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Final Work:

POSES:

Collect images of interesting poses and pose your Maya rig into its stance:

Angry man

I chose this photo because of the charismatic pose. His body shape and position emphasize his expression and highlight his intention. I also wanted to challenge myself by posing the wrists with the thumbs protruding outwards.

I believe I succeeded in creating a confident, strong, and powerful stance by widening the leg position. This makes the man look more stable and, therefore, more threatening and menacing

www.deviantart.com. (2021). Male Angry Beckon Standing Pose by theposearchives on DeviantArt. [online] Available at: https://www.deviantart.com/theposearchives/art/Male-Angry-Beckon-Standing-Pose-867694089 [Accessed 27 Sep. 2023].

International, C.E. (2023). Unique Aesthetic Poses To Make Your Photoshoot Momentous. [online] Color Experts International. Available at: https://www.colorexpertsbd.com/blog/aesthetic-poses/ [Accessed 27 Sep. 2023].

Sitting woman

I chose this photo as a pretty standard sitting shot with crossed legs, which is absent from my other shots.

I encountered some difficulty in aligning the head with the hand at the specific angle depicted in the photo, primarily due to the disproportionately large head provided in our tutorial rig.

Aside from the recommended tutorials given on LinkedIn, I have utilised this tutorial from Amanda Val on YouTube, which I found adequate for a simple lighting setup in Maya to give my character pose more finesse:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQYU3-V4lOk&t=156s

Back stretch

I chose this pose as it seems an elongated stretch with the person facing upwards from the side.

While I believe the proportions of my ball are accurate, the head's size required me to cut the stance close again. This resulted in a slight upward rotation of the neck joint, which I then corrected to achieve the desired head angle. While not fully accurate, this position is much closer for the head.

www.adobe.com. (n.d.). How to Draw Dynamic Poses: Your Expert Guide | Adobe. [online] Available at: https://www.adobe.com/uk/creativecloud/illustration/discover/dynamic-poses.html [Accessed 27 Sep. 2023].

tjeffries (2022). 12 Yoga Poses for Strong Legs. [online] Yoga Journal. Available at: https://www.yogajournal.com/practice/yoga-sequences-by-anatomy/12-poses-for-strong-legs/.

Leg stretch

I chose this pose because it is a simple side view shot with a slight adjustment due to the fingers grasping the toes or hips. This requires dexterity and balance, which I wanted to convey in the photograph.

Proud man

I chose this pose as it is once again a pretty unique position that is being taken compared to my other images, as he is standing in what I would call a somewhat proud position, the bent toes on the right leg may be a challenge to position correctly.

The toes were a challenge to bend, as the tutorial model has added some sort of a floor constraint/restraint that hasn't been applied correctly, and this means I can only bend the toes up when the sole of the foot is flat on the ground, and not when the sole is raised...

Lifestyle, C. (2016). Balanced Body, Balanced Life: Yoga Poses for Creating Harmony and Flow. [online] Conscious Lifestyle Magazine. Available at: https://www.consciouslifestylemag.com/balance-yoga-body-life-poses/ [Accessed 27 Sep. 2023].

Pushing man

I chose this image for more variety, as in this shot the person is visually applying force in a direction.

I noticed that due to my own model's large shoulder width, I was unable to have the person's left arm at the desired angle while still pressing against the surface. I could navigate around this by adding more control points and weight paints to my clavicle areas, giving me the ability to squish his chest tighter together, as can be seen in the original reference photo.

Limited, A. (n.d.). man push pose Stock Photo - Alamy. [online] www.alamy.com. Available at: https://www.alamy.com/man-push-pose-image67040810.html [Accessed 27 Sep. 2023].

- - - Apart from the assets we were supplied in lessons, every model you see here is my own creation - - -

Bouncing Balls:

Solid Ball Animation:

For the solid ball animation, I used pose-to-pose animation. I started by drawing the ball at the top of its bounce and then drew it bouncing down. I used easing to make the ball slow down more and more as time went on and have a smoother movement at the tops of bounces

Lighting:

I once again added some cool lights to my scene to make the balls look more realistic. I used a directional light to cast shadows on the balls and an area light to create a soft glow around them.

Rubber Ball Animation:

For the rubber ball animation, I used a combination of pose-to-pose and straight-ahead animation. I started by creating keyframes for the ball at the top and bottom of its bounce. Then, I used in-betweening to create the frames in between that required a squash and stretch effect to make the ball flatten out as it hit the ground and then expand back to its original shape as it bounced back up on certain frames to change the shape of the ball to then more flattened shape as it hits the ground.

Conclusion:

I enjoyed working on this assignment and learned a lot about timing and spacing, easing, and bouncing ball physics. I also learned how to use the Graph Editor to create smooth and realistic animations.

My ball:

This task underscored the importance of using references in animation. Incorporating references alongside animations is crucial for accurately capturing the timings and speeds of realistic movements. By employing frame-to-frame animation and aligning my ball with the reference, I was able to create a lifelike bouncing ball animation. This realism was further enhanced by including objects for the ball to interact with, mirroring those in the reference video. Achieving this level of authenticity was also made possible by filming clean and stable reference footage. In the prototyping tab of my project, I delve deeper into the efficient utilization of references in animation. Reflecting on improvements, I believe extending the duration of the ball's wiggle would enhance realism. In the reference, the ball continues to move slightly for an extended period due to the unevenness of the floor. However, in my animation, I chose not to let the ball take over 10 seconds to come to a complete stop, as it would appear less realistic on the perfectly flat surface of my animation. This decision highlights an area for potential enhancement. In my subsequent experiments, especially in the 'Ball 'n' Legs' task, I delved deeper into creating animations with uneven surfaces.

Chain:

Chain Swing

Main task

Here, I successfully remade the chain from scratch, demonstrating my proficiency in parenting, also referred to as constraints in animation. I deliberately chose to extend the animation by one frame beyond what the tutorial suggested for the overlap effect. This subtle modification resulted in a chain that appears lighter and imbues more character into the animation. Reflecting on the process, I acknowledge that spending a bit more time refining the final swings could have enhanced the realism. The swings seem to accelerate slightly towards the end, and adding a few more subtle swings would have better mimicked real-life physics, where a swinging object gradually slows down in a consistent manner rather than stopping abruptly.

Ball 'n' Tail:

Project Overview: Detailed Squirrel-Inspired Bouncing Ball Animation

Brief Description:

In our animation course at the university, we undertook an intermediate task of animating a ball with a tail, designed to mimic a squirrel's hopping movement. This project was an integration of our skills acquired from previous exercises in chain animation and bouncing ball dynamics, with an added challenge of injecting character and personality into the ball's movement. I decided to enhance the scene for my project, as well as create and rig some ears, as allowed by my tutor, Dan Dalli.

Project Execution:

Character Development: Crafted a ball with a tail character that exhibits a unique personality in its movements.
Scene Creation: Exceeded the basic assignment requirements by designing a full scene for the character's activities.
Advanced Technical Skills: Displayed proficiency in Maya and 3D applications, notably by adding and rigging ears to the character for a more intricate animation.
Creative Approach: Embraced the challenge by going beyond the brief, creating a whole scene and intricately animating the character's movements and interactions.

Animation Details:

Movement Dynamics: Focused on realistic and character-driven motions, especially in the character's various jumps.
Enhanced Realism: Introduced delayed reactions in the tail and ears, mirroring natural momentum and weight distribution.
Scene Complexity: Enriched the animation with elements such as cameras, leaves, buttons, glowing fireballs, and platforms.
Character Interaction: Emphasized the interaction of the character with its environment, ensuring lifelike and responsive movements.

Specific Challenges and Accomplishments:

Multiple Jumps: Effectively animated a range of jumps, each with distinct features or movements, showcasing the character's vivacity.
Character Dynamics: Paid particular attention to the double jump sequence, aiming to enhance its realism and responsiveness.
Environmental Integration: Focused on how the character interacts with the scene, especially in landing and turning sequences.

Areas for Improvement:

Double Jump Refinement: Planning to adjust the landing sequence after the double jump for a quicker, more abrupt motion.
Leaf Platform Dynamics: Aiming to modify the leaf platforms to more accurately depict natural leaf behaviors upon impact.

Reflection:

This project was an invigorating journey beyond the initial brief, allowing me to merge various animation techniques and extend my creative boundaries. Constructing a detailed scene and focusing on nuanced character movements, I've deepened my understanding and skills in 3D animation and storytelling. The experience has been both challenging and immensely rewarding, and I eagerly anticipate further refining and enhancing my animation work.

Ball 'n' Legs:

Project Overview: Ball with Legs Walk Cycle Animation

Brief Description:

Our animation course posed a unique challenge: animating a walk cycle for a ball rigged with legs. The goal was to infuse character into the walk, blending our foundational animation skills with personal creativity.

Project Execution:

Creative Expansion: Exceeded the brief by creating both a walk and a run cycle, adding dynamic range to the character's movement.
Scene Development: Designed a simple yet effective environment comprising a road and sky, setting the stage for the character's actions.

Technical Enhancements:

Hip Movement: Identified a need to improve the hip motion, planning to add more twist to make the character's movement more dynamic.
Smooth Transitions: Successfully crafted a seamless transition between the walk and run cycles, showcasing my skill in creating fluid animations.

Challenges and Achievements:

Manual Frame Adjustment: Overcame the challenge of an uneven road surface by meticulously adjusting each step, ensuring realistic ground contact.
Reflective Material Utilization: Employed reflective materials in rendering to aid in visualizing accurate frame alignments, once noticed in post-production.
Feedback Integration: Addressed early feedback regarding the jitteriness and jerkiness in knee movements, resulting in smoother, more natural leg arcs.

Areas for Improvement:

Enhancing Hip Dynamics: Aim to increase the hip movement during the walk cycle, enhancing the character's lateral motion.
Environmental Interaction: Continue refining the character's interaction with the uneven road surface, ensuring a more realistic and grounded movement.

Reflection:

This project was not just a technical challenge but also a journey in creative problem-solving and adapting to software limitations. One of my personal frustrations was the inability to render within Maya, unlike some other 3D applications. This limitation led to a more cumbersome process of frame-by-frame rendering and recombination, which, in my opinion, feels inefficient and outdated. Despite these challenges, the project turned out smoothly, and the hands-on experience with meticulous frame adjustments was invaluable. It's a testament to the idea that sometimes, working through limitations can lead to even greater learning and achievement.

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