5 basic tips to creating realistic animations
Realistic animations are what fascinates the viewer. The audience is able to fully enjoy the content and the story behind the animation because the motion is believable. One way to make our animations realistic is by adding force in the movement. Applying appropriate timing gives a realistic indication of the object's speed. When an object is going to travel 1 meter, the time it requires to reach from point A to point B indicates how fast the object moving. If the object takes 1 minute to travel from A to B, that object might be a snail. If the object moves from point A to B within 1 second, it feels like a fast rolling ball. When we animate, we think about what exactly do we want this object to be. If someone animates a bullet flying across the room using 30 seconds, that might look like we are watching The Matrix. If an object starts to move from stationary, it takes time for the object to travel fast. A car that moves on green light will move from slow speed to a fast speed because the car needs to accelerate. A heavy truck will take more time to speed up while a racing car takes a split second to be traveling fast. Take a moment today to observe when you are on the road today. Observe the difference between the picking up speed for different cars. When an objects is coming to a stop, it takes time to slow down too. For example, when someone switches off the fan, it does not stop immediately. The fan's blade...
Beginner’s Guide To 3D Animation
Beginner's Guide To 3D Animation This is a continuation from the previous blog on Bouncing Ball Animation with Maya : 4 Factors to Create Good Animation. In beginner's guide to 3d animation, I'll explain from how to setup your computer with recommendations and brief introduction to using 3d software. Before we start learning animation, we have some technical aspect to cover. 1. Operationg System (O/S) Mac operating system (O/S) is generally more stable and processes much faster in graphics compared to Windows O/S. If you are using Windows O/S, just note that the Command Key is mapped as Control Key in Windows. 2. Maya Software Maya Software is available in educational license at Autodesk Educational Institution website. If you are a student, they allow you to download an educational copy free for 3 years. All you need to do is register with them. Register for free and select the latest Maya software to install. If you are not a student, you might want to borrow your friend’s copy to try it out before you purchase it. Maya is available for both Mac and Windows O/S. 3. Bouncing Ball Rig This is the maya file that we will use for the bouncing ball tutorial. I’ve created this rig for your convenience and feel free to download it for your own use. 4. Mouse Selection I have to recommend buying a 3 button mouse with scrolling middle mouse button. 3D softwares needs 3 buttons for navigation so investing in a good mouse will gives you a piece of mind when animating. I’m currently using a wireless USB mouse by Logitech (Model M185) which I bought...
4 Factors to Create Realistic Animation
4 factors to create realistic animation There are many methods that will make your audience goes 'WOW!' when they see your animation. Making an object moves is an animation, but making an object comes alive is the toughest challenge and it can be very rewarding and satisfying. Here are 4 factors to create realistic animation, references, target, knowledge and pipeline. In this article, I'll use bouncing ball as an example. 1. We need to find references Art is subjective and we must find some references that will provide us a benchmark on a good looking animation. In this tutorial, we need to create a bouncing ball, so all we have to do is to go Youtube and type in the words ‘bouncing ball’ and we will many real life sample video references to compare with. 2. We need to set a target We need to know how we want our animation to look like even before we create it. This applies to all animation created in the industry. Big or small companies still practice creating storyboards and animatics to define their targeted animation outcome. In this tutorial, our target is to create a bouncing ball similar to a real basketball bouncing. 3. We need 2 good knowledge In animation context, we need to know principal of animation and software’s operation skill to achieve our target. This 2 knowledge are the critical factors to creating a good animation and they both need to work hand in hand. Principal of animation makes an animation realistic and believable because of the way human’s eyes perceive movement. Software skills are considered...Useful Resources
About Nash Lin
Nash is a self taught animator, a fanatic gamer and a digital media coach. He has created many types of 2D and 3D animation. You will get to learn effective animation skills and tips with Nash. Continue reading...
