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

Category: 3.11 Week 11

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3.11 Week 11 Advanced & Experimental Project 2

Week 11: Advanced Body Mechanics

Introduction

This week, George gave us an overview on of Advanced Body Mechanics assignment. In the following five weeks, we will have to deliver a short animation featuring a body mechanics sequence.

Idea Development

I would like to animate a character chasing a balloon and when they finally catch it, a lightning strucks on them and the balloon pops. The character will be jumping across some buildings, showing off some body mechanics animations.

Shooting Reference Videos

I recorded some reference videos in order to draw some key poses for my thumbnail sketches.

Looking at the Balloon

At the beginning of my animation, the balloon catches the attention of my character.

The character stares at the balloon flying above their head and follows it with their eyes.

Catching the Balloon

Before catching the balloon, the character almost falls from the edge of the building.

Getting Familiar with the Rig

Mecha-Mechs Free Proxy

I will be using the female Mecha-Mechs Free Proxy character for my animation. This implies also animating the hair controllers of the rig.

In addition, I will be also using the MG Picker tool, which will allow me to control my rig more efficiently.

Categories
3.11 Week 11 Advanced & Experimental Project 2

Week 11: Animated Artefact – Project Management

Introduction

In the following ten weeks, I will be working on my animated artefact which will be a short film inspired by silent movies and that focuses on body mechanics.

Concept Development

What will I produce?

  • Short 3D body mechanics animation in Autodesk Maya.

What is my concept?

  • The body as a medium of expressing emotions.

What is my aim?

  • Explore how body language can be seen as a form of communication.
  • Analyze how physical behaviours can be used to express an idea.

Background Research

Since I wanted to create a body mechanics shot that focuses on how the body communicates an idea, I decided it was best to research more in depth about silent films and some influencial actors. This motivated me to explore Buster Keaton’s short films and analyze his movements throughout his animations.

Time Management

In order to plan my animation and deliver it on time, I created my own personal timetable to help me organize my tasks and priorities. I am looking forward to sticking to this workflow and hope that I will not encounter major difficulties.