Category: Maya

Spline motion

First, I followed the reference video closely and created the basic movement. The teacher gave me feedback that it was done well. However, I felt that the movement was a little plain, so I decided to add some exaggerated motion. I focused especially on overlapping and anticipating, which made the movement feel more vivid.

At first, when adding overlapping, I moved each backbone one by one. The teacher advised me that it is better to select all the bones and move them at the same time. When I tried this, the movement of the back became more unified.

Also, I learned that for the arm bones, it can be better to switch from IK to FK depending on the motion. Each type of bone has its own characteristics, so it is important to choose the right one according to the situation.

This week, I added keyframes between the previous blocking poses to make the animation smoother. I paid attention to small details, like how the feet land and the movement of the toes. I also focused on overlapping and anticipation in the body’s movements.

My teacher gave me advice that the left and right sides of the body move in the same way, which makes the motion look less realistic. So next week, I plan to create a spline animation while making the left and right side movements different.

Blocking 2:

When I am doing the blocking, I noticed that the lines in the Graph Editor often look jagged. This is because the motion is still rough and the keyframes are placed in a simple way. Through this process, I realized that it is very important to only put keyframes where they are really needed. If you add too many keyframes, the motion can become stiff and look unnatural.

So, it is better to start with only the minimum number of keyframes and gradually add more to adjust the movement. This method helps create smooth and natural motion, and it also makes it easier to understand the timing and rhythm of the animation. Blocking may seem like just a rough step, but in fact, it is very important because the way you place keyframes here has a big effect on the final quality of the animation.

For the body mechanics animation, I first wanted to make lifting a heavy object. But my teacher suggested that you should select more simple movement because you are still beginner. So, I changed it to getting up from a chair.

Getting up doesn’t have big movement, but it has a lot of up and down motion. So, I needed to focus on the movement of different parts of the body, like the hips and head. Overlapping movement is also extremely important. For example, when the body bends, the hips move first, and the head follows later. I also used ease in and ease out for the head. My experience with the pendulum animation helped me understand how to do this.

First, I followed my workflow: I watched reference videos carefully, then made a rough blocking of the motion. I focused on timing and spacing during this process.

Body Mechanics Blocking

Body Mechanics Spline Motion

According to this reference, I learned how the body moves when getting up from a chair. First, it is important to understand that the body does not move straight up and down suddenly. It swings forward and backward to create momentum. When bending the legs, the body arches slightly and the back touches the chair, which makes the motion look more natural. Then, using ease in and ease out, the body bends slowly and smoothly.

I also learned that even if the whole body does not move much, small movements of the head or face can help balance the motion and make it look more realistic. For example, the body may move only a little, but the movement of the head can make the action feel alive and show the character’s emotion or intention. Paying attention to these small details helps make even simple motions look realistic and believable in animation.

Hand poses are an important element for showing a character’s emotions and situation.
However, hands have a very delicate movement and a complex structure, so creating natural poses is challenging.

Hand Pose

Expressive Hand Pose

Through self-study, I realized that hand poses are important for showing emotions, and it is important to make the differences between emotions clear. For example, when a character is happy or angry, the hand movements are fast, big, and sometimes clenched tightly. On the other hand, when the character is sad or feeling down, the hand movements are slower and seem weaker.

I also learned by watching professional animators that hand movements need to work together with the body. Even if the hands move well, if the body moves in the opposite way, the emotion or situation is hard to understand for the viewer. This made me understand that keeping the whole body consistent is very important.

When creating a walk cycle, it is very important to pay attention to the center of gravity (COG). The center of gravity is one of the most important elements for showing that a human is standing on the ground and affected by gravity.
In addition, the model used in this project only has legs and the torso around the hips. Because of this, I needed to focus especially on the movement of the hips. Since the walk cycle moves forward, the position and translation of the body are also important. On top of that, the way the feet touch the ground and leave the ground, as well as how the knees bend, plays a key role in making the motion look natural.

For the workflow, it is important to first collect reference materials, observe them carefully, and understand the movement before starting the animation. This approach helps avoid relying only on feeling sense and allows the movement to be understood as knowledge. As a result, it becomes earlier to move to the next step confidently.

Through this task, I also realized the importance of the Graph Editor in Maya. When I first created the walk cycle, the body movement looked stiff and choppy. However, by smoothing the curves in the Graph Editor, this problem was improved. From this experience, I learned that using the Graph Editor, not just keyframes, is an effective way to improve animation skills.

Walk Cycle Animation

This motion transitions from an “Afraid pose” to an “Angry pose.” Personally, I found this pose-to-pose assignment extremely challenging. Until now, I’d focused on creating a complete pose, but I realized I needed a deeper understanding of body movement to naturally transition between poses. However, actually expressing this in animation wasn’t easy.

So, I decided to start by taking a reference video using my own body. As I worked, I observed the movements, paying particular attention to the shift in the body’s center of gravity and timing. After receiving numerous pieces of feedback from my teacher, I realized I struggled with creating hip movements. Hip movement is a crucial element at the heart of human movement, so I’m determined to overcome this in the future.

To achieve this, I plan to observe the work of many animators and deepen my understanding by exchanging opinions with my classmates.
After polishing the video several times, I feel I was able to capture a certain degree of human-like movement. However, there’s still a bit of stiffness overall. I plan to continue researching this in future assignments and strive to express more natural body movements in animation.

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Final polished motion

When it comes to weight shifts, it’s extremely important to be conscious of how the body’s weight is shifting. In particular, carefully considering the center of gravity when creating movements is a key point in creating natural and convincing animation.

At first glance, the movements may seem simple, but in reality there are many things to pay attention to. For example, the timing of when the hips move, how much the knees bend, and how long the movement takes can greatly change the impression of the character’s weight and personality.

Furthermore, being aware of the relationship between the foot on which the weight is placed and the foot on which it is released will increase the sense of footwork on the ground and the convincing balance. By carefully combining these elements, you can express realistic and lively movements rather than just simple movements.

This is a plan for my ball and tail animation. In particular, I drew images to show the timing, spacing, and movement. During this task, I focused on understanding how the tail should move. Looking back, I thought the ball and tail looked similar to a squirrel. This animal is characterized by light weight and quick movement, so I tried to incorporate those features into my motion.

However, through my teacher’s feedback, I realized that the tail movement looked a bit unnatural compared to a real animal. In particular, the motion lacked the flexibility and suppleness, which made it seem less realistic.

Furthermore, after watching the tips video on Discord, I realized that I need to use the Graph Editor more effectively. I also believe that even if I think my motion looks good, it might not good work from other perspectives. Therefore, I will consider objective feedback regularly.

<Plan for Time & Space & Movement>

<The first version Ball & Tail motion>

<Fixed Ball & Tail Motion>

This week, I tried to create poses using a complex body model. As a result, I struggled to adjust each bone and understand the functions properly. Recently, I have been thinking a lot about body expression, because these characters don’t have facial features, so it’s essential to show emotion only through body gestures.

In addition to this, I learned about IK and FK bones. However, I still can’t use them appropriately, so I would like to continue learning through self-study.

When creating a pose, first keep in mind the Golden Poses. It’s especially important to check whether the silhouette properly conveys the situation and emotion. Also, rather than simply creating a realistic pose, keeping in mind C- and S-shapes will make the pose more appealing and dynamic.

It’s also essential to consider the center of gravity. The center of gravity is a key element in creating realism, and in my case, when a pose looks somewhat unnatural, it’s often because I’ve neglected to pay attention to the center of gravity.