Ball Animation: Test 3

Apparently I've already exceeded my weekly upload allowance at Vimeo so I've had to open a new Youtube account so that I can put more vids on here.

Anyway, after feedback from other students on my course, I've tweaked the animation. Main feedback was the yellow ball's slow down wasn't natural (slowed down too fast) and the 8 Ball zoomed off screen too quickly. I've also rendered from home so the textures are fixed now. I'm pretty happy with this test though it probably could do with some more tweaking. I'm not sure where to go from here so I'm going to leave this and begin the pendulum assignment. I will get feedback on both on Wednesday.

Presentation: Follow Through and Overlapping Action

I gave my presentation today on my given subject which was 'Follow Through and Overlapping Action'. The presentation was to last a maximum of ten minutes, of which I think mine lasted 3 or 4 minutes. I also ended up using the two videos I found and posted in the previous post (Digital tutors and Disney's Tangled).

I have added the notes that I had put into powerpoint below each slide.

 Slide 1: No Notes

Slide 2:

Nothing all moves at once. When we move ourselves, everything has its own arcs and speed.

Basically means “One part starts first and other parts follow” ~ Richard Williams – The Animator’s Survival Kit.

Overlapping action can effect clothes, hair and loose skin. Can even effect limbs, depending on the pose or action. (Weighting on loose skin can also be referred to as ‘Drag’.)

Picture of Rapunzel and Flynn (Glenn Kean doodle – Disney’s Tangled): If Rapunzel here were to take off running, her skirt would fall behind a few frames due to being effected by Rapunzel’s movement but not an actual part of the action. Same with her hair, some of it will lag behind and fly around behind her. However, due to its length and weight, not all of it will follow suit and drag along the floor.

Slide 3:

Works the same way as overlapping action but opposite. Everything does not start at once, so nothing stops at once either.

Can also effect clothes, hair, loose skin and even limbs. Again depending on the action and weight.

Picture of simple man with javelin (http://www.animationbrain.com/follow-through-overlapping-2d-animation-principle.html):

  After man has completed action (when the javelin has left his hand) the energy does not just disappear, he must follow through. It would look very unnatural if he didn’t and would take away the weight and life out of the animation. Follow through can be done a few different ways. For example, in the picture the man just follows the weight shift and his arm continues slightly. This could be taken to a more humorous level by exaggerating the action which may cause him to fall head over heels following the weight shift.

Slide 4:

Explain pic (from Richard Williams’ The Animator’s Survival Kit)

The starting movement and main action is the turning of the dog’s head. His jowls follow soon after the main action is made. Due to the weight of his loose skin, the jowls ‘drag’ back a little bit/few frames. This gives the sense of weight and realness to the character.

When his head stops, the rest of his skin does not stop at the same time. It still needs to catch up. It should still be lagging behind a bit at this point.

Everything now follows through and rushes forward. This could be taken to a humorous level with some added squash and stretch or exaggeration but here it is simply thrown forward.

The loose skin will catch up and settle back into a resting position. It may swing slightly as it does so.

PUTTING THEM TOGETHER CREATES AN ANIMATION THAT IS FULL OF LIFE AND NATURAL.

Slide 5:

Video 1: Digital Tutors: Follow Through and Overlapping Action

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2wJA9eX3yA

Video 2: Rapunzel’s Hair

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Zh-0dRS-4U

Slide 6: No Notes

I am now waiting for feedback on how I did.

Personally, I'm not really happy with how I handled myself.  I think I may have rushed a little bit (due to nerves and other stresses at home) and I quickly noticed while watching other presentations that I had forgotten to reference my images and videos on the presentation! I think I could have constructed a better presentation.
Hopefully I will get another chance to do another one where I will be able to improve and make less mistakes!

Follow Through and Overlapping Action: Research 2

I've been trying to think of a good 3D example of follow through and overlapping action. Can't believe it took me so long to think of Disney's Tangled!!

 Her hair is a signature part of the Rapunzel as well as an extension of her character so it was vital they got it right. The way she throws it around and uses it requires plenty of overlapping action and follow through. Take this video as an example. When she travels down her own hair she's going so fast she almost leaves part of her own hair in the dust! And when she suddenly stops just before touching the ground, the weight and 'realness' is portrayed very nicely in the follow through.

I also found this digital tutors video on follow through and overlapping action. It shows the principle very clearly using a 3D rope. This will be quite handy for the presentation and the pendulum assignment.

Follow Through and Overlapping Action: Research

For my animation principles presentation on the 12th, I have to focus on 'Follow Through' and 'Overlapping Action'.

Everything doesn't move at the same time. A character does not stop after finishing an action and then move to do the next. Hair, ears or loose skin, for example, will fall behind a few frames due to only being attached to the main action rather than part of it. How it moves depends on other principles such as weight, sometimes referred to as 'Drag'. This is overlapping action.

To 'Follow Through' basically refers to the movement following a main action. For example, when a character stops moving, everything doesn't stop at once. Any clothes, loose skin, hair or even limbs make take a few frames to catch up and reach their stopping point because they may move individually to the skeleton.

Here is a short, simple video on this principle:




I also looked up the principle in 'The Illusion of Life: Disney Animation' by Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston:

I watched 'Mickey's Grand Opera', particularly Donald Duck's movement (though the principle is present in all the characters shown) and you can see that though he holds his position sometimes he doesn't actually stop moving. His arms are usually doing different things from each other and his legs are walking this way and that. By following this principle his movement is much more life-like, or more accurate to how movement works in real life.




Richard Williams' 'The Animator's Survival Kit' very simple but effectively explains Follow Through and Overlapping Action:

For my presentation, I am thinking of including this particular image to illustrate the principle. I have added my own notes over the image below to show the flow of movement. I may draw over the clean image in my presentation as I think that would be the most effective and interesting way to explain the principle.

References in order:
# Animation Training Video. Linked from Youtube, created by http://www.animatortraining.com
# Pages from 'The Illusion of Life: Disney Animation' by Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston.
# 'Mickey Mouse: Mickey's Grand Opera' video. Linked from Youtube, created by Disney, 1936.
# Pages from 'The Animator's Survival Kit' by Richard Williams.