Professional Skills:

Week 1: Briefing & Orientation
This week marked the beginning of our journey with Maya. We were informed about which version of Maya to install. Having prior experience with 3D design programs like Blender, I initially decided to wait until the course officially started and we received our licenses before diving into Maya. My thought was to keep the lessons engaging by learning alongside the class, fearing that self-teaching in advance might make the initial classes less interesting.

However, as the course progressed, I realized that it might take some time before we reached the more advanced topics that I was eager to explore. So, I chose to get a head start and began watching tutorials. My tutor recommended some highly efficient videos, and that's how I discovered George Maestri's tutorials on LinkedIn. His videos were not only professional but also packed with quick, efficient information. They guided me through the intricacies of creating, texturing, UV mapping, and rigging a character model. Engaging with this foundational material proved to be invaluable, setting a solid groundwork for the upcoming poses task.

LinkedIn. (n.d.). Rig a character from scratch in Maya - Maya Video Tutorial | LinkedIn Learning, formerly Lynda.com. [online] Available at: https://www.linkedin.com/learning/maya-character-rigging/rig-a-character-from-scratch-in-maya [Accessed 13 Dec. 2023].

Week 3: Bouncing Ball on the Spot
This week was all about the practicalities. I ordered various bouncing balls from Amazon and got down to filming them for reference. This hands-on approach was not only fun but provided invaluable insights into the physics of bouncing, which is essential for realistic animation.

Week 4: The Travelling Bouncing Ball (Exercise 2)
As week four rolled in, my confidence with Maya was visibly growing. I was getting the hang of the intricacies of ease-ins and ease-outs, mastering curves, and becoming more familiar with the interface. Each step forward felt like a significant leap in my animation skills.

Week 5: Assessment Exercise 3
The task for this week was to animate a pendulum and chain. It was a challenging exercise, pushing my understanding of weight, momentum, and movement in animation.

Week 6 - Formative Review - 30th October
During the formative review, my ball bounce animation, displayed on my page, received feedback. It appeared to stop rather abruptly towards the end, which was confusing to my tutor. At this stage, I hadn't completed the animation, and crucially, the object that the ball hits in my reference footage was missing from my scene. This missing element was the cause of the unrealistic appearance. However, I addressed this by adding the object into the scene, completing the animation, and enhancing the realism significantly.

Week 7 - Independent Development
I decided to revisit some of my previous animations, focusing on refining the lighting to create better visual themes. This week was a bit of polishing and perfecting the work I had done so far.

Week 8: Challenge 4
The challenge was to animate a Ball and Tail. To find inspiration and reference, my group went outdoors to observe squirrels - nature's perfect example of a 'jumping ball with a tail.' This exercise was not only educational but also a delightful experience.

Week 9: Challenge 5
This week, I moved beyond creating a walking cycle and also worked on a running cycle for a ball with legs. For the running cycle, I focused on making the character spend more time in the air and adjusting the keyframes to reflect a faster pace.

When working at 24 frames per second, a running cycle doesn't use as many frames as a walking cycle. This is because running involves quicker steps. I found that about 16 to 20 frames were enough for a complete running cycle, capturing the rapid steps of running and making the animation look realistic and lively.

By carefully choosing the number of frames and their arrangement, I was able to create a distinct and realistic running animation.

Week 10: Independent Development
I delved into the world of depth maps in Maya. I explored how colors and shades extracted from an image could be applied as layers onto a flat plane. This technique allowed me to displace a densely loop-cutted mesh to conform with a relative height map. The result was a stunning scene with mountains, buildings, and a background that perfectly complemented the task at hand. My final piece, which involved platforms and subtle camera movements, transformed a simple task into an interactive and vivid experience. To further improve, I'd focus on enhancing the lighting to alleviate dark areas that reduce clarity, and in the ball with tail animation, I believe emphasizing the character's expression through exaggerated keyframes would add more depth.

Week 11: Submission Preparation
This was a week dedicated to perfecting and smoothing out animations with the spare time I had. It was all about refining the details and ensuring that everything was as polished as possible.

Week 12 & 13: Submission
As I prepared for submission, I felt confident that I had not only met but exceeded the tasks set before me. I used clean, precise references and demonstrated a thorough understanding of the fundamentals. Moreover, I explored beyond the given brief, showcasing an in-depth knowledge of Maya's capabilities and achieving a higher level of skill in creating fluid, lifelike animations.

The dynamic landscape of animation requires meticulous planning and execution. As an animator, it's essential to balance creativity and efficiency. This page details the strategies I've adopted for effective time management to meet personal and professional obligations and produce high-quality projects.

My commitments span university coursework, personal projects in Maya, and audio production. To balance these, I employ a straightforward, structured time management approach using digital tools like Google Notes for organization and Google Calendar for scheduling.

I boost efficiency with 30-45 minute focused work sessions, interspersed with 5-minute breaks. I work best late at night during quiet hours or while listening to music and schedule challenging tasks for these peak times.

I review my time management weekly, reflecting on successful strategies and areas for improvement. For instance, on Saturday, October 14th, I recognized the need for adjustment as I spent equal time across projects. I completed Maya tasks quickly but struggled with the storytelling module. This insight led me to allocate more time to storytelling the following week.

My website, a showcase of my work, features a clean, intuitive design. I maintain it with regular updates and industry-standard practices like Harvard referencing and thorough research.

Effective time management is critical in animation. Through consistent practice and feedback, I've honed a system that suits my lifestyle and aspirations, leading to the disciplined, timely, and high-quality completion of my projects.