Assignment 4 WIP

The Sketches















Half way through class1, I wish I was a full time student, there's so much to learn!!!
So far I'm doing fine...
The devastation pose needs more tweaking and I'm not sure if this one will make it to the final submission.
I myself like pose 7 & 1 , no reference for my sketches, mmm Its hard to have a pure devastation pose. I think its associated with either anger or exhaustion...most of the time

Also there's my planning for the ball animation. I haven't tried if it works yet, I only started with a couple of keys.
more updates soon

Week 5: Anticipation and Squash and Stretch

WOW!!! Week 5 already!

This week's lecture is about Anticipation, Squash & Stretch one of the most basic and important foundations in animation, I'm just about to watch the lecture presented by Shawn Kelly...

As for this week assignment, we have to animate a bouncing ball going through an Obstacle Course. And to mainly use the principle of Squash and Stretch as the ball moves through the obstacle course. The weight of the ball as it bounces should maintain the timing of a basketball/soccer ball as it moves through the Obstacle Course, and then come to a stop.

That is the animation part, but still we have to doo a series of thumbnail drawings showing planning process for your Obstacle Course assignment. Also to sketch different methods of a human character communicating DEVASTATION. Finally to create a single 3D pose with Stu that communicates devastation.

And Here's the final submission of Assignment 3,

Assignment 3 WIP

Test 1


Test 2




Here's the second bouncing balls assignment, one light ball and a heavy ball
and I also attached the graph editor curves.

light ball
heavy ball
I just keep tweaking and tweaking with the curves, maybe in the end I'll have a perfect bounce
Bonq.....Bonq....Bonq...

Week 4: Intro to Timing

Alright, Week 3 is over... Another lecture & another assignment.

As for the lecture Its mostly about Timing and Spacing, basically what animation is all about.
Although it seems an easy task to animate a bouncing ball, but believe me Its not as easy as it looks...
Timing and spacing is crucial here, and one mistake turns all your efforts to a bad looking animation. Maybe not bad but not as good as it should be.

here's the bouncing ball assignment that I submitted yesterday



I had some comments about the animation from the AM community, mistakes which I didn't notice before, and I'm working on it to submit with the next assignment revision section.
I have to fix issues in the ease ins & outs, ball rotation at the end... A couple of tweaks in the graph editor.

As for the new assignment, there's no pose for Stu this week, we're going to concentrate on the bouncing ball, this time weight will play a big role in the animation. We have to animate both a light ball (soccer, beach ball) and a heavy ball (bowling, cannon ball) that bounce then come to a stop in the same shot. Plus the thumbnail drawings showing the planning process for the assignment.

Assignment 2 WIP

Here's the first Excited STU Pose, I'm still working on other excitement pose, and right now I'm redoing the bouncing ball. Feedback from my mentor, Yazan, and more AM student comments on my workspace, I realized what I need to fix.

Bouncing Ball Animation WIP

Here's my first Bouncing ball, I need to add some rotation

Week 3: Planning & Blocking Methods - Assignment 2 WIP

For Stu's excitement pose I have to pick one of the sketches, and I might pick one of 22-24.




As for animating a bouncing ball, I took a video shoot reference for a soccer ball bouncing on hard surface floor, Analyzed the movement of the ball and marked down the main contacts/extremes in relationship with time in frames.

Week 3: Planning & Blocking Methods

This week's assignment is to animate a bouncing ball with the weight and bounce of a basketball or soccer ball. from a side-view only.
So tomorrow I will shoot a video reference for a bouncing soccer/basketball and draw the thumbnail for the bouncing ball, and send it to my mentor before the Live Q&A session.

The second part of the assignment is to sketch different methods of a human character communicating. This time its EXCITEMENT then I have to Pose Stu communicating excitement based upon one of my sketches. I'm almost done withe sketches and will scan and upload tomorrow plus I will try to also finish posing STU.

A lot of work to do, a lot of video tutorials, so many student work/critique, cruise the campus and forums,too much for the short time I have; working full time 6 days a week, & I didn't get a day off since last Tuesday. Anyways Its ALL GOOD & AM ROCKS

Week2 feedback

Today I had my first eCritique from my mentor Anthony Wong.
I agree that I lost my idea of the pose sketch in the 3D pose of STU.
What happened is that I had difficulties using Maya for the first time, and not going through all the maya video training was a major mistake that I'm catching up with for the next assignment.

First I was trying to pose one of the girl sitting poses, but I didn't know where to get a chair and table from, I also thought I shouldn't waste time modeling and exporting to have a table and chair so I decided to camera photo snap pose, and I didn't have a camera!!!

So far I'm not satisfied with the first pose, but I think Its OK for a maya newbie.

Week 2: The Principles of Animation - Assignment1 WIP

Assignment 1 wohoo,

Using a physical sketchbook, I have to go to a public place & do quick sketches of what I see. to sketch simple figures that communicates ideas of posture, attitude, weight, balance, etc. Once I decide my favorite pose I have recreate the pose using STU (AM character) and Maya.

I went yesterday the millennium park downtown Chicago, and here's my observation sketches.
first page is at Penera Bread where I had breakfast, then the other pages at the Park. The Big Bean is always crowded.

3rd page I tried to catch poses for children but its almost impossible, so energetic, next time I'll take a camera with me.

I think I'll choose one of the Photo Snap Poses. Now Its time to practice Maya

here's the sketches

Week 1: Introduction to Animation / Anthony Wong

The first week of my AM journey is almost over.

I'm so excited for today's lecture & assignment " The principles of Animation".
The first lecture was more of an assignment-less introduction to the world that we are about to enter through AM, interviews with animators telling there stories, & turned out that I'm not the first or only architect to switch to animation.

My mentor for this class is Anthony Wong, he worked for 10 years for Disney feature animation as a character animator (Hunchback, Mulan, Hercules, Fantasia 2000, Tarzan, Emperors New Groove, Treasure Planet, and Home on the Range) and working now as an animator in PIXAR, with credits such as Ratatouille & Cars.

My class is 16 students including me are from around the globe, each with a different background and experience, the fact that got me scared at first. We all meet weekly in a Live Q&A session every week, and I was the first one to start introducing myself to class in our first session.

The online school campus is just perfect with so many cool features that combines rich learning resources and interactive community. Its definitely a unique learning experience.