CTAN 280
INTERMEDIATE 3D CHARACTER ANIMATION FOR GAMES
A portfolio of my work from this course from newest to oldest.
DEMO REELS
11 SECOND LIPSYNC
RETROSPECTIVE
- First time experimenting with multiple rigs at once all by different makers
- The emphasis on storytelling through animation was most important here
- Had to do the most research and resource compilation for this project
- This and the following two reels were also a chance to experiment with editing and simple animation for the bumpers
"BETA" CHARACTER IDLE ANIMATIONS
RETROSPECTIVE
- These were my first animations done with a humanoid and more complex rig
- This project taught me about zero poses; while the camera angle changes between idles, they are all designed to flow into one another
- I did a lot more overlapping action in these compared to prior projects
"OB8R" PRINCIPLES ANIMATIONS
RETROSPECTIVE
- These projects were my first forays into rigged animation
- The earliest animations with more narrative emphasis I'd done
- More focus on specific principles of animation that would serve as a foundation for the later, more complex projects
LIPSYNC ANIMATION
LIPSYNC NOTES
- This was the first time we used Maya to storyboard as opposed to drawing them
- Having multiple rigs of different levels of intricacy was a challenge
- The first passes of this project had minimal facial animation, focusing on posing instead
https://www.studiolibrary.com/) to create phonemes in Maya
MEDIA USED:
- Kaju: https://gameanimation.gumroad.com/l/kajurig
- Azri: https://www.gameanim.com/product/azri-rig/
- Red Dragon: https://cubebrush.co/elisemathez/products/vei6g/red-dragon-free-rig
- Audio: https://youtu.be/kTWCkkl9JAI?si=Fq7_xgvUyb9cetLE&t=1
"BETA" CHARACTER IDLE ANIMATIONS
IDLES NOTES
- We had to create 5 unique idle animations using a humanoid character rig in addition to having a keyword to follow - my word was WEREWOLF
- All of the idles start out of a zero pose/animation, so they can follow each other in sequence as they would if they were in a game
- The final idle had to be silly, and I enjoyed contrasting the personality I had created with the first four idles
MEDIA USED:
- Beta: https://agora.community/content/beta-maya
NOTES
- This was the second style guide we compiled for the class - this was our introduction to the new character rigs
- It was important that we referenced both from life and from games for a combination of accurate reference and stylistic goals
- Having this much reference helped inform my decisions and ideas as it was essentially creating a character
"OB8R" PRINCIPLES ANIMATIONS
"PANCAKED" NOTES
- This animation was meant to showcase a simple idle animation as preparation for the following projects
- I tried experimenting with a more ambitious scene for this one and I had a lot of fun
- Storyboarding this project helped keep my scope for the project realistic
MEDIA USED (FOR BOTH ANIMATIONS)
- Ultimate Walker: https://www.highend3d.com/maya/downloads/character-rigs/c/ultimate-walker-for-maya
"THE OOZE" NOTES
- This was the first animation done with our first rig, "OB8R", a simple bipedal rig
- After our introductory animations, I found staging and even just a simple scene setup to be very crucial to creating a compelling short
- This was also the first project I'd done with a full storyboard, which set a goo workflow precedent for the rest of the course
- This was also my first time animating without a motion path
PERSONAL STYLEGUIDE
STYLEGUIDE NOTES
- This was my first experience creating a personal styleguide
- My biggest challenge was creating something informative, impactful, but also concise
- I wanted to create something clean and simple but with a touch of my personal taste - my work tends to have varied palettes and aesthetics, so I wanted a guide that would serve to underlay and elevate the work rather than compete or clash with it
