When linked to hotkeys, you can execute complex actions with just a key press.

Managing Hotkey Assignments

To assign or change a hotkey, simply click in the hotkey space and input your desired shortcut. Maya will warn you if you’re attempting to assign a hotkey that’s already in use. You can override existing assignments, but be aware that doing so will remove the previous function attached to that hotkey.

Maya also displays the available keyboard keys and any current assignments. You can filter these by modifier keys, such as Shift or Command, to help you find an unused combination. Once you’ve made your adjustments, remember to save your changes to ensure they’re applied.

Tips for Efficient Hotkey Management

  1. Stick to One Duplicate Set: Avoid jumping between multiple duplicate sets to prevent confusion and conflicting hotkey assignments.
  2. Use the Search Function: Use the search bar to quickly locate specific hotkeys or commands, ensuring you’re not accidentally overriding important settings.
  3. Test New Hotkeys: Always test your new hotkeys to ensure they work as expected and don’t interfere with existing system-level shortcuts.

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/

Animating the Eye Mask

One aspect of facial expressions in animation that is often overlooked is the eyelids. Typically, focus is placed on the more noticeable features, such as the eyebrows. However, the eyelids are just as crucial in conveying the full range of human expressions – they work tandem with the brows to create cohesive and believable facial movements. In this snippet from a live AnimSchool lecture, instructor Scott McWhinnie discusses what the eye mask is and how important it is to understand how it works in order to create unified, appealing eye poses on your characters.

While it’s true that eyebrows do a lot of the heavy lifting when it comes to expressing feelings like surprise, anger, or joy, the eyelids are just as important. The lids support the brows by reinforcing the emotional tone. If the eyebrows are raised in surprise, the eyelids should also reflect that motion—gently lifting or widening in response. If the brows are furrowed in anger, the eyelids will typically compress or narrow in the same direction. In the example below of Flynn Rider’s expression board, note how the eyebrows are the main driver of the emotion, while the shape of the eyelids supplement it by telling the same story.

The key here is unity – the brows and lids should not contradict one another. Working together and supporting each other allows them to convey a clear and homogenous emotion.

The eye mask typically refers to the entire region around the eyes, including the brows, eyelids, and surrounding area. By thinking of these parts as a whole, singular unit, it becomes more easy to ensure the consistency of expressions. When creating an expressions in animation, it’s important to consider how the entire eye mask stretches or squashes. For example, in a surprised or shocked expression, the eyes and eyebrows will both stretch upward. The eyelids will widen, the brows will arch, and the whole eye area will elongate. Conversely, for a more focused or determined expression, the eye mask may compress inward, with the lids narrowing and the brows angling downward.

While symmetry is important for certain expressions, asymmetry can add a lot of depth and nuance to a character’s face. For example, when creating an angry or surprised face, one side of the eye mask may be stretched out, while the other side will be squished to convey more emotional tension. This slight asymmetry can make a character’s expression feel more natural and dynamic, as human faces rarely show perfectly symmetrical emotions. A subtle shift in the direction the character is facing helps reinforce the character’s gaze and emotional direction, guiding the viewer’s perception and keeping the expression grounded.

To create believable expressions, treat the brows and eyelids as part of the same system. By using the eye mask concept, all elements of the face can work together harmoniously to express the same emotion. This leads to more natural, unified expressions.

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/

Caricaturing the Face: Exaggerated Expressions

One of the biggest challenges in designing facial expressions for animation lies in deciding how realistic or exaggerated the design should be. Interpreting and adapting real-life references plays an important role, but it’s also essential to understand when to push the boundaries of realism to better convey emotion and expression. In this clip from a live AnimSchool lecture, instructor Hans Dastrup demonstrates using a reference image to create a more stylized and appealing pose for the face.

One key to effective facial animation is understanding the balance between mimicking real-life expressions and adjusting them to suit the character and animation style. Avoid directly copying facial expressions from reference material without considering the unique needs of the character, as replicating a facial expression exactly as it appears in real life does not always translate well in animation. Mimicking expressions can often result in awkward or less appealing designs, especially if the goal is to achieve clarity and emotional impact.

Matching the reference exactly.

To create a more visually pleasing expression, subtle changes, like simplifying, are often necessary. For instance, in the process of creating a smile, adjusting the mouth shape and adding slight asymmetry can go a long way, as real human faces are inherently asymmetrical and can help maintain a more natural look. A smile in real life might have one side slightly higher than the other, and exaggerating this asymmetry can enhance the character’s expression.

When working with the eyes, it’s important to consider the character’s anatomy. In animation, characters often have larger eyes with exaggerated white areas, which can make them appear more expressive. However, it’s crucial to avoid pushing this too far, as extreme eye shapes can lead to unnatural or unsettling appearances. By adjusting the eye shape slightly, such as making the lower eyelid flatter, a more balanced and appealing look is created without overdoing the exaggeration.

Adjusted eye and mouth shapes to incorporate asymmetry.

Another important consideration is the character’s overall design. For instance, in a happy character, a more graphic and simplified mouth shape may work better than trying to replicate a realistic smile. Pushing the design in this way helps to exaggerate the emotion and adds visual clarity, making it more readable to the audience. The expression doesn’t have to be entirely unrealistic must be entirely unrealistic—it’s about finding the right level of push to enhance the emotion without distorting it beyond recognition.

Pushing the final expression.

While it’s important to consider real-life references, animation often requires tweaking those references to fit the style and emotional needs of the character. By simplifying, adding asymmetry, and adjusting features like the eyes and mouth, animators can create more engaging and believable facial expressions that convey the intended emotion. Ultimately, the goal is to find the balance between realism and stylization to craft a performance that resonates with the 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/

Asymmetry in Hand Poses

When posing and animating hands, achieving a natural, organic feel is crucial. One key technique to achieve this is incorporating asymmetry, which prevents them from feeling too stiff or mechanical. In this clip from a live AnimSchool lecture, instructor Scott McWhinnie explains the importance of asymmetry in hand posing to boost the organic feel of the overall animation.

Asymmetry in hand poses can be subtle, but it makes a significant difference. One of the simplest ways to introduce asymmetry is through small changes to the silhouette of the hand. For instance, the pinky finger can stick out slightly, breaking the smooth curve of the hand and creating a more natural look. A slight tilt of the pinky or variation in the angles of the fingers can make a hand feel less uniform and more believable.

Give special attention to the spaces between the fingers. When fingers are grouped together, such as in a closed fist, ensure the angles between them vary. A slight overlap or variation in finger positioning adds to the organic feel. This is also true when the fingers are spread out—consider grouping the middle fingers or varying the negative space between them.

The thumb is another key area for introducing asymmetry. It can stick out when holding an object, adding a touch of realism to the hand’s shape. Making small adjustments, like slightly twisting or bending one or two fingers, can further break up the symmetry and create a more natural, less rigid look.

It’s important to remember that these changes don’t have to be extreme – keeping the hands as simple as possible will go a long way. Small, almost imperceptible adjustments can make a hand pose feel more alive and less “computer-generated.” The goal is to add just enough variation to make the hand look real, without overcomplicating the design.

By employing asymmetry—whether through the positioning of the pinky, the angles between fingers, or the slight rotation of the thumb—hand poses can feel more dynamic and true to life. Take a look at how the hands can be tweaked to help break up symmetry and consistency – and make them stand out with natural elegance.

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/

Animating Eyebrows

Animating eyebrows plays a crucial role in conveying facial emotions and enhancing the overall appeal of animated characters. Though often overlooked, brows are essential in portraying mood and personality. In this clip from a live AnimSchool lecture, instructor Justin Weg explains the importance of eyebrow animation.

When animating eyebrows, think of them as a single unit – try to connect them with a line flowing into one another, while matching the shape/expression of the eyes. This will create a smooth and cohesive look, which is key in creating a natural, expressive character. The brows tend to react to the inner emotional state of the character, so connecting them helps maintain this unity.

Additionally, keep in mind that brows are very dynamic shapes, with the inner sections being more active and expressive than the outer. When the brows go down, the inner brows tend to crunch in. When the brows go up, they will pull out.

One key technique in animating brows is having them lead the head/body movement. When a character is about to speak or make a dramatic gesture, the brows often move ahead of the rest of the face. This can help with timing, allowing the character’s expression to build up before the full action, such as opening the mouth. For example, a character about to speak might raise their brows before they open their mouth, signaling anticipation.

Facial expressions can be either voluntary or involuntary. Involuntary reactions, like surprise or fear, tend to make the brows more symmetrical. Voluntary emotions such as curiosity, suspicion, or contempt tend to create asymmetry in the brow movements. A character questioning something, for example, will raise both brows evenly, while a character expressing doubt or confusion might raise one brow more than the other, creating an asymmetrical look.

When animating brows, arcs are important for creating more natural movement. Instead of linear motion, which feels stiff, adding arcs to the brow movements introduces fluidity to the animation. For instance, when lowering the brows, the outer brow usually leads, and the inner brow follows in a smooth arc. The same principle applies when raising the brows—start with the outer brow, and let the inner brow follow, creating a wave-like effect.

To enhance the realism of the movement, it can be helpful to offset the X and Y positions of the brows. This offsetting technique creates a more dynamic motion, especially when working with diagonal movements. By including slight delays between the movements of the inner and outer brows, you can achieve a more organic feel.

By focusing on the unity, expression, and subtlety of brow movements, animators can bring a new level of depth to their character animation. Refining the movement of the brows is an essential skill for any animator looking to create more relatable and emotionally engaging characters.

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/

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