Donatella's 3D Computer Animation Blog
My 3D Computer Animation Progress

Category: 3.10 Week 10

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3.10 Week 10 Advanced & Experimental Project 1

Week 10: Previs-Shots – Final Draft

Introduction

This week, I worked on my final draft of my previs-shots for my Skullchaser animation. I am looking forward to using these preproduction videos as a reference for my final major animation project.

Previs-Shots

Part 1: Establishing Shot

My establishing shot consists of introducing the Halloween Town, its buildings and decorations.

By including some camera rotations, the animation seems to be more dynamic and playful.

Part 2: Character Intro

In this part, I used a Batman inspired Pumpkin signal to convey the idea that Skullchaser needs to find the stolen pumpkin to restore peace in Halloween Town.

Furthermore, I will also design a logo to introduce the character.

Part 3: Shooting & Running Sequence

The reference videos I recorded in the past weeks were crucial to create my running and shooting sequence.

In this part of the animation, Skullchaser faces some enemies and obstacles before finding the stolen pumpkin.

Part 4: Final Sequence

Skullchaser saves Halloween by finding the stolen pumpkin.

I included a low-angle shot to portray the idea that Skullchaser is strong and the hero of Halloween Town.

In addition, the character blinks an eye to communicate his self confidence in solving the case.

Further Comments

Learning how to create previs-shots was essential to understand the preproduction process of any animation. They are crucial to not only save resources but also time before working on the animation itself, as they give a rough overview of how the film is going to be structured.

Categories
3.10 Week 10 Advanced & Experimental Project 1

Week 10: Mechanical Arm – Final Renders

Introduction

For this week, I focused on creating the final animated renders of my mechanical arm showcasing the details that I have modeled.

Animation Renders and Close-Ups

Mechanical Arm Animation

As opposed to character rigs, I wanted the mechanical arm to make robotic movements. For this reason, each part of the model moves in a sequential way.

Mechanical Arm Animation

Finger Animation

In the following animation, we can the flexion and extension of the fingers. In addition, we can appreciate in more detail the pads on the palm of the hand.

Mechanical Arm – Hand Close-Up

Elbow Animation

The following close-up showcases the details on the elbow and the screws that connect the different parts of the mechanical arm. Furthermore, in this render we can appreciate the variety of metallic materials in different colors.

Mechanical Arm – Elbow Close-Up

Final Thoughts

Over the past weeks, we have learned extremely useful tools and shortcuts to create our 3D models efficiently in Autodesk Maya. The main features I learned in this term are how to:

  • Extrude, bevel and insert edge loops to our surfaces.
  • Change, center and snap the pivot point to different vertex points.
  • Create locators and use parent and aim constraints on our models.
  • Use shortcuts to isolate selections and zoom in on a object.
  • Name our layers and control the hierarchy in an organized way.

We also got an overview of the compositing workflow and had the opportunity of filming a footage using a green screen sleeve. Even though my video edit did not turn out as I had expected, since the size of the mechanical arm and my actual arm were out of proportion, I enjoyed going through our modelling, rigging, animation and post-production process.

Even though at this point of my professional journey I would like to focus on character animation, getting an overview on some modelling skills is essential in that I can customize character rigs and props I use on my animations.