Lab 4: Complex Motion and Interaction
IDS 352: 3D Advance Animation, Fall 2014

Goals

Understand the following:

• Pushing or pulling objects
• Stopping, starting, changing action.
• Interaction with objects
• Acting to create character and personality
• How to do: 51 Great Animation Exercises

Summary of References

• Video reference: EndlessReference (cs-render) walk cycles.
• Animator's Survival Kit webpage and book
• Digital Tutors:
  Note, this includes only a sampling of what is on Digital Tutors. You are encouraged to search around the tutorials yourself.
  • 12 Principles of Animation in Maya (2010)
  • Animating Advanced Body Mechanics in Maya (2014) Includes blocking, timing refinements, refining poses and curves
  • Animation Blocking Techniques in Maya (2013)
  • Body Mechanics and Animation in Maya: Lifting Heavy Objects (Maya 6.5)
  • Body Mechanics and Animation in Maya: Pushing Objects (Maya 7)
  • Body Mechanics and Animation in Maya: Pulling Objects (Maya 7)
  • Introduction to Animation in Maya (2015) Includes Editable Motion Trails, Ghosting, Grease Pencil, etc
  • Animation Tips in Maya (2014) Includes Editable Motion Trails, Seamless Looping, Animating with parent Constraints, Animation Layers
  • Maya Animation Reference Library: Constrain (2012) Includes Parent Constraint, Pole Vector Constraint.
  • Animating with the Parent Constraint (2014)
  • Quick Start to Animation in Maya: Volume 3

General Setup and Information

• Work Location: Work on cs-render in the folder IDS352Fa14/Lab4/MayaProjects/your_name. If you prefer to work on your own computer, please transfer your Maya project over to this folder by the due date.

• Rig: For this part of the lab, use the simple_human_rig.mb as before.

Part 1: Pushing

• Animate: a character pushing a large heavy box. The box could be waist level or higher. The movement should work as a cycle. For now, don't worry about parenting the box to the character. You can just animated the forward motion of the box independently.

  Before you begin, decide on an emotional or personality for your character, e.g. e.g. determined, weak/strong, tired, frustrated. Think about the body position - The character could push with their hands, shoulder, or back. Obtain reference video, either of yourself or online. There is a lot online but it may not be exactly what you want. Look at Lesson 2 Planning with references of the first DT tutorial listed below (Anim Adv Body Mech). and do a similar rough planning sketch.

• Reference: Review the reference material below. (Also consider other reference material in the Reference section.)

  • Animating Advanced Body Mechanics in Maya (2014)
  • Body Mechanics and Animation in Maya: Pushing Objects
  • Endless Reference:
    • Push: Larger male: Grid Overlay - Animation Reference
    • Push: Athletic Male: Grid Overlay - Animation Reference

• Playblast: Generate at least 3 playblasts using the: side camera, front camera, and perspective camera. Make sure your character fills the camera view so we can really see the movement.

• Deliverables: By Monday evening at 10pm on Oct 14, place your 3 animations and your maya scene file on cs-render in the folder IDS352Fa14/Lab4/FinalAnimations/part1/your_name. Also add these files as attachments on WISE under the assignment Lab 4 part 1. Placing your work on WISE is especially important if you want Marty to review it. Failure to submit will be penalized.

Part 2: Starting/Stopping

• Reference: Review the reference material below. (Also look at other reference material in the Reference section.)

  • Animation Blocking Techniques in Maya (2013)
  • Quick Start to Animation in Maya: Volume 3 - This one is important because it shows you how to make animation clips (e.g. from your walk cycle) and use them in a new animation.

• Animate: a character sitting on a box who, after a brief moment, stands up, and walks away. Alternatively, animate a character who walks on the scene and then sits on a box. Just use a polygon cube for the box. Before you begin, decide whether the character, e.g. is old or young, strong or weak, eager to get up (or not). Where is he going and why?

  Before you begin, review the DT tutorial on blocking techniques. Watch yourself or someone else standing up and walking away. Everyone does this a little differently. What is the first thing they do? What is their posture, etc.

  Sketch out the key poses (and any needed in-betweens) associated with the standing up (or sitting) and identify the timing (frame) of each pose.

• Playblast: Generate at least 3 playblasts using the: side camera, front camera, and perspective camera. Make sure your character fills the camera view so we can really see the movement.

• Deliverables: By Thursday evening at midnight on Oct 23, place your 3 animations and your maya scene file on cs-render in the folder IDS352Fa14/Lab4/FinalAnimations/part2/your_name. Also add these files as attachments on WISE under the assignment Lab 4 part 2.

Part 3: Interaction

• Reference: Review the reference material below. (Also look at other reference material in the Reference section.)

  • Animating with Props in Maya - This is a really good tutorial to begin with. Lesson 2 has most of what you need for this assignment, however, the later lessons discuss cleaner workflows and techniques for animating more complex situations.
  • Animating with the Parent Constraint
  • Body Mechanics and Animation in Maya: Lifting Heavy Objects This is much more complicated than what you are doing, however, you might still get some good tips watching it.

• Animate: Pick one:

  • a character, standing by a table (cube) with small object on top (sphere or cube). Your character, picks up the object (e.g. a ball, or small box), inspects it curiously, then puts it down.
  • a character holds two balls (either both in one hand, or one ball in each). He throws them up one at a time as though juggling.
  • do some variation of the above (keep it simple!)

  Before beginning, decide on properties of your object, e.g. is it heavy or light.

  Sketch out the key poses and identify the timing between each pose.

• Playblast: Generate at least 3 playblasts using the: side camera, front camera, and perspective camera. Make sure your character fills the camera view so we can really see the movement.

• Deliverables: By Thursday evening at midnight on Oct 30, place your 3 animations and your maya scene file on cs-render in the folder IDS352Fa14/Lab4/FinalAnimations/part3/your_name. Also add these files as attachments on WISE under the assignment Lab 4 part 3.

Part 4: Refine - We won't be doing this part! Please start work on your final project.

• Reference: Study the relevant reference material in the Reference section above. Again, pay particular attention to blocking techniques.

• Animate: Take two of your previous 3 animations and combine them. You will need to make modifications so the actions connect and make sense together. You should also refine the motion to develop it further.

  Sketch out the key poses, particularly in the transition between the actions, and identify the timing.

• Playblast: Generate at least 3 playblasts using the: side camera, front camera, and perspective camera. Make sure your character fills the camera view so we can really see the movement.

• Deliverables: By Thursday evening at midnight on Nov 6, place your 3 animations and your maya scene file on cs-render in the folder IDS352Fa14/Lab4/FinalAnimations/part4/your_name. Also add these files as attachments on WISE under the assignment Lab 4 part 4.

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