Autonomous Animator
[Part 1 of 2]
Helpful 3D Character Animation Tips [Part 1 of 2] By Martin Grebing
Whether you are a beginner or a seasoned 3D character animation pro, there is always room for improvement. This month, I’ve put together a list of tips that can help break through plateaus and keep you improving throughout your career:
Research Is Key
There is no substitute for preparation, and there is no preparation quite like research. Before even blocking out a shot, do all the research you can on the character(s) involved. Need to see how a lumberjack stands when he chops down a tree? What about a dog walking backwards? With mega-billions of free videos available 24-7, a virtually limitless pool of reference material is only a few mouse clicks away.
However, the best research digs deeper than only motion and acting reference. For example, what is the emotional motivation of the character? What is the character’s background? What is unique about the character and how do you exemplify those qualities through your animation? The more research you perform and apply, the more believable, interesting and emotive your animation will be.
Re-Trace Your Roots
When’s the last time you’ve performed an in-depth review of all 12 principles of animation? As an animator, you should have these memorized and readily available for quick reference at all times.
Print them out and hang them on your wall or cubicle. Create a collage of all 12 principles and set this as your computer’s desktop. Make it a habit to identify these principles in other’s work and implement them into your own.
Want to take your animation skills to the next level? Give that mouse a break, sharpen some pencils and draw your way through a
few reams of paper to strengthen your animation chops.
The stronger your traditional animation skills are, the stronger a 3D character animator you will be.
No Bubbles Allowed
As an animator, you need to constantly ask for feedback. And to ensure the most thorough review of your work possible, get feedback from multiple sources. If you ask for feedback
from the same person every time, the constructive criticism you receive will be limited.
For the ultimate objective review of your work, share your animation with non-animators. Those with pedestrian views of the subject matter are often the ones that will point out things you’ve never considered.
Feeling trepidatious about submitting your work to another professional? Then, you must show it. As an animator, giving and receiving constructive criticism is part of the job. If the thought of showing your animation to a co-worker fills you with dread, it’s probably because you know deep down that there are issues with your work or at minimum it’s not up to snuff. Therefore, it’s that much more important to have it examined with scrupulous eye so it can be improved.
Blocking Your Shots
While some people like to animate straight ahead, addressing big-picture items first then
going back and refining later will help avoid mistakes and greatly reduce re-working.
Imagine a sculptor standing in front of a giant slab of marble, commissioned to create a life-like statue of a wanton emperor. Would it be best for the sculptor to start at the top of the block, chiseling every detail possible until the hair is completely finished before moving down to the face? What happens if the sculptor gets toward the bottom of the statue and it topples over, crumbling into a hundred pieces because the footing wasn’t considered until the very end?
Or, would it be best to gradually chip away at the entire slab, blocking out the overall shape of the pose and continuing to refine holistically, only adding fine details once a solid foundation has been established?
Your supervisor is probably more benevolent than a wanton emperor, but use this hyperbolic example as
motivation to take the same approach with
your animation. Block your shots out in rough form first. Pose your character, hold the pose as long as needed, then transition to the next pose, holding as long as needed, then transition to the next pose, so forth and so on.
It’s almost always a waste of time animating fine details without first cementing key poses and overall timing. Because if any of the key poses or timing change (which usually happens), there’s a very good chance you’ll need to completely re-do all the secondary animation because secondary animation is often wholly dependent upon the timing and poses of the character. ◆
Martin Grebing is president of Funnybone Animation and can be reached at www.funnyboneanimation.com.