tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5309974458427703782024-03-14T13:14:47.284-07:00AnimSchoolBlogAnimSchool characters, events and instruction.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger381125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-530997445842770378.post-32801700590397773592024-03-14T13:14:00.000-07:002024-03-14T13:14:15.086-07:00Narrative Tips for Animating<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilL5YXGNu9d2tibhap2tvteftbi_lpRndRBvsji4MZ1aXxB91vOrEPw0nXvPsiChDDDRvtqspyd7GAuA4QKP6MVFKq712QChNrDLlp4rh31yd4wP22okOD_mePRAd8iJjLWXApZj-iqTO9Pg0m2H8QyVXN7GBi4_TgS0QItODf32skTugu2fVOW1Vxbys/s640/NarrativeTipsBlog_Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="272" data-original-width="640" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilL5YXGNu9d2tibhap2tvteftbi_lpRndRBvsji4MZ1aXxB91vOrEPw0nXvPsiChDDDRvtqspyd7GAuA4QKP6MVFKq712QChNrDLlp4rh31yd4wP22okOD_mePRAd8iJjLWXApZj-iqTO9Pg0m2H8QyVXN7GBi4_TgS0QItODf32skTugu2fVOW1Vxbys/w620-h262/NarrativeTipsBlog_Cover.jpg" width="620" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">AnimSchool instructor Scott Guppy discusses the most common forms of storytelling structure, and how you can use it in your animation to convey a complete story. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">By distilling your narrative to its basic structure, you unlock a compelling journey that resonates with your audience. Keep it concise, and focus on key elements. In simplicity lies the magic that makes your tale unforgettable.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Stories typically follow a <b>three-act structure</b>: Setup, Conflict, and Resolution. As with animation, these rules can be broken; however, we must first understand the rules</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Act 1: Setup</b></span></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Establishes a scenario that the audience can identify quickly. Ensuring that the audience can identify the situation <b>q</b></span><b style="font-family: arial;">uickly </b><span style="font-family: arial;">is essential for animators.</span></li><ul><li><span style="font-family: arial;">These are typically stereotypical settings (i.e. a western is set in a desert with older, rundown buildings)</span></li></ul><li><span style="font-family: arial;">The setup helps to relate important information about the story to the audience.</span></li></ul><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Act 2: Conflict</b></span></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;">This part contains the story; the obstacle that the character overcomes in an escalating fashion.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">It needs to be interesting and intriguing; otherwise, you will lose the audience's attention - the ending won't matter if the audience does not stick around to see it.</span></li></ul><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Act 3: Resolution</b></span></div></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Contains the "gag" - the whole point of the story</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Does the character win? Do they solve the problem and fail dramatically?</span></li></ul><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAObaq_wwIGxZR1QOZ3q8IMFPQSp-WnRlpvaqGjBZSuGg_v_ocI6DlYCaiRVWaxN1noJWePkY1EKqt5C2WzsxnB3O8Nv12VUEwwp5ieqyPzUMgr6q6_9-7CFCQfE5KrqFZhySp4MZpdeKCt9DcDRbVulQ63C6r-OphU6V6xI_RKaqBJyvrTwX4vFYTqDY/s1019/Screenshot%202024-03-14%20130712.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="568" data-original-width="1019" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAObaq_wwIGxZR1QOZ3q8IMFPQSp-WnRlpvaqGjBZSuGg_v_ocI6DlYCaiRVWaxN1noJWePkY1EKqt5C2WzsxnB3O8Nv12VUEwwp5ieqyPzUMgr6q6_9-7CFCQfE5KrqFZhySp4MZpdeKCt9DcDRbVulQ63C6r-OphU6V6xI_RKaqBJyvrTwX4vFYTqDY/w497-h276/Screenshot%202024-03-14%20130712.png" width="497" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>Story Tips</b></span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Archetypes and stereotypes are important in storytelling - while they may not be entirely accurate or correct, they contain generalizations that are helpful in conveying information quickly to the audience so they know what to expect from the story. Utilizing these generalizations can help keep your story simple and easy for the audience to follow. If you are not purposefully trying to confuse your audience, ensure that your animation is readable and clear!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Who is your main character?</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Dive into the mind of your character: gender, age, race, intelligence, emotional state, goals, dreams, etc. Visualizing your character can give you inspiration for what you want to convey with your story. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Juxtaposition</b>: two things being seen or placed together with contrasting effect</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Juxtapositions are useful in creating a joke with the incongruity of two ideas. They can also be used in establishing an idea with a predictable outcome, then deliberately misdirecting the audience to an unexpected outcome.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDoIh3CpdLAWKMdcbjLCznQyfLQtY9p8qE7yOXclbyF72A2ej2iE0js4KAmq3zqAjnYVIa04_tvet9XPvN0Hzh7eWosmfAhMggeNXbba1c_vep6gSjRQvMyumH-2ee7QSwn7u1F7pMv9RZ9k-6BQNizg_16M3-M1iATuacvIqXsVvOSl8mrfXSIhclaxo/s1880/Screenshot%202024-03-14%20130842.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="759" data-original-width="1880" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDoIh3CpdLAWKMdcbjLCznQyfLQtY9p8qE7yOXclbyF72A2ej2iE0js4KAmq3zqAjnYVIa04_tvet9XPvN0Hzh7eWosmfAhMggeNXbba1c_vep6gSjRQvMyumH-2ee7QSwn7u1F7pMv9RZ9k-6BQNizg_16M3-M1iATuacvIqXsVvOSl8mrfXSIhclaxo/w622-h251/Screenshot%202024-03-14%20130842.png" width="622" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>Watch the full excerpt from a live AnimSchool lecture below:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="361" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jKQu1XG8syw" width="481" youtube-src-id="jKQu1XG8syw"></iframe></div><br /></div><div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">At AnimSchool, we teach students who want to make 3D characters move and act. Our instructors are professionals at film and game animation studios like Dreamworks, Pixar, Sony Pictures, Blizzard & Disney. Get LIVE feedback on your Animation from the pros. </span></div><div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Learn more at <a href="https://animschool.edu/">https://animschool.edu/</a></span></div></div></div><p></p>Jaimehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00689790290217801524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-530997445842770378.post-71895837772215851922024-03-08T14:57:00.000-08:002024-03-14T11:10:27.745-07:00Walk Cycle Animation Tips<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzgQodLr1bPcCE2iIb9Hx8r_l3aEyBFbf0gz8sNENyuoS3VuleQuedzXMNLHL3W5Hr87KU0f0LRCQAKOkCdITOyX-5KtNQyBm31aWwiCexbpd7ooRYxa0MhCj1G90e9OUmM6gj6c2PJAHwow290ji1bUP8j_lTevm6-DoraquWgQLfs3sXoUtEKDda3Cw/s640/WalkCycleBlog_Cover.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="272" data-original-width="640" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzgQodLr1bPcCE2iIb9Hx8r_l3aEyBFbf0gz8sNENyuoS3VuleQuedzXMNLHL3W5Hr87KU0f0LRCQAKOkCdITOyX-5KtNQyBm31aWwiCexbpd7ooRYxa0MhCj1G90e9OUmM6gj6c2PJAHwow290ji1bUP8j_lTevm6-DoraquWgQLfs3sXoUtEKDda3Cw/w628-h267/WalkCycleBlog_Cover.jpg" width="628" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">AnimSchool instructor Janel Drewis breaks down the basic steps, and how video reference is used as an aid to achieve believable character movement.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Achieving a natural and convincing walk is deceptively simple. A successful walk cycle animation requires a keen eye for the intricacies of human movement. It involves mastering complex details such as weight distribution, timing, balance, and coordination all while ensuring the character's movement matches their personality.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Walk cycles do not employ any one specific Principle of Animation - a good walk cycle incorporates each principle in some manner. Because walks are so familiar to the human eye, audiences are extremely aware and can easily identify when a walk looks off or is not believable.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Main Poses of a Bipedal Walk Cycle</span></h4><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Contact</b>: front heel makes contact with the ground</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Down</b>: hips are at their lowest; "bottom" position</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Passing</b>: back leg passes the front leg</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Up</b>: hips are at their highest; "top" position</span></li></ul><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4liLTKb95ukSmHOgphoMCRyLjWTaa1dyuESMzt6TfekiVg41szknooLpbxeYBDZb6gu6MigZSi7C4HtUz5y5RBl1aSuIQuUzT6pcFCAcbyiqtQ4UGgURRGbiE6X5sxYtMMNVF37xFziFBTyF6p5E4P9B0PbIId-55HCdeTmYLGBfmyrUMC73YdqZd_IY/s1024/richardWilliams_walk-1024x599-1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="599" data-original-width="1024" height="372" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4liLTKb95ukSmHOgphoMCRyLjWTaa1dyuESMzt6TfekiVg41szknooLpbxeYBDZb6gu6MigZSi7C4HtUz5y5RBl1aSuIQuUzT6pcFCAcbyiqtQ4UGgURRGbiE6X5sxYtMMNVF37xFziFBTyF6p5E4P9B0PbIId-55HCdeTmYLGBfmyrUMC73YdqZd_IY/w637-h372/richardWilliams_walk-1024x599-1.jpg" width="637" /></a></div><br /><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Walk Timing</span></h4></div></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">In a standard walk cycle, the four poses above are spaced evenly throughout. Most people walk "on 12s," which means they take one step every 12 frames, or roughly two steps every second at 24fps. Animating walk cycles on 16s or 8s was more popular in older 2D animation because animators did not have to split the drawings on thirds like they would have for animating on 12s.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkR8ClWxGLdXelRJ_RtzDzvfa_03DTUBTAKfzFWKC-74SK5O9b_Li88pU8Bow677Y-VtlW_zmPINefty-57uWetw3yPaD4QXqwCa3QaA2EnP-DQVTVrn6DeuHtV6e-7O3JVvMyqK0A8dwSl0QNtTAFLsbtwxOHihkt-omUNq2rM9UIazTkVSMWMU05Xnw/s882/Screenshot%202024-03-08%20143103.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="882" data-original-width="723" height="545" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkR8ClWxGLdXelRJ_RtzDzvfa_03DTUBTAKfzFWKC-74SK5O9b_Li88pU8Bow677Y-VtlW_zmPINefty-57uWetw3yPaD4QXqwCa3QaA2EnP-DQVTVrn6DeuHtV6e-7O3JVvMyqK0A8dwSl0QNtTAFLsbtwxOHihkt-omUNq2rM9UIazTkVSMWMU05Xnw/w446-h545/Screenshot%202024-03-08%20143103.png" width="446" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Other Tips</span></h4>When looking at a reference video, make note of how much the hips drop/rise and how straight/bent the legs are. Additionally, pay attention to the spacing of the feet between frames; this will affect the ease in/out between steps.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">To loop your walk cycle, ensure that the pose of your final frame matches your initial frame - you can do this by copying and pasting the initial frame. This will ensure seamless looping. To play this loop continuously, select everything and activate <b>Curves > Pre Infinity > Cycle</b> <b>with Offset </b>and <b>Curves > Post Infinity > Cycle with Offset</b>.<br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Watch the full excerpt from a live AnimSchool lecture below:</span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="362" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WxbFKPstJy8" width="479" youtube-src-id="WxbFKPstJy8"></iframe></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">At AnimSchool, we teach students who want to make 3D characters move and act. Our instructors are professionals at film and game animation studios like Dreamworks, Pixar, Sony Pictures, Blizzard & Disney. Get LIVE feedback on your Animation from the pros. </span></div><div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Learn more at <a href="https://animschool.edu/">https://animschool.edu/</a></span></div></div></div>Jaimehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00689790290217801524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-530997445842770378.post-27010890213722749102024-03-01T13:18:00.000-08:002024-03-14T10:10:35.361-07:00Animators are Actors<p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDUz3UYwVnDsjaszUFkD3oJmQwYZ2o5BzRrnRYn6zEONMBec9Pwhgnnqg9WOSUqfM6x0oJwKnPl0_PcQrMdMNFiYxLdhL0gAzQbcODScbSXg10bplOT1VTOcxxM2vYlwEzzM2UdFHZAXuA7riXseud2OhkXvctwwZtjKscBO2CRECO3TtI-cUI7RWYry4/s640/ActingBlog_Cover.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="272" data-original-width="640" height="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDUz3UYwVnDsjaszUFkD3oJmQwYZ2o5BzRrnRYn6zEONMBec9Pwhgnnqg9WOSUqfM6x0oJwKnPl0_PcQrMdMNFiYxLdhL0gAzQbcODScbSXg10bplOT1VTOcxxM2vYlwEzzM2UdFHZAXuA7riXseud2OhkXvctwwZtjKscBO2CRECO3TtI-cUI7RWYry4/w611-h259/ActingBlog_Cover.png" width="611" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">AnimSchool instructor Masha Juergens explores the process of getting into character from behind the camera. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Acting for animation is a unique art form, where animators bring characters to life not just with the use of technology, but through the use of their own physical and emotional performances. </span><span style="font-family: arial;">With boundless creativity, they craft compelling personalities that resonate with audiences of all ages, making animated worlds come alive on your screen.</span></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Animators vs. Actors</b></span></h4><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Animators focus on <b>externals </b>in characterization and caricature (facial expressions, body movement, emotional reaction, etc.)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Actors, by contrast, learn specifically <i>not</i><b> </b>to focus on these things because they are "<b>results</b>" - you cannot act results.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">As an animator, you must understand what your body is doing, what your emotional status is, etc., and translate all of that into a digital space and onto a model.</span></li><ul><li><span style="font-family: arial;">The challenge comes from making your audience feel like your character is alive, not because they are moving around onscreen, but because they are thinking and have a personality that makes them unique!</span></li></ul><li><span style="font-family: arial;">You don't have to be a physically great actor to be a great actor in your mind, and in turn a great animator!</span></li></ul><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOfPBxhQW5aj2WXmm87f-y7OYx7SocI5_gGJVen-B699TdnPfSrTncW0iCub3smRF7mx1qMt26mN9b14wc577gUQxsEeDGwD65CaLZ5eXFRZDK6bE3bgGd2D1RVJwhs9hqgFjepU-rOMzPS7dsVUbnxjSwSzmkRgLTbZ0vQ4SYJw-rh1KMzkxnRkxfmAg/s2108/Screenshot%202024-03-01%20141420.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1186" data-original-width="2108" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOfPBxhQW5aj2WXmm87f-y7OYx7SocI5_gGJVen-B699TdnPfSrTncW0iCub3smRF7mx1qMt26mN9b14wc577gUQxsEeDGwD65CaLZ5eXFRZDK6bE3bgGd2D1RVJwhs9hqgFjepU-rOMzPS7dsVUbnxjSwSzmkRgLTbZ0vQ4SYJw-rh1KMzkxnRkxfmAg/w463-h260/Screenshot%202024-03-01%20141420.png" width="463" /></a></div></div><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Becoming a Better Actor</span></h4><div><span style="font-family: arial;">To get better acting in your animations, you must become a better actor. Get into the head of your character - try to figure out and better understand where they are from, what their personality is, what their motivations are, etc. It's not just about portraying a clear external (happy, sad, etc.) - try to look deeper for an internal feeling, or <b>consciousness</b>. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Identify the character's emotional state and <b>use the thought to drive the action</b>, not the dialogue. When there is a change in the character's emotional state, change the character's <b>main pose</b>. Be careful here: don't change poses simply because there is a new emphasis in the dialogue!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Adding Beats in Animation - Emotional Hang Time</span></h4><div><span style="font-family: arial;">When a character is feeling one emotion and something happens to make the character feel something else in the same shot, the character needs to have a <b>moment to process</b> before the emotional change can take place. Building beats into the animation can show that the character is mentally absorbing and processing the events that are occurring in the shot. These moments can be quick, but readability is key.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Watch the full excerpt from a live AnimSchool lecture below:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="372" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6YVhZaon2fg" width="481" youtube-src-id="6YVhZaon2fg"></iframe></div><br /></div><p></p><div><span style="font-family: arial;">At AnimSchool, we teach students who want to make 3D characters move and act. Our instructors are professionals at film and game animation studios like Dreamworks, Pixar, Sony Pictures, Blizzard & Disney. Get LIVE feedback on your Animation from the pros. </span></div><div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Learn more at <a href="https://animschool.edu/">https://animschool.edu/</a></span></div></div>Jaimehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00689790290217801524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-530997445842770378.post-79978954391837575482024-02-21T15:07:00.000-08:002024-03-01T12:35:14.777-08:00Master the Use of Phonemes in Animation<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhMNm7nGMJ8oZNdsyOsD_ElGyLCh_RH4DTIXAXyMjegiLqg6DeANawMpaU2Rp-NX1NHu0_ri5sVgnWThDkfRLx-fQQsthd6o2egqYN7qIfpX5qP9aSXqD0GhKasta_fAGjRMIdpLNsiA9i3_G_gVbE23YDNTbgOzIu8Pr3vKX0tBDIakEYE0bwa7gJWSuo" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="272" data-original-width="640" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhMNm7nGMJ8oZNdsyOsD_ElGyLCh_RH4DTIXAXyMjegiLqg6DeANawMpaU2Rp-NX1NHu0_ri5sVgnWThDkfRLx-fQQsthd6o2egqYN7qIfpX5qP9aSXqD0GhKasta_fAGjRMIdpLNsiA9i3_G_gVbE23YDNTbgOzIu8Pr3vKX0tBDIakEYE0bwa7gJWSuo=w619-h262" width="619" /></a></div><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;">AnimSchool instructor Ricky Renna explains what phonemes are and how to employ them in your lipsync to create a believable and natural performance.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Phonemes are the building blocks of human speech and are fundamental when learning to effectively communicate. As animators, one of our goals is to find a way to convey thoughts, feelings, and in this case, language. Mastering phonemes is an important step towards this goal.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Phonemes are defined as the perceptually distinct units of sound in a specified language that distinguish one word from another. In animation terms, we can think of it as the different "mouth shapes" that create words. </span><span style="font-family: arial;">As you animate, it's crucial to understand how to break down a word into the correct phonemes to allow it to read correctly.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Lipsync Tips</span></h4><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Use every sound to your advantage: listen closely for each and every enunciation.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Don't over complicate: achieve your mouth shapes in the simplest way possible.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Listen to the sound, not the letter: sounds can be different than how they are written.</span></li></ul><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEja44iphbwDX-Q_q8_sSEIa_JWHGqsdYWwfTS-ad8fHJqCNvUsdDQ_EMQ48CAAR4xSeceGN4i00GWh-k_7eXPApRfX9KoV31gQoMyxDhSQZB_xWfj2J-wV3qrv7tvxWvGC5qjAunGyicze7ymut_m1xRFv08Nuo7JDxoxN8W6uuoaaB9QBsBfTT4_ExdOw" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1034" data-original-width="844" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEja44iphbwDX-Q_q8_sSEIa_JWHGqsdYWwfTS-ad8fHJqCNvUsdDQ_EMQ48CAAR4xSeceGN4i00GWh-k_7eXPApRfX9KoV31gQoMyxDhSQZB_xWfj2J-wV3qrv7tvxWvGC5qjAunGyicze7ymut_m1xRFv08Nuo7JDxoxN8W6uuoaaB9QBsBfTT4_ExdOw=w241-h295" width="241" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>Generally, when animating the mouth, less complex shapes are present on the bottom lip, while more complex shapes are on the top. <br /></span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjIiqtkuQWKE1BD4ul04_dfy9GlBnQEelZzqWHRDnoyHZ-y9B0Npqy7R4FazDnSDzKDvCh-f8D07pV_gDbEb2b3tyEkKswpTX9g94v_cRAtUQ0GCst_pCvF4thTXZ97dkBHRgHXGHZnN6gnakhsihXjkvusv-VhRr8e8lHEfgeS_aP3ETHBt0ts3JVcZ0I" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="826" data-original-width="1984" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjIiqtkuQWKE1BD4ul04_dfy9GlBnQEelZzqWHRDnoyHZ-y9B0Npqy7R4FazDnSDzKDvCh-f8D07pV_gDbEb2b3tyEkKswpTX9g94v_cRAtUQ0GCst_pCvF4thTXZ97dkBHRgHXGHZnN6gnakhsihXjkvusv-VhRr8e8lHEfgeS_aP3ETHBt0ts3JVcZ0I=w479-h199" width="479" /></a></div><br /><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">In an example from Disney's <i>Ratatouille</i>, Ricky points out how many of the sounds get "mashed" together into one phoneme, and that it typically takes two frames to transition from one phoneme to the next. He explains</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> that two frames is his "magic number" when it comes to animating mouths, especially when a character is speaking quickly.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Watch the full excerpt from a live AnimSchool lecture below:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="348" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/TKyyGekA3XY" width="481" youtube-src-id="TKyyGekA3XY"></iframe></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">At AnimSchool, we teach students who want to make 3D characters move and act. Our instructors are professionals at film and game animation studios like Dreamworks, Pixar, Sony Pictures, Blizzard & Disney. Get LIVE feedback on your Animation from the pros. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Learn more at https://animschool.edu/</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div></div>Jaimehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00689790290217801524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-530997445842770378.post-24828727322499888062023-03-19T14:19:00.025-07:002023-03-22T14:23:24.695-07:00Chat with Disney Environment Modeling Supervisor and Artist Luis Labrador<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMb5WOvKNdFJ_QZhyGMZRSbwgveB2BWa68nIq0eELNMB7dTY9vV3jyDkvVBUbc2nyw-mMrI1yGiaIcwTCBYAzFRqO5wiyDNaZyFPCJSU8U_T2WV6Ao62sYI3-puwv6AqL-AGCfuwKRre6oz-DruDIsPf83IBCUEeRFEshX6NsAgkSruwR2GoPRFVsw/s1600/Luis%20Labrador%20Blog_Cover2.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="679" data-original-width="1600" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMb5WOvKNdFJ_QZhyGMZRSbwgveB2BWa68nIq0eELNMB7dTY9vV3jyDkvVBUbc2nyw-mMrI1yGiaIcwTCBYAzFRqO5wiyDNaZyFPCJSU8U_T2WV6Ao62sYI3-puwv6AqL-AGCfuwKRre6oz-DruDIsPf83IBCUEeRFEshX6NsAgkSruwR2GoPRFVsw/w640-h272/Luis%20Labrador%20Blog_Cover2.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /></div><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJg3avQlUjHbTuCkVwxvbqcA2ilcbaD7iQTSbF0oTFZPdse0wu1vZ6T82JTFbc0D9lEesBBNAm-lEYVIydOELNrod2Pgcnh3m1RZFqDqKaXH2ieb2WK0uu_Wv_t6cEdONXwkE0HGPAUT0yY3f0zdXQddizU0C9LWw6KQkzTMipCVdxDoNFdIGLkCDA/s898/Screenshot%202023-02-01%20222401.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJg3avQlUjHbTuCkVwxvbqcA2ilcbaD7iQTSbF0oTFZPdse0wu1vZ6T82JTFbc0D9lEesBBNAm-lEYVIydOELNrod2Pgcnh3m1RZFqDqKaXH2ieb2WK0uu_Wv_t6cEdONXwkE0HGPAUT0yY3f0zdXQddizU0C9LWw6KQkzTMipCVdxDoNFdIGLkCDA/s898/Screenshot%202023-02-01%20222401.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="898" data-original-width="721" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJg3avQlUjHbTuCkVwxvbqcA2ilcbaD7iQTSbF0oTFZPdse0wu1vZ6T82JTFbc0D9lEesBBNAm-lEYVIydOELNrod2Pgcnh3m1RZFqDqKaXH2ieb2WK0uu_Wv_t6cEdONXwkE0HGPAUT0yY3f0zdXQddizU0C9LWw6KQkzTMipCVdxDoNFdIGLkCDA/w257-h320/Screenshot%202023-02-01%20222401.png" width="257" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;">For over two decades, Luis Labrador has established a prominent reputation in the 3D visual effects and animation industry as a skilled 3D modeling artist. Luis began his career as a special makeup effects artist in Spain in the early 1990’s. His professional path took a new direction after he watched "Jurassic Park" in 1993. Seeing the CG generated dinosaurs sparked his interest in pursuing a career in 3D.</span><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">He got his start in 3D character scanning at Gentle Giant Studios in 1999, where he contributed to noteworthy films such as "Spider-Man 2," "Van Helsing," and "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl." In 2003, Luis joined Sony Imageworks and contributed to a range of films, including "I Am Legend," "Open Season," "Watchmen," and several others. In 2008, he got bit by the animation bug and moved on to work at DreamWorks Animation Studios. There, he served as a 3D Character Modeler and contributed to several successful films, including "Puss in Boots," "Kung Fu Panda 2," and</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> "How to Train Your Dragon."</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p></p><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0nNjOahsiEyaJ9XGMLIMhkUjoa1C6svH0WN5a4FYuHi46uJo1qLXsnnGOFC8FEFa1tBi4FX2OhiBXr4Bvs_mIxspU_ifbyE4zZebPRY2LFCX3av0eDxJ_T3oOK9d_IfPLNZ78mtKs91Os-kHYuxPJ6r5-yvNTAaDwTuV7emaoAJds4RYEL67KEeuv/s912/Screenshot%202023-02-01%20214311.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="535" data-original-width="912" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0nNjOahsiEyaJ9XGMLIMhkUjoa1C6svH0WN5a4FYuHi46uJo1qLXsnnGOFC8FEFa1tBi4FX2OhiBXr4Bvs_mIxspU_ifbyE4zZebPRY2LFCX3av0eDxJ_T3oOK9d_IfPLNZ78mtKs91Os-kHYuxPJ6r5-yvNTAaDwTuV7emaoAJds4RYEL67KEeuv/s320/Screenshot%202023-02-01%20214311.png" width="320" /></a></div>Currently, Luis works as a 3D Environment Modeling Supervisor at Walt Disney Animation Studios where he’s been since 2011. During his time there, he has been involved in notable projects such as "Frozen," "Big Hero 6," and "Encanto." In his free time, Luis also dedicates himself to teaching 3D Modeling to students from around the world through AnimSchool and ANIMUM Creativity Advanced School. His virtual classroom has seen numerous students pass through its doors, many of whom are now working in the industry today. </div><div><br />AnimSchool recently had the opportunity to speak with Luis Labrador about his experience and journey in the animation industry. He also provided valuable advice for aspiring artists navigating the industry today.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/X-AUrrPdHwg" width="481" youtube-src-id="X-AUrrPdHwg"></iframe></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><br /><br /><b>Tell us about yourself and your journey into the animation industry.</b><br /><br />My name is Luis Labrador. I’m originally from Spain and I moved to the United States when I was 20 years old. I started my career in film in Spain as a special makeup effects artist. I used to do makeup, animatronics, and monsters. In Spain, in the 90’s for visual effects there was<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhywrt9a21Ql-N9Qgzq-o1MgamwpyMx-hegseuqINEX9Yc5-bBJgVPT2zWeO0XDm6UppAyEDODUBd7wcr1VNMI_9PDcVxsWMsiO-DteFs4dp3imwsHH44DpuSjDyDUl2bR8Aqt_AMnGUkFAmdrffy3oDT7djgq3hcxFGBZH2mOzwcGZjkOHnKNrEF5g/s1197/Screenshot%202023-03-19%20133830.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1197" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhywrt9a21Ql-N9Qgzq-o1MgamwpyMx-hegseuqINEX9Yc5-bBJgVPT2zWeO0XDm6UppAyEDODUBd7wcr1VNMI_9PDcVxsWMsiO-DteFs4dp3imwsHH44DpuSjDyDUl2bR8Aqt_AMnGUkFAmdrffy3oDT7djgq3hcxFGBZH2mOzwcGZjkOHnKNrEF5g/s320/Screenshot%202023-03-19%20133830.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /> not that much work. I worked for two and a half years with <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0037743/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cr22">Colin Arthur</a>, he worked in special makeup effects and did “The NeverEnding Story”. In the 1990's, there's a movie that some of you might have heard about called “Jurassic Park”. That changed everything for me. Meaning that I saw the dinosaur or the part of the dinosaur that was done in CG and I thought to myself “Oh my God, I'm out of a job here! I need to learn how to do that.” That is when I decided to move to the United States in 1996. <br /><br />There was no teaching of this type of discipline at that time. It was just a bunch of crazy people trying to figure it out. Most of the people were located at ILM at that time or some other studios. There was no setup for schools or teaching. There were some modeling classes around in really prestigious schools but there was nothing oriented to animation. For that reason, I'm totally self-taught.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja9Pi5qvoTyPpacR5R4MX-aPDMUXlViIhar0mYdDaBbvcWXuf2_sNuQ3Gco-e-VG9yygDp-uDjWR4nPFxw59RDBI1DFWNGKCuUNDWKIAJBBnxA2A5cayuraK8tZ2KNt6DkEQbdgZww1sAGHHZedhzH9fxTVGuUb68J39wcYJhJAe1kFYdID9Tym0Cy/s907/Screenshot%202023-02-01%20214058.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="902" data-original-width="907" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja9Pi5qvoTyPpacR5R4MX-aPDMUXlViIhar0mYdDaBbvcWXuf2_sNuQ3Gco-e-VG9yygDp-uDjWR4nPFxw59RDBI1DFWNGKCuUNDWKIAJBBnxA2A5cayuraK8tZ2KNt6DkEQbdgZww1sAGHHZedhzH9fxTVGuUb68J39wcYJhJAe1kFYdID9Tym0Cy/s320/Screenshot%202023-02-01%20214058.png" width="320" /></a></div>I bought a computer, I got software and I trained myself. I had never started a computer before I moved to the United States to tell you the truth. I didn't know how to start a computer. My twin brother, he's really into computer science and he’s the one who guided me to what computer to buy and I started learning by myself. Working normally weekends 9-5 every day and then after 5, I used to go with my friends. But every weekend I would work 9-5, Saturday and Sunday because I worked during the weekdays. That’s how I started really learning 3D, it was all self-taught. That's still what I do if I want to get better at something. <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><b><br /><br />Can you give us a summary of studios/film projects you’ve worked on? </b><br /><br />Students get excited about the studios that I worked at but I always have to add this at the very beginning: It's a really rare case that a student starts right off the bat in a big studio. It takes some time. You need to build your portfolio. That is the same case with me, I started at a smaller studio called Gentle Giant Studios. I stayed with them for four and a half years. At the beginning I was just a traditional sculptor there and then I moved into the digital area when they knew that I knew how to run Maya. Nobody knew how to run Maya in the studio at that time.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRAnd9F-xPAacw5Odbl7cD0WeM40Ur62FwlCPcYaUTcHDTUvfFybxsEU73ep0sbwyWypsdk6PruiPjfYlDAi9_WGtlGHJQzC6w0joeg5eTKcoXNoneLxNh2s3M2ZPnkTv4xA6M6PJFCpo8wy-tEfuHOGc9LuMm4bDL0Tfp4bR9gYq_E59xuseb6Ner/s621/vfx-head-and-facs-scanning-sample-01.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="621" data-original-width="600" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRAnd9F-xPAacw5Odbl7cD0WeM40Ur62FwlCPcYaUTcHDTUvfFybxsEU73ep0sbwyWypsdk6PruiPjfYlDAi9_WGtlGHJQzC6w0joeg5eTKcoXNoneLxNh2s3M2ZPnkTv4xA6M6PJFCpo8wy-tEfuHOGc9LuMm4bDL0Tfp4bR9gYq_E59xuseb6Ner/w193-h200/vfx-head-and-facs-scanning-sample-01.jpg" width="193" /></a></div><br />I started working in 3D scanning, digital doubles for film and that's when we worked with Sony on “Spider-Man 2”. They saw my work and asked me to join Sony. I stayed with Sony Imageworks for five and a half years. Sony had Sony Picture Animation at the time. One of the first movies was “Open Season” and “Monster House”. I got bit by the animation bug so I knocked at DreamWorks Animation’s door and I stayed with them for three and a half years. <br /><br />Then I knocked at Disney Animation’s door and they said “Yea, I come in!” I’ve been with them for 11 years. I’ve worked on different projects as a 3D Artist and some as a 3D Environmental Modeling Supervisor.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><br /><br /><b>What are some of your favorite movie projects you’ve worked on? </b><br /><br />The one that I had the best experience with was “Frozen 2”. Not just for the movie or what we built, which was great and fun, it was for the experience with the people that we were working with. All the supervisors and the artists and everything on that movie. We were having so much fun. It didn’t matter how many hours you had to put in, it was a great group of people, and a great group of Supervisors. They had no ego. You learned a lot from them and they were the best people to work with. I always make this joke about when I work on a movie: I don't really care that much after all these years about what the movie is about, it's a plus if you like it. I always said if we do the most horrible story ever but we had the greatest people doing it and it's fun to work on, get me into that movie. Frozen had everything. I made the joke that the planets align at that time.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDaj_WnaIfG30KItcgCFgSItXTcG3y2LtatumlI1i4sVtbezvA0svJ9MACuQFcgnBwGma-mjtCjP2vzrjEneNr8MJZC33ykmBrpitNS7jkHGZan5bDtLgxGcLm_2oc6gUwWHO73UJq0Ax-k5ekPeatIp6SiQ7U-XbhrINWSlProA3pltwoto5srNRA/s1920/luis-labrador-capture43.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="795" data-original-width="1920" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDaj_WnaIfG30KItcgCFgSItXTcG3y2LtatumlI1i4sVtbezvA0svJ9MACuQFcgnBwGma-mjtCjP2vzrjEneNr8MJZC33ykmBrpitNS7jkHGZan5bDtLgxGcLm_2oc6gUwWHO73UJq0Ax-k5ekPeatIp6SiQ7U-XbhrINWSlProA3pltwoto5srNRA/w400-h166/luis-labrador-capture43.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQYSVDkNKeLq8x24qzvWtGt-fPkflkigRtkFjQQUxAQMts5zs8eBCpEjIaKBj6Csgj97XAi7pnmkbSkC4QBu8cyJYPfHv3ljcT7DObWYQRqmLoRhYPgkbkyfakDS9lhdtMvBWUl4Xb4N5dHAQK7EMFnfNOFmgfXNYQEBg-L94Lh8PfY3e3ZSlcYp-G/s1723/luis-labrador-capture35.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1075" data-original-width="1723" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQYSVDkNKeLq8x24qzvWtGt-fPkflkigRtkFjQQUxAQMts5zs8eBCpEjIaKBj6Csgj97XAi7pnmkbSkC4QBu8cyJYPfHv3ljcT7DObWYQRqmLoRhYPgkbkyfakDS9lhdtMvBWUl4Xb4N5dHAQK7EMFnfNOFmgfXNYQEBg-L94Lh8PfY3e3ZSlcYp-G/w400-h250/luis-labrador-capture35.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9HbvzabXQjRQjHfD8ZSj0YKQ8QWjU4oQFvu_IeanHKu1qzaUaRki-p4PAJ7PLJz185xHvWCxcGOEzYmXPy79RU_qMIoC7hSK3OJzC4xIpRJq1ebOT4tzExWJMZMQDai2pXrsm6_vlIxAvis29Dl47XntkL1z77frWSOOQUqbgQTIoorEiqnK6vCMu/s1920/luis-labrador-capture80%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="795" data-original-width="1920" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9HbvzabXQjRQjHfD8ZSj0YKQ8QWjU4oQFvu_IeanHKu1qzaUaRki-p4PAJ7PLJz185xHvWCxcGOEzYmXPy79RU_qMIoC7hSK3OJzC4xIpRJq1ebOT4tzExWJMZMQDai2pXrsm6_vlIxAvis29Dl47XntkL1z77frWSOOQUqbgQTIoorEiqnK6vCMu/w400-h166/luis-labrador-capture80%20(1).jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFJ5Mjbm1AC5a4bdk1CLeCksZOuQkj-YzWFJVxi_q5_w95rh9Xtt8e4lfgLWiWMoUR_nMBfaeyiG28yBjcsOaAc42_huj6OOACSKCVbb6_MqpyCSmhIvsXSNv28xL3AAX42y8V0bLN33AIE--tcX-hTyIUI6tNaFLnHntb8tIkYQ3j-varRZ84KBh3/s1853/luis-labrador-towerext0001%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="822" data-original-width="1853" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFJ5Mjbm1AC5a4bdk1CLeCksZOuQkj-YzWFJVxi_q5_w95rh9Xtt8e4lfgLWiWMoUR_nMBfaeyiG28yBjcsOaAc42_huj6OOACSKCVbb6_MqpyCSmhIvsXSNv28xL3AAX42y8V0bLN33AIE--tcX-hTyIUI6tNaFLnHntb8tIkYQ3j-varRZ84KBh3/w400-h178/luis-labrador-towerext0001%20(1).jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />My second favorite one was “Encanto”. “Encanto” was actually pretty nice to work on. Not as good as “Frozen 2”, but still pretty good. I worked on those two as a supervisor. </span></div><div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuTYFbcuF-u5yWLMzqhZz1w8i2LasnWZslVMwsJlKelrEW_FnSUBkqBWujeEZgMgAVUaFH1K9ghwJ8vtUUzlTbSpVz4nG9IQrsCXyKv_3EyLjom20_azjWpbBi_SaEq1MkYG5T0ndSK357BubmvnK9jXOWZaWomFIqPkm30NzfT5ZR_0n4XzhdgnHU/s783/luis-labrador-screen-shot-2021-01-20-at-1-33-37-pm.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="661" data-original-width="783" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuTYFbcuF-u5yWLMzqhZz1w8i2LasnWZslVMwsJlKelrEW_FnSUBkqBWujeEZgMgAVUaFH1K9ghwJ8vtUUzlTbSpVz4nG9IQrsCXyKv_3EyLjom20_azjWpbBi_SaEq1MkYG5T0ndSK357BubmvnK9jXOWZaWomFIqPkm30NzfT5ZR_0n4XzhdgnHU/w320-h270/luis-labrador-screen-shot-2021-01-20-at-1-33-37-pm.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>As an artist, I really enjoyed working on “Monster House”. I really like it and it was a lot of fun to work on. There are movies where we get a lot of freedom to do things, becoming more like the art department. On “Watchmen”, one of my last movies at Sony, I had to build things with no art. “I Am Legend'' was also another movie that I really liked. Even though people don't like the resolution of the zombies at the end. Our zombies had viens and detail but they changed the sequences so much we couldn't render such high resolution. We had to release everything at a little bit lower resolution. My whole point is that it was a fun project though. <br /><br />In visual effects you get to interact with some of the actors sometimes which I don't do in animation right now. I miss that a lot. I went to travel to Argentina and also met the actors of “The Lord of the Rings” or Hugh Jackman when he was in “Van Helsing”. Or when I was having lunch with Johnny Depp, who was the nicest guy at that time. That's the part I miss the most too. Van Helsing is a movie that I worked on where I spent two weeks in Prague, scanning actors and walking around Prague and meeting Hugh Jackman and having tequila shots with him. I will never have that at another time!<br /><br /><b><br />What are your thoughts on traditional Schools vs online schools? </b><br /><br />A lot of students come to me at the end of my class of 11 weeks and I hear this a lot. It makes me feel good but at the same time it makes me feel bad for them which is this: “Luis I learned more in 11 weeks with you than four years in college” <br /><br />It’s always good to have teachers that are production ready meaning people that really work in the industry. That's not that easy to find. Students that normally work online and look at schools like this one, they're lucky because I didn't have that.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguGBtru1GT0nHecflLKOQbDS6MHMgftFrZXeCqVbA23GLnVE2NcGIdxkrDV3SxyApc_7qfMTLbfBrBsnCozEjFGMXyjBwCIJh8X8b5fGASbvh69aRXTw5e0JntER5M00ZmPs-PFujuHaEjhwlUWfHuIoVClkORMxbF0oggPe5oISb6EmezL4PKM2HQ/s1616/Lee-CheukHung-281-202105060839360219.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1616" data-original-width="1616" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguGBtru1GT0nHecflLKOQbDS6MHMgftFrZXeCqVbA23GLnVE2NcGIdxkrDV3SxyApc_7qfMTLbfBrBsnCozEjFGMXyjBwCIJh8X8b5fGASbvh69aRXTw5e0JntER5M00ZmPs-PFujuHaEjhwlUWfHuIoVClkORMxbF0oggPe5oISb6EmezL4PKM2HQ/s320/Lee-CheukHung-281-202105060839360219.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Student work by Charles Lee in </span><span style="font-size: small;">Luis Labrador's class</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw_S97rc7W4Lm2JOY05TrOxxm8Nw2BJQLIuK7rLndl_ePzYOwN2mXlUqXZQI3mmQqPqSnwG-z1Q9hXYYU_MAnAZcEASX36nbUvA4yJFogF5kgcjavGbUBuW239hP37XsyXfiXoh5rX6lpvDp9V_A7LPbU5uZLRpxg52zHifXBHEOFSO3K64B_2qEPN/s1636/Hetherington-Erica-39-202211201630260973.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="916" data-original-width="1636" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw_S97rc7W4Lm2JOY05TrOxxm8Nw2BJQLIuK7rLndl_ePzYOwN2mXlUqXZQI3mmQqPqSnwG-z1Q9hXYYU_MAnAZcEASX36nbUvA4yJFogF5kgcjavGbUBuW239hP37XsyXfiXoh5rX6lpvDp9V_A7LPbU5uZLRpxg52zHifXBHEOFSO3K64B_2qEPN/s320/Hetherington-Erica-39-202211201630260973.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Student work by Erica Hetherington in Luis Labrador's class</span></div><br />I would find something online but you never knew if it was good advice or bad advice or if it worked for real production. Students have somebody that can guide them. I always tell them to be really picky and do research on who is going to be teaching the class. Do your research on places like IMDb and find out what movies they worked on. Just to give you an example, I took classes in UCLA Extension when I came here, I had some teachers that were amazing. I had a teacher who worked on Star Wars doing the matte paintings in the background. You have to be really careful when you put your money, your knowledge and your time into it. The good thing is that students have access to that online. Having a teacher at UCLA was really lucky at the time. Another good thing about online classes is they can take the class from anywhere. You don’t have to live in California anymore. The only thing that I would say is not as good is just the loss of interaction between students. It's good to have students connecting in person. There’s forums and stuff like that but I think they miss that personal touch, which is the only negative part that I see. Being able to take a class in your pajamas is also a big plus! <br /><br /><b><br /><br />You teach a lot of international students from many countries. What advice do you give to them in regards to breaking into the industry?</b><br /><br />The key or golden ticket for these students is their portfolio. That's the only thing. If a studio wants what they see in your portfolio and they want you to work with them they will move the Earth just to give you a Visa. They don't care, whatever it costs. I see cases like this at<br /><br />Disney all the time, artists that have been in Europe for a long time and have an amazing portfolio. I have my friend Manu Arenas who is one of the best 2D art directors that I've seen in my life. Studios chase him like crazy just to get him into the studio. For two years, they were after him. What I mean by this is if you have an amazing portfolio to show, they will do anything to get you to work for them. <br /><br />That’s the key. Get an amazing portfolio. If you're kind of equal to somebody that's here in the United States, guess what, they're gonna go for the person. It’s going to be cheaper and take less time compared to you. Unluckily for everybody, all of immigration is becoming more and more complicated every year for every country. I know that even from where I'm from, in Spain. Trying to get a Visa is more complicated so it is happening everywhere.<br /><b><br /><br />Other than the portfolio, what other qualities do you look for in a candidate for hire? </b><br /><br />The portfolio is 60 percent and this is the other 40 percent: they need to be clean with their work. They need to have clean topology and they need to be good at transferring from 2D to 3D. Normally when I ask to see someone’s portfolio, a lot of people tend to just show their models. The beautiful part and that's it. With only that, I just know 40 percent of what you know how to do. You're not showing me your models. I don't see a wireframe pass so I can see your topology and if it's ready for animation. Is it ready for texturing? </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFw3TWo6SgYRkpKOoQojcH8xndWmPJhFgoK_F4UwfGjZ5RCXcT3TuGsChu3fBZYq63Y_C0sZMuQsvRHu6d05W8N1p0oYBrFpSkx5Vts5rbw8-uoiuhCyqXAWzGNgp7zsxDxvsj4_LTwi3DdK_EyPtzUTrGlHFqDi7MoxKWahOZw_3_sX-B5S1VjZYa/s2560/Lee-CheukHung-39-202105280728160794.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="2560" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFw3TWo6SgYRkpKOoQojcH8xndWmPJhFgoK_F4UwfGjZ5RCXcT3TuGsChu3fBZYq63Y_C0sZMuQsvRHu6d05W8N1p0oYBrFpSkx5Vts5rbw8-uoiuhCyqXAWzGNgp7zsxDxvsj4_LTwi3DdK_EyPtzUTrGlHFqDi7MoxKWahOZw_3_sX-B5S1VjZYa/s320/Lee-CheukHung-39-202105280728160794.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Student work by Charles Lee in </span><span style="font-size: small;">Luis Labrador's class</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOBJ1Y-0WJpxulXZ_SBaBNRhyHAfEay2gkVpAOV1VNGwsyE9bV2JhsX6oMY_lZs813QNCzEbWAoSA9UE3gv6Awn0Lh7LuwMrYExf7oLjgAzZiKg3WmklPPGtitfyf39Da4wAwhgvICUtEJKQL0dpz0gHLoCEPxVEZ3gkKXTMxSEwUr3-uEE5wsJ4uA/s2569/Generalova-Anastasia-63-202109170014200112.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="2569" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOBJ1Y-0WJpxulXZ_SBaBNRhyHAfEay2gkVpAOV1VNGwsyE9bV2JhsX6oMY_lZs813QNCzEbWAoSA9UE3gv6Awn0Lh7LuwMrYExf7oLjgAzZiKg3WmklPPGtitfyf39Da4wAwhgvICUtEJKQL0dpz0gHLoCEPxVEZ3gkKXTMxSEwUr3-uEE5wsJ4uA/w640-h270/Generalova-Anastasia-63-202109170014200112.png" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Student work by Anastasia Generalova in </span><span style="font-size: small;">Luis Labrador's class</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>You need to show me topology and it has to be correctly done for all the other departments. Our models not only have to look pretty, they need to be functional. I know a lot of models that look pretty and then I turn on the mesh and it turns out we cannot work with it. They need to add a turntable and need to credit the concept artist and show what the design is. You need to put the 2D image. I want to see that image first and then your model so I can see it related to that. How do I know that you did a good job of translating that from 2D to 3D? </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Apart from the technical part, next is, is how is the person? How does he collaborate? How are his social skills? Does he have an ego or not? You see this through the process of asking questions and seeing how they interact with other people. Are they collaborative with other people? Because working in a bigger Studio, you need to have that part down. Do you know how to collaborate with other people or do you just do whatever you want? If so, good luck, you're not going to last for too long. No matter how good you are. <br /><b><br />What excites you about this generation of up and coming artists that you’re teaching? What unique challenges do you think they hace compared to your own experience? </b><br /><br />The challenges that they're gonna face, it’s that there’s more competition now. There's more people actually doing this but also there's more places to work for. So on the other end, it kind of balances out. What excites me for them is that they have a lot of new things coming up that I didn't have at that time. Things like VR, AR. Augmented reality and VR are still in diapers running around and sucking the thumb. People don't know what's coming in the next couple of years. I know that at the end of 2023 and 2024, this is gonna explode. They have all that possibility there, which we never had. I think that all these new technologies are something that is really cool and now it’s not just modeling for animation or for video games. There's more stuff out there and more coming.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwI2ois8yr95M5Sgx1lIf6YN8E57Y8SGVgzgYvznppBuHO21TBkNoOJi-By1uid2I_WsXKVVppVs4bc9LFgLdprW5BDKRs6SHuW-8QGCI83EReJy7aorTXOC7h2Pdx1-TOjlS2TWQcO1gReNNNCI7G61vZMrJlK1v_N0tmkmg1qfr-xfEtLXO8HQTo/s1920/luis-labrador-meridian-2021-9-16-14718.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1058" data-original-width="1920" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwI2ois8yr95M5Sgx1lIf6YN8E57Y8SGVgzgYvznppBuHO21TBkNoOJi-By1uid2I_WsXKVVppVs4bc9LFgLdprW5BDKRs6SHuW-8QGCI83EReJy7aorTXOC7h2Pdx1-TOjlS2TWQcO1gReNNNCI7G61vZMrJlK1v_N0tmkmg1qfr-xfEtLXO8HQTo/w400-h220/luis-labrador-meridian-2021-9-16-14718.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">VR lores scout model</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQhxr4aQOSsGJmexQKBHJYjN5-4j2yT-gfGu3DrvZt2p1lqnn-h84x9NGuMFk7M3fX69vjV_jWaUs558zU6DjUy4sDYIYRP52ID7rVPQgMeENBBLm0wwfNkpRNZNPVmAcU-f3oTSTAT8NMMs1GzqFA4osH8W80tVYVVPiSTyZlCEuJ6YwF3ZJa18z-/s1920/luis-labrador-meridian-2021-9-16-14223.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1058" data-original-width="1920" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQhxr4aQOSsGJmexQKBHJYjN5-4j2yT-gfGu3DrvZt2p1lqnn-h84x9NGuMFk7M3fX69vjV_jWaUs558zU6DjUy4sDYIYRP52ID7rVPQgMeENBBLm0wwfNkpRNZNPVmAcU-f3oTSTAT8NMMs1GzqFA4osH8W80tVYVVPiSTyZlCEuJ6YwF3ZJa18z-/w400-h220/luis-labrador-meridian-2021-9-16-14223.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;">VR lores scout model</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0QRWbhuh14EedKfrYYJvolc4P36Y626stJGxWywS16bg5ZW2aG8uHb69GGPMYXscWWWjJfR7FJzK87UyYDB7TNGWd7iik2hSrffKyEH39xUrns5ltlV3_UTwYSsqSvUNyaP2J2qO4K0Xv34GfxvyIGqyDoOcOaecTzabMUPUbGmGK1jza6QDfN1GD/s1920/luis-labrador-meridian-2021-9-16-14526.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1058" data-original-width="1920" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0QRWbhuh14EedKfrYYJvolc4P36Y626stJGxWywS16bg5ZW2aG8uHb69GGPMYXscWWWjJfR7FJzK87UyYDB7TNGWd7iik2hSrffKyEH39xUrns5ltlV3_UTwYSsqSvUNyaP2J2qO4K0Xv34GfxvyIGqyDoOcOaecTzabMUPUbGmGK1jza6QDfN1GD/w400-h220/luis-labrador-meridian-2021-9-16-14526.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;">VR lores scout model</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg43sGefOusDflYAY_jN6vrwrNJ0ECAzIbeFl9eTOBpMqW2ZGKLlTv6B0uFQIrEz0Bl2fr5EPBXRXddLhDvqAf0TpqDMJFVmh_4MZ_QveXxo0kzqslMbxC6yvrrbsNuhW_YBXV-uVPbEYcwQFwyXFeVyHi6_cHSunRerxWXjXwjp7115KvMKPXedJ7p/s1920/luis-labrador-capture017.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1026" data-original-width="1920" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg43sGefOusDflYAY_jN6vrwrNJ0ECAzIbeFl9eTOBpMqW2ZGKLlTv6B0uFQIrEz0Bl2fr5EPBXRXddLhDvqAf0TpqDMJFVmh_4MZ_QveXxo0kzqslMbxC6yvrrbsNuhW_YBXV-uVPbEYcwQFwyXFeVyHi6_cHSunRerxWXjXwjp7115KvMKPXedJ7p/w400-h214/luis-labrador-capture017.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI1l6h5bBDoa97vvTZqootbH7ax6p94r6BxqprzP2_Vguy9TR2dfr5i2t_UU_-xVk0znZHrzJU4HG1-0pJBy0ebmZ_ns2jdlTXnq6Cs4gNIXh1x0dju9_vS2Aq7-N36FikombfH5ZAnPCTiPNDF6o23TcKHt6S3nb-hySlcdM_x88QRsRP1q0wspF2/s1920/luis-labrador-capture023.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1017" data-original-width="1920" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI1l6h5bBDoa97vvTZqootbH7ax6p94r6BxqprzP2_Vguy9TR2dfr5i2t_UU_-xVk0znZHrzJU4HG1-0pJBy0ebmZ_ns2jdlTXnq6Cs4gNIXh1x0dju9_vS2Aq7-N36FikombfH5ZAnPCTiPNDF6o23TcKHt6S3nb-hySlcdM_x88QRsRP1q0wspF2/w400-h213/luis-labrador-capture023.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><br /><b>What are your thoughts on AI Art? </b><br /><br />I don't like it, let's put it this way. I understand the use of it for some specific things. If you are a visual development person and you have a portfolio already and you have years of experience, you can use that as a tool to generate some quick ideas. Then do your own thing completely. I like the inspirational use of it, I think that's good. The bad part is a lot of people are gonna be cheating with this. Meaning, if I had to hire somebody for 2D, how do I know their portfolios will be AI generated? How do I know if they're good or not? How do I know if I put them in production that they're not going to know what to do? That's because they're cheating through the whole process. So I see it as a tool to inspire and as a tool to build from.<br /><br /><br /><b>Have you seen and/or experienced a culture shift over the last 20 years with the rise of communities such as “Women in Animation”, “Rise Up Animation”, Latinx in Animation, etc?</b><br /><br />Yesah I've definitely seen it. Which is good, I'm diversity, look at this accent! Diversity is always good. Diversity with quality, we need to have both. Let's make sure that we get quality at the same time that's key. If you're trying to find somebody you need to give yourself a little more time to be more specific about what you're looking for but they're definitely out there. Take your time, find them and most of the time, they're better than any other people that you want but you need to do your research. <br /><br /><b>What’s it like being a supervisor at Disney?</b><br />I have from 8 to 12 modelers working for me depending on the show. I always say, they don't work for me, I work for them. I work by this metaphor: They're driving Ferraris and it's a road that is in the mountains and I'm going first with a gigantic tractor, plowing all the snow for them so they can go super fast. That's what supervising is for me. It’s also about being respectful with other people. Don't have an ego. I work for them to allow them to have the best chance and clean their paths so they can be fast and precise at what they do. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPweaN3tfORWAb43wSCYHt78_DXP2TIEvYyEjEO9fzQUDU4j5xti3NYGQtazznGH5uaeJZ6BT2XSUKiwXWyeyif86GLI-rcldvzEzkfwd564awxlw1IGeq2n_3ms81zkjJNfF3mCJsEY7NymDV8LutZrzBZXv4DLOodCICpnxDxtKNBvKuaPq3uNmU/s1920/luis-labrador-capture045.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1019" data-original-width="1920" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPweaN3tfORWAb43wSCYHt78_DXP2TIEvYyEjEO9fzQUDU4j5xti3NYGQtazznGH5uaeJZ6BT2XSUKiwXWyeyif86GLI-rcldvzEzkfwd564awxlw1IGeq2n_3ms81zkjJNfF3mCJsEY7NymDV8LutZrzBZXv4DLOodCICpnxDxtKNBvKuaPq3uNmU/w400-h213/luis-labrador-capture045.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoZ-NV4uNcHIVMHh8Cijn8yCl00Y8ipoRmda9GrTdoNz72Kz44uYTTmbPW_eqr0c2KydbK_6ouc2s0JyqNDOV_7CmHzmVFBVlitTI7cS347_743kNsVDPK4mWidq0t3T-yFMNfZjWv6uRr7oOKIsxvOkeWdYUNsKgaVbQTKLZFHpeBrDyjAPit8nKy/s1920/luis-labrador-capture21.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1044" data-original-width="1920" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoZ-NV4uNcHIVMHh8Cijn8yCl00Y8ipoRmda9GrTdoNz72Kz44uYTTmbPW_eqr0c2KydbK_6ouc2s0JyqNDOV_7CmHzmVFBVlitTI7cS347_743kNsVDPK4mWidq0t3T-yFMNfZjWv6uRr7oOKIsxvOkeWdYUNsKgaVbQTKLZFHpeBrDyjAPit8nKy/w400-h217/luis-labrador-capture21.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><b>How do you add character to 3D environment pieces? </b><br /><br />We're really oriented by the art so we can not deviate too much from that. For us, it’s having a good relationship with the 2D Department. If you don't have a good relationship and you start doing your own thing then you're gonna be in trouble. Apart from having reviews that you show to people in the studio, you also have working sessions with the art department. You can build a foundation in those working sessions almost like a playground for kids. The art department sometimes can be a little bit tense working around Artist and that's not a good thing. If you collaborate and build a friendly environment, those meetings and working sessions can be really relaxed and you can laugh and even joke sometimes. Throw a joke so people relax and think “oh this is not really so serious”. If I’m with the production designer or the art director modeling in front of them I would want them to feel like we can do things together. Even though there’s collaboration there's going to be times where they're going to tell you “No”. Even saying no, they need to tell you in a way that by the end when they're done telling you “No”, you look at the person and you get it and you say thank you. They need to be nice. That's one of the things I learned from one of my supervisors Sean Jenkins. He's an amazing supervisor. Even when he tells you “No”, you realize why it’s a no.<br />That's good supervising right there.<br /><br /><br /><b>What are some of the important concepts you try to emphasize in your class that you feel students need to learn before going into a studio? </b><br /><br />Collaboration and understanding that they're not just creating a model and then throwing it out there. Whoever is getting the model needs to not have to finish your work. They shouldn’t be fixing your model. I see that happening alot. You’re always gonna get some feedback no matter what. You might have minor changes but I don't want people sening their model out and somebody has to redo most of the job. I run my class like it's a studio and the reason I do that is because you want to work in a studio. The quality of topology for animation is really different to topology for games. Here we’re doing topology for animation. This includes subdivisions and using only quads. But if you model for animation to start with and you model everything in quads, your foundation in topology as a modeler once you do games it's gonna be so much easier. It’s always easier to go from something that perfect and clean to something for games than the opposite. The cleanest modelers in the world come from the era of NURBS because everything needs to be patches and when everything moved to polygons everything stayed super clean<br /><br />The same thing goes for animation. When you learn animation techniques of topology this will allow you to move into games where you are allowed to do triangles and it will be easy to model.<br /><br /><b>What’s next for you? Are there any other facets of the industry you want to try out? </b><br /><br />I'm always learning by myself. I'm getting more into Unreal right now. I'm building my own art pieces right now, grabbing some design from somebody that I like and then modeling the whole thing in Maya, texturing in Substance and presenting in Unreal with lighting. I think it looks beautiful. What I think is coming in the future is AR and VR. Nobody knows what's going to become the Metaverse. Someone asked me the other day in a conference “What is the metaverse?” My answer was “Whoever told you what the metaverse is, is lying to you because nobody knows what it's going to be. It’s going to be something amazing but for now it is not. With the technology getting better you can look forward to the metaverse.<br /><br /><b>What do you say to those who stop growing and learning?</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><br /></b>You need to keep evolving. The industry is evolving so if you don’t evolve with the industry, you’re going to be out of a job. There’s a lot of new things coming out every single day from photogrammetry modeling and procedural modeling. We need to keep learning. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>More in person events are coming up, Lightbox expo, CTN, etc. What advice would you give students when it comes to in-person networking? </b><br /><br />Things are becoming a little more complicated but you get into the network and mostly if you want to sell your portfolio as a student to other people but companies are getting a little bit picky with showing portfolios and making it harder. It used to be a bit more free. It's still good to go to those events because you get to know people and show your work so definitely going is a plus. I went to Lightbox instead of CTN and I really liked Lightbox. For students that's the place to go because you see where the industry is going and you meet other people, you make friends in the industry and other students in other schools. <br /><br />I use it as an excuse to see friends from other studios that I haven't seen in years and we go out to dinner too.<br /><br /><br /><b>Why do you like teaching at AnimSchool? </b><br /><br />I like it because they're serious about what they do. It’s a school that also has a tradition which is good. It's one of the first ones. You only have to look at the panel of teachers and can see that these people mean business. It's also legal in a way that everything is accredited. You have other schools that are not really number one. They don't have the teachers or they don't have the qualifications. I treat the students with a lot of appreciation and a lot of respect and the school treats me with respect as a professional and not just as a teacher. <br />We have fun and everything but seriously when we mean business we're doing a good business. We’re actually teaching people that are actually working now. That makes you feel good. Mutual respect is the key and professionalism that's number one so for me that's why. </span><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-530997445842770378.post-83971622154305276132023-02-13T13:07:00.000-08:002023-02-13T13:07:30.441-08:00Sculpting the Hand in Zbrush <div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ0Bwv4_XWn13tesV8VXfZey2TwDCNO9qLHvaQ0JDrIJ3GTgXdnzPPrJjYpzwqQ0POOc9SoWrCSTbDoVQ-fJMWB-hPbUgTCnDSFaNBb0psK3dN5o7Gj8RZ9jygrNSiwfzoN_GLeblDBZhx9JLxzRorg7x7JLxaptvjBpQOMK6b_i9SfTaC02jNDPiF/s1600/HandBlog_Cover2.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="679" data-original-width="1600" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ0Bwv4_XWn13tesV8VXfZey2TwDCNO9qLHvaQ0JDrIJ3GTgXdnzPPrJjYpzwqQ0POOc9SoWrCSTbDoVQ-fJMWB-hPbUgTCnDSFaNBb0psK3dN5o7Gj8RZ9jygrNSiwfzoN_GLeblDBZhx9JLxzRorg7x7JLxaptvjBpQOMK6b_i9SfTaC02jNDPiF/w640-h272/HandBlog_Cover2.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /> When it comes to sculpting hands, AnimSchool Instructor Charles Ellison has refined his method after years and years of practice.</span><div><span style="font-family: arial;">We can see his superb work in some of his latest published work for Jacob in Netflix Animation's "The Sea Beast". </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoiG1JhXRruJXkuq1_6oOUMcraRlUlGLM21Ljt5IkDqpy4N490KovSqQJxmJT63RshSIYzTsUpTpnvQbim5tVnbCaID9PFAZOv0-cre__a0MK1GCY479WZwXgZ1OpkySKUTiDqQbWIncB-hfYUbna5xmHvCZs8mEGqGEj2OgbohNcUzKA9Qr2oeu9_/s821/charles-ellison-jacob-posea-lineup.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="821" data-original-width="554" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoiG1JhXRruJXkuq1_6oOUMcraRlUlGLM21Ljt5IkDqpy4N490KovSqQJxmJT63RshSIYzTsUpTpnvQbim5tVnbCaID9PFAZOv0-cre__a0MK1GCY479WZwXgZ1OpkySKUTiDqQbWIncB-hfYUbna5xmHvCZs8mEGqGEj2OgbohNcUzKA9Qr2oeu9_/w431-h640/charles-ellison-jacob-posea-lineup.jpg" width="431" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More images available at <a href="https://www.artstation.com/artwork/nQe1D6">Charle's Artstation Portfolio</a><br /> </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikxVIaoHaI1q6Jg1D2aph_jAq5b1-3JmE8FJOhQzhrCtLVWiwbXLgOh1c3tdeOex0vLjJ8qXsAdfoSW6qoclfo4aM811KXA2tDmqFRlft9Dkwn8vugYDbjrmhKnW3rbZP1SHrHOyn_tg_cSN2T6lUD33uF-CN60FrhvhMH-ubspPyuVfqV0usD-nm9/s547/charles-ellison-jacob-poseb-lineup.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="547" data-original-width="407" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikxVIaoHaI1q6Jg1D2aph_jAq5b1-3JmE8FJOhQzhrCtLVWiwbXLgOh1c3tdeOex0vLjJ8qXsAdfoSW6qoclfo4aM811KXA2tDmqFRlft9Dkwn8vugYDbjrmhKnW3rbZP1SHrHOyn_tg_cSN2T6lUD33uF-CN60FrhvhMH-ubspPyuVfqV0usD-nm9/w238-h320/charles-ellison-jacob-poseb-lineup.jpg" width="238" /></a></div>Charles emphasizes the importance of having good reference at <i>hand</i> before starting your model. <br /><br />Many times during his lectures, Charles references the book “Anatomy for Sculptors” by Uldis Zarins. Many sections of the book can be found in their sample online. <br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;">But if all else fails, you can always use your own hands to help guide you in this process. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;">Just like the human finger print, every hand is unique and has individual characteristics. But fundamental forms and shapes persist. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Notice the way your hand forms a wedge where it meets the fingers. Notice the "V" shape present within the 3 sections that form your finger. Notice how the ring finger and the ring finger are relatively the same size. All these details and more are fundamental to recreating a human hand in 3D space. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXHHpMCSt64R0Sh3B7m43fE19bpXC7MARIuouywWtm2LyhcojoAOmWb14cCAsDj7IX6wTzmk4c760126QZ_69IqirUvKDtB7-Vr_jfFNzXAg7sxKJYL7EFKl_-w7aeH3uQov7-LJb0IVfAGG1Hkq5U2gHBOfFoWl8qFFuF-0LqQprGsrvFaQqV-Sfa/s1000/creases-and-gaps-of-fingers-anatomy-for-sculptors-understanding-the-human-figure_eca00c4b-cba4-4c8a-943a-9b404d3be882.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="758" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXHHpMCSt64R0Sh3B7m43fE19bpXC7MARIuouywWtm2LyhcojoAOmWb14cCAsDj7IX6wTzmk4c760126QZ_69IqirUvKDtB7-Vr_jfFNzXAg7sxKJYL7EFKl_-w7aeH3uQov7-LJb0IVfAGG1Hkq5U2gHBOfFoWl8qFFuF-0LqQprGsrvFaQqV-Sfa/s320/creases-and-gaps-of-fingers-anatomy-for-sculptors-understanding-the-human-figure_eca00c4b-cba4-4c8a-943a-9b404d3be882.jpg" width="243" /></a></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQu2w8qn29Hy7v0Ko5I1EZlf1e7pC0sNWeVmOzAE8BX6ZaUXVfqrg67ZE7zMVWuv6Al0QAidX9UMUirIOolFSoC_OlKkSsWWiInnhGzZg4U6f1S1KolQRqm2f1Ye0p1KbSAQI1ycJXySbWzXe6fssjaxTlJjiyoRzGkcj7cq7RRyaDbYbwc_3O0mUl/s268/creases-and-gaps-of-fingers-anatomy-for-sculptors-understanding-the-human-figure_eca00c4b-cba4-4c8a-943a-9b404d3be8821.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="172" data-original-width="268" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQu2w8qn29Hy7v0Ko5I1EZlf1e7pC0sNWeVmOzAE8BX6ZaUXVfqrg67ZE7zMVWuv6Al0QAidX9UMUirIOolFSoC_OlKkSsWWiInnhGzZg4U6f1S1KolQRqm2f1Ye0p1KbSAQI1ycJXySbWzXe6fssjaxTlJjiyoRzGkcj7cq7RRyaDbYbwc_3O0mUl/s1600/creases-and-gaps-of-fingers-anatomy-for-sculptors-understanding-the-human-figure_eca00c4b-cba4-4c8a-943a-9b404d3be8821.jpg" width="268" /></a></div></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>Charles shows us the importance of starting simple, getting the shapes and forms correct and adding more definition as you go. This method allows beginners to successfully sculpt a hand from scratch. <div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>As part of the class, Intermediate Modeling/ZBrush, Charles shows students how to create a hand in Zbrush from scratch. Starting from a simple palm and ending to all 5 fingers, please enjoy this condensed clip of his lecture on hands.</span></div><div><br /></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="361" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cl4DnCL6h_8" width="481" youtube-src-id="cl4DnCL6h_8"></iframe></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div><br />At AnimSchool, we teach students who want to make 3D characters move and act. Our instructors are professionals at film and game animation studios like Dreamworks, Pixar, Sony Pictures, Blizzard & Disney. <br /><br /><br />Our alumni currently enjoy a 92% placement in the industry within 6 months of graduating.<br /><br />Start your animation journey in our accredited online animation program at animschool.edu (ACCSC)</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-530997445842770378.post-90006015779874225372023-01-20T11:29:00.006-08:002023-01-20T11:29:37.613-08:00Introduction to XGen <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFIcKrD5Sz3cGO-4WMKx7iTHqD8FAXAgZP1ypZRuzZFnBkpeRCdOkxd8Xv-akCcaqzOiBMEm_i1mbe2pmLzQ7DkzwqtTrdjiOpLCk9GnlcSGVT4gXB6450WuotciB9Q5GIBF0yoSbOikB4193KkG4yEZt74vvgRHT8fOcvMic0xB4hNexstyInA6Sg/s1600/XgenCover1.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="679" data-original-width="1600" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFIcKrD5Sz3cGO-4WMKx7iTHqD8FAXAgZP1ypZRuzZFnBkpeRCdOkxd8Xv-akCcaqzOiBMEm_i1mbe2pmLzQ7DkzwqtTrdjiOpLCk9GnlcSGVT4gXB6450WuotciB9Q5GIBF0yoSbOikB4193KkG4yEZt74vvgRHT8fOcvMic0xB4hNexstyInA6Sg/w640-h272/XgenCover1.png" width="640" /></a></div><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRcPOYUwpLMTaevvwszgP_-ARFXaDRBmDXyEwxsxCIRU1BjbGuhLu0Mjql_Nf9SBLJmDQZXjdDcRYswwa53F7tyWPVc4h43eRfgDnMzK4PmHlSGmAh60HTDUjGn4JfJTIUa4_8TxPs1ZNeIf3_API-9vPfPzLmVnKsdOaK524vxQyc9khEaH18077S/s765/Screenshot%202023-01-18%20161244.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="765" data-original-width="375" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRcPOYUwpLMTaevvwszgP_-ARFXaDRBmDXyEwxsxCIRU1BjbGuhLu0Mjql_Nf9SBLJmDQZXjdDcRYswwa53F7tyWPVc4h43eRfgDnMzK4PmHlSGmAh60HTDUjGn4JfJTIUa4_8TxPs1ZNeIf3_API-9vPfPzLmVnKsdOaK524vxQyc9khEaH18077S/w196-h400/Screenshot%202023-01-18%20161244.png" width="196" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;">Whether it’s to make grass or hair, XGen is a powerful tool within Maya that can help take your models to the next level. In the tutorial below, AnimSchool Instructor Koji </span><span style="font-family: arial;">Tsukamoto shows us how to get started in XGen. </span><p></p><div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">XGen can be an intimating tool. A tool that is well known for crashing and not playing nicely with artists. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Getting started with such a tool is a daunting task. With Koji's guidance, we can get a better grasp of XGen, breaking down his method step by step. Before we pick up with Koji, take a look at the instructions below! </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">First thing to make sure of, set your Maya project. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Without your Maya project being set, you will have many issues and glitches down the line.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Now you would head on to the XGen Shelf. </span><span style="font-family: arial;">Where we will then click on the XGen Menu Icon, this will start up XGen within Maya. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaXkqdbHFUBPee45rJ4CP4GGVbZKME9RdgUAy7ArExWZxHoNt0OG6IIHnMlkDpiw3j2-6rFkQy0Avd-OkElQRJTuEG3oWqwgL9FDaSfl_kf9fv8K2lA4m5YNHkPbbLpzFbJIJ1s-WFvfxZInOH4mL8Hrrb-P123lSpbEZiRAGuIIu2rXeUZcAZouRg/s995/Screenshot%202023-01-18%20162107.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="214" data-original-width="995" height="138" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaXkqdbHFUBPee45rJ4CP4GGVbZKME9RdgUAy7ArExWZxHoNt0OG6IIHnMlkDpiw3j2-6rFkQy0Avd-OkElQRJTuEG3oWqwgL9FDaSfl_kf9fv8K2lA4m5YNHkPbbLpzFbJIJ1s-WFvfxZInOH4mL8Hrrb-P123lSpbEZiRAGuIIu2rXeUZcAZouRg/w640-h138/Screenshot%202023-01-18%20162107.png" width="640" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Make sure to have your Mesh selected & click on Create New Description. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">The description name will be the portion of the head (or other object) that you will be covering with XGen material. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">The Collection Name on the other hand is the group of hair types on one object. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">For example, a description would be “Back of Head” but the collection would be “Main Hair Style”. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">For this tutorial, Koji elects to choose “Splines” for the primitives options in order to have more control over placement. </span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5gmvq3qUSm-F4jbkpVuON2nu1ORocmFIMGcu08kEW9MOsogFHR4ZGSV0eFEwJmNVDu9I0ZKEvuO9KKDkcUte2uYLVZjKGfRlqANnk_qgG0Jtjghwt8UYiY3sdVFHpgA_5qNc_Xvv4ixcPy0B0SkgOe72dSmNq1aOWLAbtmoQ0hjfiRPAzXsGNVvZl/s547/Screenshot%202023-01-18%20163030.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="547" data-original-width="487" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5gmvq3qUSm-F4jbkpVuON2nu1ORocmFIMGcu08kEW9MOsogFHR4ZGSV0eFEwJmNVDu9I0ZKEvuO9KKDkcUte2uYLVZjKGfRlqANnk_qgG0Jtjghwt8UYiY3sdVFHpgA_5qNc_Xvv4ixcPy0B0SkgOe72dSmNq1aOWLAbtmoQ0hjfiRPAzXsGNVvZl/w356-h400/Screenshot%202023-01-18%20163030.png" width="356" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Go ahead and click Create to get going. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Use the “Add or Move Guides” tool found in the middle of the menu icons. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi94F95Q8BH9pUVtkQkS_Dn44MJgum2THmofCWu1I-xP29yL_9hSkZIJyeHdZ87E7JS6brYlu58prGCf4jb1jcj8QQfPZZZlaEEuVRykBEIJIqJCEi-RgTqz7RexiKuX1SAp1cs9MBQ8_bFMm8JySZd3_5UeoCTZh3WTnG4_9FKo0i1aO1nI6LkBUk6/s777/Screenshot%202023-01-18%20163643.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="777" data-original-width="477" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi94F95Q8BH9pUVtkQkS_Dn44MJgum2THmofCWu1I-xP29yL_9hSkZIJyeHdZ87E7JS6brYlu58prGCf4jb1jcj8QQfPZZZlaEEuVRykBEIJIqJCEi-RgTqz7RexiKuX1SAp1cs9MBQ8_bFMm8JySZd3_5UeoCTZh3WTnG4_9FKo0i1aO1nI6LkBUk6/w245-h400/Screenshot%202023-01-18%20163643.png" width="245" /></a></div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Start by outlining the object with guides. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSb5c7hYzh8XKwXkehiwj1vIKTCxD-hiHVKJyjMlAae19_JSurVJ3HOTrkqeJJwLdZrzJ7-mtrywL-BmSD5F5bkaqFVTshryZZ_L0HW-rbq725OZlm4P9whMftLdnLYXuxts0LfDJ0CXEv1stG9dqX_3iIJR6a1Usj6ZKLNoXODBO4RHiP8YO3tQac/s1136/X-GenGifTogether.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="632" data-original-width="1136" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSb5c7hYzh8XKwXkehiwj1vIKTCxD-hiHVKJyjMlAae19_JSurVJ3HOTrkqeJJwLdZrzJ7-mtrywL-BmSD5F5bkaqFVTshryZZ_L0HW-rbq725OZlm4P9whMftLdnLYXuxts0LfDJ0CXEv1stG9dqX_3iIJR6a1Usj6ZKLNoXODBO4RHiP8YO3tQac/w640-h356/X-GenGifTogether.gif" width="640" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Once you’ve done this, now you can move on to using the “Sculpting Guides” Tool in order to have more control over the guides’ flow and positioning </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeYh7JralI0tO2VqoDbjKehzM2z_nhLFAmbLFnZorHStygRbbc-dHLQ2uEzVamodU5gSxigVpmqTb7hnCu61c-uxVy5rTVU2wkeHn-3u9LNcEclEDH4pc9pONor2vL8TOeARsN2IlNE_ozMWiJGIhsyShSoCabkwFKmiFXouTmjBtj-pL7FwmEF7YZ/s990/Screenshot%202023-01-18%20164128.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="187" data-original-width="990" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeYh7JralI0tO2VqoDbjKehzM2z_nhLFAmbLFnZorHStygRbbc-dHLQ2uEzVamodU5gSxigVpmqTb7hnCu61c-uxVy5rTVU2wkeHn-3u9LNcEclEDH4pc9pONor2vL8TOeARsN2IlNE_ozMWiJGIhsyShSoCabkwFKmiFXouTmjBtj-pL7FwmEF7YZ/w640-h120/Screenshot%202023-01-18%20164128.png" width="640" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">He then goes back to the “Add or Move Guides” tool and places more guides. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">As you give XGen more information with the more guides you place and sculpt, XGen will approximate each new guide by averaging out the guides around it. This happens as you place more and more guides on the object. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Right clicking, copying and pasting guides also helps expedite the process. </span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span id="docs-internal-guid-4594627c-7fff-f28d-7ee6-491a7dea9db6"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Watch Koji’s video below for an in-depth look at his technique for XGen. </span></span></span></span></div><div><span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="349" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WKTi0Wh9W3I" width="477" youtube-src-id="WKTi0Wh9W3I"></iframe></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Examples of Student work with XGen </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>AnimSchool Student Charles Lee </b></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4AsF8eWkQMTTqKIlF3pwwi7movcBSBqo2-IjE4b4CIxEjOaoyug8VBNFgr-qws5Io0OoLfLS-YugHSVCSIOXwExyEEuUz_FNFtW4ak0nAxHH9_W-Atwg_MIyybO6iWLnHMADkW579WK-Xu3DkwDFMifEAdv647YVp0lGMB55-cbmI0tE76RejuMIH/s2048/charles-lee-005.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4AsF8eWkQMTTqKIlF3pwwi7movcBSBqo2-IjE4b4CIxEjOaoyug8VBNFgr-qws5Io0OoLfLS-YugHSVCSIOXwExyEEuUz_FNFtW4ak0nAxHH9_W-Atwg_MIyybO6iWLnHMADkW579WK-Xu3DkwDFMifEAdv647YVp0lGMB55-cbmI0tE76RejuMIH/w400-h400/charles-lee-005.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM6sFxPdasQVScpaBW3DUGGRmjguvC7hdZVffHl7andO3ig-K59KeZ_vufRjxXt1_TwEh-ZjcYbJ26xqWAkGrxy4f0i1-9ssFqlvm_ZoPVv-CNnQUdTALy63sj84JI1s53HNXb1toT69uvkx7VhGBhOypQTfS3mvdmdMmlfHwK4OP-duZQxe-2TPxi/s1024/charles-lee-011.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM6sFxPdasQVScpaBW3DUGGRmjguvC7hdZVffHl7andO3ig-K59KeZ_vufRjxXt1_TwEh-ZjcYbJ26xqWAkGrxy4f0i1-9ssFqlvm_ZoPVv-CNnQUdTALy63sj84JI1s53HNXb1toT69uvkx7VhGBhOypQTfS3mvdmdMmlfHwK4OP-duZQxe-2TPxi/w400-h400/charles-lee-011.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div><b style="font-family: arial;">AnimSchool Student Anastasia Generalova</b></div><div><b style="font-family: arial;"><br /></b></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh1RmhovaPLwSfbbsHXmjYFonShC7JQe8tgjQu9XRVSTgc0T81hpLLuPSTJ5of_z00yDPyx1yRD55F8jJqrjDHRQr3XodjJVm89PrKZHLND9B__r3OpsYu4_waogH5NF0pKAq1MWZh1WG55OuVWmj1FOl3MsIFUUxZ_vSzC4i6ZoawMReM5T2LUcdb/s2048/Generalova-Anastasia-468-202209282316040612.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh1RmhovaPLwSfbbsHXmjYFonShC7JQe8tgjQu9XRVSTgc0T81hpLLuPSTJ5of_z00yDPyx1yRD55F8jJqrjDHRQr3XodjJVm89PrKZHLND9B__r3OpsYu4_waogH5NF0pKAq1MWZh1WG55OuVWmj1FOl3MsIFUUxZ_vSzC4i6ZoawMReM5T2LUcdb/s320/Generalova-Anastasia-468-202209282316040612.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2D84ytuR9fkG3YyXquIMiOVGYhpAxoSsW1gg0cIRid8xpMzgu_3WIeeZAeLGa_2otW9vWrFF1mmzJuSLn-S_foeWH94FDxuHLER2asTaSqeRtpdsNsFEsb3kixIIrPcSuWxUrXCFpny-hgIxSHCdYmSFxuTc2gi8lE3FumIf-ZklDsXH8m6Rv922N/s2057/Generalova-Anastasia-465-202209282315210576%20(1).png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="946" data-original-width="2057" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2D84ytuR9fkG3YyXquIMiOVGYhpAxoSsW1gg0cIRid8xpMzgu_3WIeeZAeLGa_2otW9vWrFF1mmzJuSLn-S_foeWH94FDxuHLER2asTaSqeRtpdsNsFEsb3kixIIrPcSuWxUrXCFpny-hgIxSHCdYmSFxuTc2gi8lE3FumIf-ZklDsXH8m6Rv922N/w640-h294/Generalova-Anastasia-465-202209282315210576%20(1).png" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><b style="font-family: arial;"><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b style="font-family: arial;"><br /></b></div><br /><b style="font-family: arial;"><br /></b></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-530997445842770378.post-65933763355558458342023-01-04T21:02:00.070-08:002023-01-05T14:55:51.185-08:00Become a CG Artist in VFX & Animation | Interview with Lorin Z. Pillai<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw8Tzc4FM_8rnN1qAGWlTOhQkX52ceOWk3utVQakZJ7QEjLofLIXOV7p8cwhmgE1zfWZ1N8XSXpF6RjxoH7SCEdFNfKBXuqHbyiJxMQlswM9mdgtsrQzd-YR3DtGyj6iLGaqXqllfwfK393xGxWGZlylGZIJkw9QqhTpuY2aT9X0ukM4BMh2ARRvpv/s1600/Lorin%20Banner.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="679" data-original-width="1600" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw8Tzc4FM_8rnN1qAGWlTOhQkX52ceOWk3utVQakZJ7QEjLofLIXOV7p8cwhmgE1zfWZ1N8XSXpF6RjxoH7SCEdFNfKBXuqHbyiJxMQlswM9mdgtsrQzd-YR3DtGyj6iLGaqXqllfwfK393xGxWGZlylGZIJkw9QqhTpuY2aT9X0ukM4BMh2ARRvpv/w640-h272/Lorin%20Banner.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span id="docs-internal-guid-1d0a1902-7fff-358c-1d11-65501de2dd05"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lorin Z. Pillai is an experienced and accomplished artist who has worked in a variety of roles in the </span><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5310215/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">animation and VFX industry</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. With a background that includes work on big-budget VFX features, commercials, gaming, and animation, Lorin has a diverse set of skills that have helped her succeed in the industry. </span></span></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Lorin learned VFX, texturing and modeling at Gnomon School of Visual Effects. After graduating, she worked in VFX feature, then quickly transitioned to gaming where she shipped three titles. She then moved on to Nickelodeon for almost four years and then worked at DreamWorks for nearly seven years! Currently, Lorin works at FuseFX as an Asset Lead. She serves as a mentor and committee board member for the organization, Women in Animation.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lorin also teaches </span><a href="https://www.animschool.edu/ClassDetails.aspx?&courseid=45" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Materials and Texturing at Animschool</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, a comprehensive 10 week course. </span></span></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We recently had the opportunity to speak with Lorin about her experience and journey in various industries she’s been a part of. </span></span></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="358" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-BaV1Y-gpPY" width="481" youtube-src-id="-BaV1Y-gpPY"></iframe></div><br /><div><br /></div></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><br /></b></span></div>Hi Lorin! Tell us about yourself and your journey into the Animation/VFX industry.</b><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXStrBeZ03VG9t4eY0JEUNDiqeK2LvgiqSwOTLEwsp-lkK-rrLVYUi0u6YxAeApIpPz90c31F6tZ7EOQakw0IA1h37tjmNFjjzfHWpwhk4lYwToE5TUMT8nzXPKw_uSNE_iCfSglxUcqGmoZN7VAHTsCeSGpOai5MtwAVuKVywEaF5HyDeS6VE1yMY/s1080/c-LorinZPillai1.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXStrBeZ03VG9t4eY0JEUNDiqeK2LvgiqSwOTLEwsp-lkK-rrLVYUi0u6YxAeApIpPz90c31F6tZ7EOQakw0IA1h37tjmNFjjzfHWpwhk4lYwToE5TUMT8nzXPKw_uSNE_iCfSglxUcqGmoZN7VAHTsCeSGpOai5MtwAVuKVywEaF5HyDeS6VE1yMY/s320/c-LorinZPillai1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />I’ve jumped around a lot! My first job was working on a big-budget VFX feature, then I did some short contracts in commercials, onto gaming as an environment artist–which was my intended area of the industry. After a few years and three game titles shipped, I was ready for a new experience. I moved over to animation, between Nickelodeon and then Dreamworks, I had the opportunity to work on hundreds of animated episodes and fourteen shows. I was tremendously fortunate to have a direct hand in creating many of the main characters and sets for some of these shows, as well as leading the look and feel. After ten years in animation, I felt the need for a new experience, I wanted the opportunity to stretch and learn more. I switched over to live-action VFX episodic, and I’ve had the distinct pleasure of working on many shows for Hulu, Disney+, Marvel, and others.</span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><br /><b>As someone who went to in-person art colleges, can you talk about the pros and cons of doing an online program like AnimSchool compared to traditional universities?<br /></b><br />Personally, I lost a lot of time (and gas money) driving to school. And I still had a home system to work on as I couldn’t always be at school. Sometimes teachers could only meet with me when I wasn’t scheduled to be at school, meaning extra unplanned trips. When completing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3c-mUQoaAXGCkOPtvACqPxP3zQiMJX2ZtpHJ1rpSYDL4URyfz-C3zPFgfcFL-fRaKnOIkrU78di92m0RhQXSrfreT9mTBYLkl8VfGeiXv8-gv3aOZ6HH9hZJpm4hJ6XehYVnQVCaQsEny1twvegh_JYiQlxVoQzXnAToaP4KaJ-u85xMS4OK1zh6J/s2263/VideoScreenshot--DisneyPlus-TheMysteriousBenedictSociety-0%E2%80%9941%E2%80%9D.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1272" data-original-width="2263" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3c-mUQoaAXGCkOPtvACqPxP3zQiMJX2ZtpHJ1rpSYDL4URyfz-C3zPFgfcFL-fRaKnOIkrU78di92m0RhQXSrfreT9mTBYLkl8VfGeiXv8-gv3aOZ6HH9hZJpm4hJ6XehYVnQVCaQsEny1twvegh_JYiQlxVoQzXnAToaP4KaJ-u85xMS4OK1zh6J/w400-h225/VideoScreenshot--DisneyPlus-TheMysteriousBenedictSociety-0%E2%80%9941%E2%80%9D.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /> projects for a reel and finishing classes, time counts. The ability to stay connected while seamlessly switching over from class time to project time (and also not transferring files between my home machine and the school lab also makes a big difference) The main con would be lab access, if a lab at school was empty I could commandeer multiple machines to render out my finished frames. <br /><br /><br /><b>Who/what are some of your biggest inspirations that influence your work?</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnfYErKqjqSrdIVawIcuJ5wK49qHKvgLQGEt9fe-OkHHzwTDl3aRGjlw9EOWsZ4UJ9R9mXqselpSCGIb9LfjXMFwxBr6Xqf9ifmjV8gwGjPY4a68FnwWMNGPny-8FVCJG2tktp5ZY3XFAGHPCLmXgm8vmpGPAtkLV9lx0hRV7Mu0Q0tX_CaGREWCrn/s1823/VideoScreenshot--DisneyPlus-Orville-55%E2%80%9947%E2%80%9D.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1823" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnfYErKqjqSrdIVawIcuJ5wK49qHKvgLQGEt9fe-OkHHzwTDl3aRGjlw9EOWsZ4UJ9R9mXqselpSCGIb9LfjXMFwxBr6Xqf9ifmjV8gwGjPY4a68FnwWMNGPny-8FVCJG2tktp5ZY3XFAGHPCLmXgm8vmpGPAtkLV9lx0hRV7Mu0Q0tX_CaGREWCrn/s320/VideoScreenshot--DisneyPlus-Orville-55%E2%80%9947%E2%80%9D.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />Mary Blair is a huge inspiration for me. She was one of the first female artists in animation to really be recognized. Though she was more of a concept artist, she worked in several areas in animation and was one of the first women to be given creative freedom in our industry. <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><b>Can you tell a little bit about your experience as a woman in the Animation/VFX industry?</b><br /><br />I’ve seen it evolve to be less about my gender over the years. It felt prevalent when it was early in my career, but has seemingly balanced out a lot more.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Lorin discusses more of her experience as a women in the animation industry with ABC 10 News. </i></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="346" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1M4n9NpRfFY" width="456" youtube-src-id="1M4n9NpRfFY"></iframe></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><br /><br />Have you seen and/ or experienced a culture shift over the last 10 years with the rise of communities such as “Women in Animation” and “Rise Up Animation”?<br /></b><br />I’ve definitely seen and personally experienced it. I was a bit disheartened to see when I first started in the industry that though there were women employed, mainly they filled out the lower ranks. Very few women were in decision-making positions. And it was not evenly balanced either, it was still mainly men. Now there are more opportunities for women, and choices for who moves up in the ranks feels more merit-based overall.<br /><br /><br /><b>You’re also an award-winning fantasy writer! Tell us a little about this passion as well as why it’s important for working artists to have passion projects.</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><br /></b>I always start my term by explaining how I love the art of visual storytelling because that’s<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvtz_BBgxshcBRf1Sim7ZbJwmz8Ctyd6yaU5Q5vNyRTF7JcQpiPceihw6T8F13iafjGGKtmXkYkpsXCo6HGOk6xpT6Qq1TiUszPvW-nfCHj8_M530wMPgk968RZVSIFiVYCUN0hslFMol2oYVeSFxyUaqp6BXNU1CpnxdO7S1DjW2pVv9GmMB9uJ8Z/s1440/c-LorinZPillai2.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvtz_BBgxshcBRf1Sim7ZbJwmz8Ctyd6yaU5Q5vNyRTF7JcQpiPceihw6T8F13iafjGGKtmXkYkpsXCo6HGOk6xpT6Qq1TiUszPvW-nfCHj8_M530wMPgk968RZVSIFiVYCUN0hslFMol2oYVeSFxyUaqp6BXNU1CpnxdO7S1DjW2pVv9GmMB9uJ8Z/s320/c-LorinZPillai2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /> partly what lookdev is. And I love transitioning that to the page! Storytelling in its various forms is a lot of what many of us do in animation. If you're nearing completion in school, getting that job, or joining that team … may be the biggest, most consuming goal for many of us. After a few years though, it starts to become apparent that we are working on someone else’s ideas many times, which is great! I learn from other visual storytellers, and I’m excited and motivated for the various projects I work on. There are so many talented people I’ve collaborated with. But I also need something that is all mine, my ideas made real, the things I’m interested in exploring. Personal ventures are a great way to keep these skills evolving and growing.<br /> <br /><br /><br /><b>What are some of the most important concepts you try to emphasize in your class that you feel like you didn’t learn in school?</b><br /><br />I don’t remember it really being discussed how critical the note process is in production when I was in school. Learning how to receive notes, and how to listen objectively, it’s not easy by any stretch but I like to encourage learning how to navigate it early on. It’s a production mindset that is applicable regardless of the exact spot you fall in asset development. <br /><br /><br /><b>What was the most unexpected thing you encountered when going from being a student to working professionally at a studio?</b><br /><br />How much I thought I knew, versus how much I did know. For instance, I didn’t understand how important pipeline was, I couldn’t completely wrap my head around that until I was actually thrown into it. The importance of file formats, version continuity, save locations, etc. The understanding of what it took to work in a production took some time to learn once I started working.<br /><br /><br /><b>How do you think working in the industry will be in the future, post-COVID, especially now that companies are being encouraged to go back to business as usual?</b><br /><br />Since WFH has proven successful, it is opening the door for more remote work, so though studios are opening back up, a hybrid situation is currently going on. People are contracting to<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWe63QhAANCrXPkk1zC_m-vhoj1yudjs9FDxwS6KxOCzYRYstmj0E1KyZkorFpYP2ZpSBl8B6m4Ty2EdA2MxM4QUD217_FYdagkjCZSpZFedtpt9rXPtLtoPyX3kZDOtS8jf-1V2Nv11RRd_xARTKhWcwvDLSA4gHirKzdMtyZ86xfrp9dMJ804ZFV/s1464/ParaGlow.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="760" data-original-width="1464" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWe63QhAANCrXPkk1zC_m-vhoj1yudjs9FDxwS6KxOCzYRYstmj0E1KyZkorFpYP2ZpSBl8B6m4Ty2EdA2MxM4QUD217_FYdagkjCZSpZFedtpt9rXPtLtoPyX3kZDOtS8jf-1V2Nv11RRd_xARTKhWcwvDLSA4gHirKzdMtyZ86xfrp9dMJ804ZFV/s320/ParaGlow.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /> remain remote for the duration of their project, which is great if moving is not an option. It does seem like even for the studios that are opening, most employees only work 2 or 3 days in the office, the rest are from home. <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><b>What are some of your favorite activities to do when you need a break from animating and looking at screens?<br /></b><br />Going for a walk or run. Fresh air and letting my eyes get assaulted by the sun (just kidding, definitely wear sunglasses and protect those peepers!) But really, getting outside and getting some exercise. <br /><br /><br /><b>What is your favorite asset you’ve worked on that’s in your portfolio today? <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4aYPPsku8F3tPyPxa4b44gFfeadMlt5dd9946ZVe5JBblIOR-8fJGm00GJnsTMXmim5wZB7bDM8WLRI6Gvz_R3U3vs5fHjbRo6zpIW0zw9WxXDbtZ4-ltCi7dZngr-nzjhBuaU_sDmtlmmBuAIUDFlXoQXjSGCQ8066GouVWmQuspMQD2mdNmezYu/s1296/Raptor1.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="776" data-original-width="1296" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4aYPPsku8F3tPyPxa4b44gFfeadMlt5dd9946ZVe5JBblIOR-8fJGm00GJnsTMXmim5wZB7bDM8WLRI6Gvz_R3U3vs5fHjbRo6zpIW0zw9WxXDbtZ4-ltCi7dZngr-nzjhBuaU_sDmtlmmBuAIUDFlXoQXjSGCQ8066GouVWmQuspMQD2mdNmezYu/w320-h192/Raptor1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div></b><br /><br />The Jurassic World Raptors. They represent what is to me the epitome of being a production artist, back and forth with ingesting notes from executives, trying out different iterations for months to land on an approved look. In the end, the final look was sent to Steven Spielberg for his approval. That was a pretty big win in my book, and I was so proud of how they turned out!</span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiigHl1OJQ2jSLWa93KywZZW11aB05h9h7d9vYffROVKA9XWek3oRQ6gj4bcOhNzaM43tND9eJJeG7cwHvHib1BRbt9zy4qItfJ_5TC9yha-q7CGwCNLvAMzBsSZvoRasjyY93H1kNxVkVgCkDLdHG7wwz7DI2mQVtNn7Srr2kW_6DcdPzQpF3A0UNe/s1920/lorin-z-pillai-jur-dino-raptora-mpk-tex-blue1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1073" data-original-width="1920" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiigHl1OJQ2jSLWa93KywZZW11aB05h9h7d9vYffROVKA9XWek3oRQ6gj4bcOhNzaM43tND9eJJeG7cwHvHib1BRbt9zy4qItfJ_5TC9yha-q7CGwCNLvAMzBsSZvoRasjyY93H1kNxVkVgCkDLdHG7wwz7DI2mQVtNn7Srr2kW_6DcdPzQpF3A0UNe/w640-h358/lorin-z-pillai-jur-dino-raptora-mpk-tex-blue1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7zBJ19Cr2F-ebqTE_OM0rAcPDkP6MJo91lHW3ux1FD1QzVgjaRzslCiQYI0GNkTYcBTjFmWZKSIgkzZdGipt2q-D3BEXAJAG7p4e-jgSM3BDklYGxXPcYZXPo138HTjjFSrErzD4o2nRFYxCzKmaPyq1G1_UBuoqD09HZWfL126mntdn3XO3sH8lU/s1920/lorin-z-pillai-jur-dino-raptora-mpk-tex-blue2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1073" data-original-width="1920" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7zBJ19Cr2F-ebqTE_OM0rAcPDkP6MJo91lHW3ux1FD1QzVgjaRzslCiQYI0GNkTYcBTjFmWZKSIgkzZdGipt2q-D3BEXAJAG7p4e-jgSM3BDklYGxXPcYZXPo138HTjjFSrErzD4o2nRFYxCzKmaPyq1G1_UBuoqD09HZWfL126mntdn3XO3sH8lU/w640-h358/lorin-z-pillai-jur-dino-raptora-mpk-tex-blue2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><br /></span><span id="docs-internal-guid-df06c9c0-7fff-1f31-bbe5-f31f4d941b14"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;">You start your lectures with brief professional advice, so by the end of the course, your students have heard about 10 pieces of important advice. If you could pick your favorite piece of advice, which would it be?</span></span></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I talk a lot about notes, I have 3 different related Business Advice segments about notes, and </span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM5BwxMFCIJQ8_BmOaTaUDZrvMvGX7Zmopes9g6KXOsyOmB02cRpOJD5VQMic7R5k6i93XrsPia6ypRko31vEQGH6Z14whXqmHTWwR8LetE_XOhdS7c3LNNpS2ycU-LxrTLnRkTGjn7P9Hj7IGabYXIBBnzaKajB1UZNFOMpGyJg1gswkRbsOewz_5/s1823/VideoScreenshot--DisneyPlus-Orville-55%E2%80%9947%E2%80%9D.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1823" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM5BwxMFCIJQ8_BmOaTaUDZrvMvGX7Zmopes9g6KXOsyOmB02cRpOJD5VQMic7R5k6i93XrsPia6ypRko31vEQGH6Z14whXqmHTWwR8LetE_XOhdS7c3LNNpS2ycU-LxrTLnRkTGjn7P9Hj7IGabYXIBBnzaKajB1UZNFOMpGyJg1gswkRbsOewz_5/s320/VideoScreenshot--DisneyPlus-Orville-55%E2%80%9947%E2%80%9D.png" width="320" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />pretty much they all culminate in taking notes from your supervisor. It’s probably the best advice I can give artists on how they can continue to be successful in production. Taking notes openly, not arguing them or fighting them, and seeing the “needs of the show” rather than their own feelings about an asset is probably what will do the most for their longevity on a team.</span></span><p></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;">What’s next for you? Are there any other facets of Animation/VFX you want to try out?</span></span></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I think to stay inspired and fresh, I’ll always bounce around. It’s been exciting to transition from animation to VFX episodic, I’ve worked on a ton of high-budget shows because of it! I don’t know exactly what I’ll do next, because opportunities are always changing and different sectors flourish at different times, keeping my options open will probably mean I’ll potentially do something interesting and different. Maybe I’ll combine my knowledge of games and Unreal with animation, and venture down a real-time or virtual production opportunity. Time will tell!</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBaFMrKNpAWQ4tEWs0SYt1L7bk8QvEsfdqFrQT9kcQDkReaPqK8KktO5oL5I5fMzIYi1cGDnLCK0hGYrj14Oi6kx9STJN5HXxb-xTzBJv0I656YXYHLezUy0Og8kurP4V7NYlkG8W8DH2jERYWvFq7Ep_fhsSS9vjyIZkSGRjqav_oTmZHLJQ3Ew6n/s1823/VideoScreenshot--DisneyPlus-Orville-78%E2%80%9913%E2%80%9D.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1823" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBaFMrKNpAWQ4tEWs0SYt1L7bk8QvEsfdqFrQT9kcQDkReaPqK8KktO5oL5I5fMzIYi1cGDnLCK0hGYrj14Oi6kx9STJN5HXxb-xTzBJv0I656YXYHLezUy0Og8kurP4V7NYlkG8W8DH2jERYWvFq7Ep_fhsSS9vjyIZkSGRjqav_oTmZHLJQ3Ew6n/w640-h360/VideoScreenshot--DisneyPlus-Orville-78%E2%80%9913%E2%80%9D.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span><p></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sign up today to learn from industry-leading CG Artists like Lorin in our online accredited courses (ACCSC). Apply today at animschool.edu . She is currently teaching</span><a href="https://www.animschool.edu/ClassDetails.aspx?&courseid=45" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Materials and Texturing.</span></a></span></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Follow the links below to learn more about Lorin!</span></span></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://www.artstation.com/lorinzp" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Artstation</span></span></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorinzilka/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;">LinkedIn</span></span></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://www.lorinpetrazilka.com/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Website</span></span></a></p><div><br /></div></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-530997445842770378.post-50290432827258358052022-12-16T08:09:00.001-08:002022-12-29T15:06:06.552-08:00Blocking the Torso: 3D Modeling Fundamentals<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjot9mw9E-Qp0eTYh6MQ_7DFrvBFgp3zqByTiU-AloUleb4Jj9fbgq6SYy8DFOgAXAuRRjZu5Y8xL6ClNElIBInR8FPq50siGqSCCeGvOx5wGrft8r2QQrJJWMc9-31C7YKstsoT01yq2S_Wl36SicTbMViCZFkZp6oxuRuMShXiydawm_rgsrGF-E/s1600/Blog_CoverBlockingTorsoV2.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="679" data-original-width="1600" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjot9mw9E-Qp0eTYh6MQ_7DFrvBFgp3zqByTiU-AloUleb4Jj9fbgq6SYy8DFOgAXAuRRjZu5Y8xL6ClNElIBInR8FPq50siGqSCCeGvOx5wGrft8r2QQrJJWMc9-31C7YKstsoT01yq2S_Wl36SicTbMViCZFkZp6oxuRuMShXiydawm_rgsrGF-E/w640-h272/Blog_CoverBlockingTorsoV2.png" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Blocking the Torso: 3D Modeling Fundamentals</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">When first sculpting a character in Zbrush, it’s important to start with blocking! Beginners can get intimidated by sculpting when they see professionals start their sculpts using highpoly shapes. </span><span style="font-family: arial;">The blocking method allows beginners to start with low resolution shapes and work their way up, adding more and more definition as you go. It's important to spend time getting things right during this beginning phase of building a character. Having an accurate foundation when you are in low resolution blocking mode will ensure that the character continues to be accurate as you add more definition.. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In this lecture below taught by AnimSchool Instructor Christopher Wright, you'll notice he mainly uses the Move brush tool. Christopher keeps things simple but very precise, ensuring he's referencing the concept art along the way. Referencing the concept art as you go, ensures that you have the correct proportions for the unique character you're building. As Christopher discusses, because the geo is low resolution, moving verts is easy and fast. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">While in the blocking phase, it's also vital to rotate and look at the objects from different angles, making sure that it resembles a human torso from all sides. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ5v0NQx5M6BiKZFCjNRHVFQbsb6JHeQpS9vmvbd8F0E9hxPMGZ5qDpOK5NRNijvJD9uoIiSlNg4-mUnYg_tZMi81HI8DyNQ3xUafR4SWxGvFUn-3-a0PwCrCDFCOljLXdDoRGVyLL90_aC5s3j4oJtuwh5RuCyyz2d1HmbQWtPi4JC3XxJpmkh715/s1031/Screenshot%202022-11-09%20144726.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="840" data-original-width="1031" height="273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ5v0NQx5M6BiKZFCjNRHVFQbsb6JHeQpS9vmvbd8F0E9hxPMGZ5qDpOK5NRNijvJD9uoIiSlNg4-mUnYg_tZMi81HI8DyNQ3xUafR4SWxGvFUn-3-a0PwCrCDFCOljLXdDoRGVyLL90_aC5s3j4oJtuwh5RuCyyz2d1HmbQWtPi4JC3XxJpmkh715/w335-h273/Screenshot%202022-11-09%20144726.png" width="335" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6QcWcvK9w4-WBjhLZyLVnwhzKhdPNAXCD4J8_vMFDuauGBOR0JdXke3oef7mOdOB4BWKMn5IAYDPF1H6umlEnz3sgQaPBn4lwQLrRWa5eRci_5UPYGktc_wys2Ua6S2I_2R5z3gnBo-Mki785CXMYyE7vBGf-8D2bQHW092djvLbOpkh5vxT4Z9rt/s870/Screenshot%202022-11-09%20144636.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="796" data-original-width="870" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6QcWcvK9w4-WBjhLZyLVnwhzKhdPNAXCD4J8_vMFDuauGBOR0JdXke3oef7mOdOB4BWKMn5IAYDPF1H6umlEnz3sgQaPBn4lwQLrRWa5eRci_5UPYGktc_wys2Ua6S2I_2R5z3gnBo-Mki785CXMYyE7vBGf-8D2bQHW092djvLbOpkh5vxT4Z9rt/w297-h272/Screenshot%202022-11-09%20144636.png" width="297" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div></span><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In this lecture taught by AnimSchool Instructor Christopher Wright, we learn about blocking the torso in a character model. Using mostly the Move brush, Christopher shows us the importance of starting simple, getting the proportions correct and adding more definition as you go. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">For an in depth analysis on setting up hierarchies in maya be sure to watch Christopher Wright’s full lecture </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="352" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XAFbLmeenFU" width="482" youtube-src-id="XAFbLmeenFU"></iframe></div><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Download AnimSchool's Feature Level Rig for Free and start animating today!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Start your 3D Animation Journey in our next 11-week term at animschool.edu</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-530997445842770378.post-15909786073370509192022-10-12T09:14:00.003-07:002022-10-12T09:15:05.175-07:00Autodesk Maya Tips: How to Practice Good Hierarchy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBBCuIuQc7ujq2_oNBPL-rsfnoYyka0PfyZH-cGLGOHQUjGBdI3J-PjqtY5fUtBmCSd7YNOM3WXlZSyXKqH_wRLThjd45MBMxiWrMAYpAAipONxMpzMYa4OJhOKvq9oZ7oao88NY8FbXdsiCMuF786Ulfu6UOX23d9bHz88niEe7aFls_vyS1Dbf4Y/s1600/Blog_CoverGoodHierarchyHabits.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="679" data-original-width="1600" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBBCuIuQc7ujq2_oNBPL-rsfnoYyka0PfyZH-cGLGOHQUjGBdI3J-PjqtY5fUtBmCSd7YNOM3WXlZSyXKqH_wRLThjd45MBMxiWrMAYpAAipONxMpzMYa4OJhOKvq9oZ7oao88NY8FbXdsiCMuF786Ulfu6UOX23d9bHz88niEe7aFls_vyS1Dbf4Y/w640-h272/Blog_CoverGoodHierarchyHabits.png" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Why should you care about having good hierarchy and staying organized in 3D modeling?<br /><br />Having good visuals can seem to be the most important part. If it looks good, why worry about what's going on in the back end, right?<br /><br />Trouble is, a 3D asset is touched by man hands (and computers) in its route through the animation pipeline.<br /><div><br /></div><div>The first place to start is in naming. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Naming</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Naming can vary from modeler to modeler but has to follow some key rules. </div><div><br /></div><div>1. Names need to define the object </div><div>2. Names need to be unique </div><div><br /></div><div>If there's 100 bolts on a robot, each bolt needs to have a unique name. This is where padding comes into play. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Padding</b></div><div>Autodesk provides a great definition: Padded numbers are frame numbers that have a specified number of digits, where 0s are used to fill the unused digits</div><div><br /></div><div>For example: Four digit padding is something like bolt_0003 or leaf_0010</div><div><br /></div><div>Making sure names are easily readable is also important. This is where Camel Casing comes in. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Camel Casing </b></div><div>When there is more than two words to describe an object, lowercase the first letter of the first word and capitalize the first letter of the words proceeding the first. </div><div><br /></div><div>Example: pinkyFinger or largeRedBall</div><div><br /></div><div>Once naming is complete, it's time for group. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Select Edit > Group or press Ctrl + G</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Groups can be made when thinking what objects need to move together like the neck and the head or the arm and the hands. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJUFGnXu8fFpSq2flsCdug0E4Mfpl5O-3JawLkiHcQVQDaO1FaorC8j5d2u9h0BrjIOfixq10yJcQo3aP0gcHDQm6hHad0foExlW3i6z7XdG2jrTQGBBJnKFfcBL8Y1wUTqLkrEzo3saP_bdK9IB-3f8WrasVVFCqo9G0_bfMo2f0L92aiKZhDJBwF/s946/Screenshot%202022-10-05%20222718.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="682" data-original-width="946" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJUFGnXu8fFpSq2flsCdug0E4Mfpl5O-3JawLkiHcQVQDaO1FaorC8j5d2u9h0BrjIOfixq10yJcQo3aP0gcHDQm6hHad0foExlW3i6z7XdG2jrTQGBBJnKFfcBL8Y1wUTqLkrEzo3saP_bdK9IB-3f8WrasVVFCqo9G0_bfMo2f0L92aiKZhDJBwF/s320/Screenshot%202022-10-05%20222718.png" width="320" /></a></div>Pivot Placement</b></div><div>Next task in setting up a good hierarchy is pivot placement. </div><div>One must consider where objects rotate from. The feet rotate from the ankle area. </div><div><br /></div><div>Luis illustrates further why it's important to place the pivot in the right spot. </div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div>For an in depth analysis on setting up hierarchies in maya be sure to watch Luis Labrador’s full lecture </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="366" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/x4jkrKO2yuc" width="482" youtube-src-id="x4jkrKO2yuc"></iframe></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Download AnimSchool's Feature Level Rig for Free and start animating today!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Start your 3D Animation Journey in our next 11-week term at animschool.edu</div><div><br /></div></div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-530997445842770378.post-56475068609051539162022-08-31T08:04:00.001-07:002022-08-31T08:35:07.192-07:00Animating the Eye Dart<h3><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><span id="docs-internal-guid-7440e72c-7fff-cf74-4a03-1441f653c6fe"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></h3><span id="docs-internal-guid-7440e72c-7fff-cf74-4a03-1441f653c6fe"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: white; border: none; display: inline-block; height: 265px; overflow: hidden; width: 624px;"><img height="265" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/fQOKuTKqoa0aMVrUrnrYLTLPbwtw3Cq0bF_Z_ZechLqzh_NVGhYM9B9lIlsiW-ahK6ijhhXk5j2HXfJVf-7A98t9HW_VJdm7nQO576aXhkyX6BEmH61DgHDDrMxd9CnClwPBWzc1ws43H8lu0qwEBvYBDL1PlZuyfoy2kI9LBKiFqkJu2Oar3ygZdA" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="624" /></span></span></p><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There is an old famous proverb “the eyes are the window into the soul” which simply means that a person’s eyes can betray what they are truly feeling at any given moment. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Our eyes, more than other parts of our body, make us feel “human”. As artists, they are the key to convincing the viewer that what we have created is real, emotional, and true. Eye animation is </span><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">what takes an animated character from looking great to feeling real. Emotion and action begin in the eyes. When you turn your head, it is your eyes that lead the action. When you are disgusted and have to look away, it is your eyes that close first. Thought and feeling start with the eyes and then descend to the rest of the body. But how? How can you convey feelings and emotions through two small orbs of geometry? By understanding that eyes are not just seeing the world, but processing it. Take a moment and look at your eyes in the mirror. Do you see that? That small quick motion where your pupils travel across your eye and then darts to a new position. In animation, we call that an eye dart and it allows animators to quickly and simply convey that a character is truly alive. </span></span></p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Animschool instructor Ricky Renna in his class on Facial Performance makes it a priority to understand, analyze and execute a successful eye dart. An eye dart is not a one size fits all idea but rather the speed and frequency of an eye dart can actually determine how a character is thinking. Are they frantic? Are they scared? Are they exhausted? Maybe they are about to fall asleep and so their eyes slowly dart through the air, unfocused and hazy as their brain starts to prepare itself for oblivion. Maybe your character is searching for an answer under perilous circumstances and so their eyes are quickly darting around, searching for an answer just out of reach. If an eye dart expresses thought or action in a character, it can also be used to convey a lack of thought or control. Your character could be hypnotized, losing the ability for independent thought and so their eyes remain completely still and unblinking. An eye dart can be as complex as creating the illusion of a character attempting to perform rocket science but it can also be as simple as a technique to keep your character feeling “alive.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: white; border: none; display: inline-block; height: 305px; overflow: hidden; width: 564px;"><img height="353" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/ymNIg0mZwSoKvfniqBtEI_fgCATc2WsyEAQC0cgMY3cgllr6hz8P6iovmDNCFK3JcZczmlA2IBHbc1P15pEmvGiBpL2yDA8SiQ4TCDcBCNDpFIi7UOaKb-gWddXk_KcDKkIl5jIB6oPvp58Lnuq1wkVNvhvIF9m_QWdjf-oV59cNOT7jhfOlvcIfPQ" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: -20px;" width="564" /></span></span></p><span style="background-color: white;"><br /><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But how can you animate an eye dart? </span></p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Eye darts are a series of small movements within the eye happening constantly. On a technical level these darts average between 2-3 frames and about 80 percent of the movement in an eye dart will happen in just one frame with some small settle on the rest. A two to three-frame eye dart creates a nice crisp movement to patch back into the rest of your animation. But an eye dart doesn't just affect the geometry of the eyeball itself, it impacts and influences the flesh around it, or in this case the eyelids. To really give the impression of a character that is fleshy and real, after completing a full pass on eye darts, go back in and ever so subtly have the eyelid motion follow the eye. If your character’s eyes dart down, the eyelids should subtly follow that motion soon after. Keep in mind that animation is a tool to mimic real life and so since in real life your top lid would move more than your lower lid, use that in your animation. By taking the time to execute a thoughtful and intentional eye pass, your animation can transform from “student level” to industry professional level work. </span></p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For an in depth analysis of eye darts and eye animation on feature level scene be sure to watch Ricky’s full lecture </span></p><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 10.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="422" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ma8kDKAA68A" width="588" youtube-src-id="ma8kDKAA68A"></iframe></div><br /></span><p></p><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black;"><a href="https://animschool.edu/DownloadOffer...." style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Download AnimSchool's Feature Level Rig for Free</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and start animating today!</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.9872; margin: 0pt 7pt 0pt 6pt; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.016; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Start your 3D Animation Journey in our next</span><a href="https://animschool.edu/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">11-week term at animschool.edu</span></a></span></p><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-530997445842770378.post-58858864699155644782022-07-29T09:19:00.000-07:002022-07-29T09:19:49.547-07:00How to Avoid "Spline Depression" <p> </p><h2 class="date-header" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 0px; position: relative;"><br /></h2><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB47wN262LEQHtQ0EqnylvDMnqyKwiZP-8q6jGVgbw1JhJRoQIdE2Ja4SazmikdQlIwBALmF6G3KvW20Vkq9nuNYGsqXCgqj2IkUtzEPFiVI4jyXVWeA4uz_IPv2N_YNR0mTHp4aBnSi06-jqshhN5E5vHC-7yhnkoD8BJ-E0rmIavG_eJAMYrUMR3/s1920/Blog_Cover.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="815" data-original-width="1920" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB47wN262LEQHtQ0EqnylvDMnqyKwiZP-8q6jGVgbw1JhJRoQIdE2Ja4SazmikdQlIwBALmF6G3KvW20Vkq9nuNYGsqXCgqj2IkUtzEPFiVI4jyXVWeA4uz_IPv2N_YNR0mTHp4aBnSi06-jqshhN5E5vHC-7yhnkoD8BJ-E0rmIavG_eJAMYrUMR3/w640-h272/Blog_Cover.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /></div><div class="date-posts" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><div class="post-outer"><div class="post hentry uncustomized-post-template" itemprop="blogPost" itemscope="itemscope" itemtype="http://schema.org/BlogPosting" style="margin: 0px 0px 25px; min-height: 0px; position: relative;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-397741804264117764" itemprop="description articleBody" style="font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 1.4; position: relative; width: 660px;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-8194a536-7fff-d3bd-ff4a-f932f104180a"><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #030303; font-size: 10.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Every animator is different and every workflow is different - but there is something we can all agree on, hitting spline for the first time can be ROUGH. </span></p><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #030303; font-size: 10.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It's hard to see an animation that has been posed and blocked in so beautifully get destroyed by a computer. Suddenly your timing feels slow, your emotions flat and you fall into a “Spline Depression.”</span></p><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #030303; font-size: 10.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Spline and Polish can be time-consuming and frustrating. Sometimes it can be hard to push through this ugly phase. For animators who work from stepped to spline, turning your curves into vectors for the first time rarely looks the way you planned in your head. But know that it will get better! Once you train yourself to see the small fixable details instead of the big floaty moments, you will be able to tackle your shot piece by piece and uncover the integrity of your work. </span></p><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #030303; font-size: 10.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Simple tips for entering Spline: </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #030303; font-size: 10.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB1Hz2_q1tpnlhviSEkiOMOPDaUypEnUsu6NT1AfvSpd3kd4OIC75nbr1prwH8A3oTIde6WngEae_nng2VB3Hk7-BP0kZ3YB79gbiOA-waW0F7PIvqvh05YPmAq85qLX9E5Xf56YW8_Tw0GjOVg4t1IWXtlW4-kXF_HYuffUO0QLfv2IstMbn7JoIM/s1997/screenshot.PNG"><img border="0" data-original-height="1056" data-original-width="1997" height="338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB1Hz2_q1tpnlhviSEkiOMOPDaUypEnUsu6NT1AfvSpd3kd4OIC75nbr1prwH8A3oTIde6WngEae_nng2VB3Hk7-BP0kZ3YB79gbiOA-waW0F7PIvqvh05YPmAq85qLX9E5Xf56YW8_Tw0GjOVg4t1IWXtlW4-kXF_HYuffUO0QLfv2IstMbn7JoIM/w640-h338/screenshot.PNG" width="640" /></a></div><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #030303; font-size: 10.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-b7c20e45-7fff-853c-cbb7-cc5fdf214b3a"><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="color: #030303; font-size: 10.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When you start to spline, make sure to break your shot into manageable chunks. You can do this by breaking your shot into small amounts of frames, or by focusing on one small piece of the body at a time. No matter which method you choose, remember that all movement starts from the root, and by defining the movement of the root first you will avoid counter-animating down the line. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="color: #030303; font-size: 10.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">No matter where you are in your spline process, don't forget the power of the arc tracker. Animation is all about creating fluid lines of movement, and by tracking your arcs throughout your animation, you will be able to quickly find and fix both timing and spacing. This can be done by using a built-in tool in Maya such as Animbot’s Motion Trail, but if that's not for you, you can even track your arcs with an expo marker on your screen. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="color: #030303; font-size: 10.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It's easy when hitting spline to allow the computer to take over and to make choices for you as an artist. Don't let that happen! Trust your eye as an artist and make sure that your character is moving the way YOU chose it to, and not the way the computer interpreted. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="color: #030303; font-size: 10.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This might be the hardest tip of all, It's okay to delete keys! Not only is it okay, but sometimes it can be necessary. If something doesn't look right, and you cannot figure out why, delete your keys and see where things are going wrong. It may seem destructive at the moment but it will save you time and effort down the line. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="color: #030303; font-size: 10.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lastly, make sure to actually look at your graph editor after you hit spline. Sometimes the computer will take your keys and create curves that you never intended to create. By using your eyes and utilizing tools like auto and linear tangents, you can quickly find areas of concern and adjust your keys to create smooth motions. </span></p></span></span><p><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></p><h4 style="margin: 0px; position: relative;"><span style="background-color: white;">For more animation tips,</span> watch our video below where AnimSchool instructor Martin Scotto explains in depth the 6 tricks he uses to avoid losing momentum when entering the Spline phase.</h4><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="362" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6CZrfGBcp-g" width="496" youtube-src-id="6CZrfGBcp-g"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://animschool.edu/DownloadOffer...." style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #2288bb; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Download AnimSchool's Feature Level Rig for Free</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and start animating today!</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.9872; margin: 0pt 7pt 0pt 6pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></p><p style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Start your 3D Animation Journey in our next</span><a href="https://animschool.edu/" style="text-align: left; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="color: #2288bb; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">11-week term at animschool.edu</span></a></p></div></div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-530997445842770378.post-79141242115770886292022-03-16T10:33:00.004-07:002022-03-16T10:36:48.255-07:00It's time to walk the dog - How to Animate a Quadruped<p><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="345" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/e5mn7WxjMZg" width="477" youtube-src-id="e5mn7WxjMZg"></iframe></div><br /><span face="Roboto, Noto, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span face="Roboto, Noto, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>AnimSchool Tips: How to Animate a Quadruped</b></span></span></p><span style="background-color: white;"><span face="Roboto, Noto, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
It's time to walk the dog…or at least the quadruped. Let's be honest, learning how to animate a human on two legs walking is scary, much less a creature on four legs!
So how do you break a quadruped walk down so that it's approachable? Well luckily, quadrupeds aren't that different from bipedal or human characters. Essentially a simple dog walk cycle is just two bipedal characters walking slightly offset from each other. Sound confusing?
Animschool Instructor & Professional Animator, Daniel Paul, is here to “walk” us through the doggie steps.</span><span face="Roboto, Noto, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
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</span><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://animschool.edu/ClassDetails.aspx?programcourseid=134"><span style="font-size: large;">Learn the Mechanics of Animation Online with Us</span></a></div></span><span face="Roboto, Noto, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div><span style="background-color: white;"><span face="Roboto, Noto, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><b>Become an Animator Online in our next 11-week term at <a href="https://animschool.edu/">AnimSchool</a></b></div></span></span>Jesse Draperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10885491577904396280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-530997445842770378.post-86478115760479149382022-02-18T08:55:00.005-08:002022-02-18T09:06:36.036-08:00When Should I Start Animating With Advanced 3D Character Rigs?<p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 5.95pt; margin-right: 6.2pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin: 0pt 6.2pt 0pt 5.95pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 5.95pt; margin-right: 6.2pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin: 0pt 6.2pt 0pt 5.95pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 5.95pt; margin-right: 6.2pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin: 0pt 6.2pt 0pt 5.95pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="324" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bASnc8YPhmA" width="523" youtube-src-id="bASnc8YPhmA"></iframe><span style="background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div><span face="Roboto, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-b28b98cf-7fff-3fa0-747e-a2066f4204d7"><h3 dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 10pt;"><p dir="ltr" style="font-size: medium; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.68; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bASnc8YPhmA">Animschool instructor Jean-Luc Delhougne gives us a key tip - give yourself time & space to explore & play with a new character rig before jumping into the animation portion</a></span></p></h3><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin: 0pt 6pt;"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.68; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin: 0pt 6pt; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">It’s finally the day - you have worked hard for this. You cannot hold back your excitement. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">You. Are. Ready! </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">It's your first time working with an advanced feature-level 3D character rig, which can be both exciting and intimidating.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin: 0pt 6pt; text-align: left;"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin: 0pt 6pt; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">One mistake students and even professionals make when working with a new rig is to believe that an advanced rig will make anything you animate look feature film ready. But animation is not about the rig, it's about the animator.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin: 0pt 6pt;"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin: 0pt 6pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline;">What is the biggest difference between a simple rig & an advanced rig?</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin: 0pt 6pt;"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin: 0pt 6pt; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">An advanced rig functions much like a simple rig but with a few more detailed controllers. All the most important features and mechanics of an advanced rig can be found in a simple rig. If you look at the Animschool catalog of</span><a href="https://animschool.edu/Characters.aspx" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #2288bb; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">characters and rigs</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">, one of the most popular simple rigs is a little fellow we call “Blocky.” Blocky has been used in shots as simple as taking a step, to scenes as complicated as dentists extracting a tooth from a patient. He is emotive, flexible, appealing, and most importantly easy to use. So what is it about blocky that makes him so much more approachable to start with than our Marina rig? It really boils down to one word, overthinking.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.68; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 10pt;"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.44; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 6pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Here is a screenshot of Blocky’s picker and next to it a screenshot of Marina’s picker:</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.68; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0pt solid rgb(238, 238, 238); display: inline-block; height: 249px; overflow: hidden; width: 205px;"><img height="249" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/iTPDBADidwuAZHjqM5RL9LrLenJhKsQazPlA0tYOgaNUj3SE6-JJSSBG5-V_-k4lqyQhzZuXLqz8fea_oIzokaAoqppWmoM4bZoJ3Jaud5-MFrnT1renuC9VtkF0eyRcFkIPfxsT" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="205" /></span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0pt solid rgb(238, 238, 238); display: inline-block; height: 253px; overflow: hidden; width: 149px;"><img height="253" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/VeCgRI8HsqotDPj5WynDpIjaMJIWgV8QA7oZIXppVWGjuzJw_-iui691zNVye9wwN7YvAVNR5NRuxdhkewf3RgS5y0vDKC40j7sinYZUGIjK7fzf8v7OB61n9QtGOg-RRkhCfYMx" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="149" /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin: 0pt 7pt 0pt 6pt;"><a href="https://animschool.edu/DownloadOffer.aspx" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #2288bb; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">AnimSchool Pickers</span></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin: 0pt 7pt 0pt 6pt;"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin: 0pt 7pt 0pt 6pt; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">At first glance, Marina’s picker looks way more complicated than Blocky’s, but when you look closer you can see that the foundations, they are not that different. Both radiate from a central body node, both have three major spine controllers, both have IK/FK arms and legs and both </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">have one central head controller. When students see an advanced rig for the first time they often think that they need to use EVERY SINGLE CONTROL. In reality, nothing could be further from the truth. All the additional controls that are added from a simple rig to an advanced rig are mostly for finesse work and facial emotion. The basic mechanics are the same.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.68; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 10pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 10pt;"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.68; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0pt solid rgb(238, 238, 238); display: inline-block; height: 356px; overflow: hidden; width: 413px;"><img height="356" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/tjCRTTJdphQi4Ee2lHzKFpLSTHKnCGUjRfRJDk37k3PDYT_u2Av2IzYf-O8_QcQ9ckWgyOmh0j1ZmQGDcGjJbLCjgx_I3I_Bp0bRf_9el6SzhYalprfwoqATdcC_QZjAKaOC8I0C" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="413" /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin: 9pt 6pt 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">AnimSchool's Simple Rig "Blocky" & Advanced Rig "Marina"</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin: 0pt 6pt; padding: 9pt 0pt 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">At Animschool you are placed in a curriculum that strategically prepares you to animate with more advanced rigs. By the time you interact with an advanced rig, it is because you have proven that you are able to demonstrate the 12 principles of animation with a simple rig. Only then will you be granted access to the advanced rigs. This isn't because you are suddenly expected to use every new controller, but rather because you have proven that you know how to utilize the major controls. These major controls will be in almost every rig you interact with for the rest of your career, and if all else fails - remember the bouncing ball. If you can animate a fully thought out, entertaining scene with just a bouncing ball, how many controllers do you really need to animate a compelling scene with an advanced rig? The answer is not many, so start simple and don’t overthink.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.68; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 10pt;"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin: 0pt 7pt 0pt 6pt; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Remember when interacting with a new rig, simple or advanced, to give yourself a break, and have some fun with it. Instead of jumping into your shot and believing it will be a masterpiece from the beginning, spend a day and play around. Set up a few pushed poses or do a facial study. Treat learning a new rig like an improv class. Put a few ideas in a bowl, pull one out and give yourself 15 minutes to set your new rig up according to whatever it says on the piece of paper. This is a great way for you to get to know your rig. It enables you to gain a certain level of familiarity and comfort between you and the computer. As you do this exercise, remember, this isn't for a shot, and it isn't for an assignment, it's just for you. So take the opportunity and have fun!</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin: 0pt 7pt 0pt 6pt; text-align: left;"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin: 0pt 7pt 0pt 6pt; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">If you and a </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">friend are learning a new rig together you can challenge each other to create the most ridiculous scenarios and then compete. Only after you have spent some time getting to know your rig should you then jump into actually animating for real.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin: 0pt 7pt 0pt 6pt;"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://animschool.edu/DownloadOffer...." style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: #2288bb; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Download AnimSchool's Feature Level Rig for Free</span></a><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"> and start animating today!</span></span></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin: 0pt 7pt 0pt 6pt;"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.68; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline;">Start your 3D Animation Journey in our next </span><a href="https://animschool.edu/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #2288bb; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline;">11-week term at animschool.edu</span></a></p><div><br /></div></span></div></span><p></p><div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></div>Jesse Draperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10885491577904396280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-530997445842770378.post-3977418042641177642021-11-24T08:26:00.002-08:002021-11-24T08:26:11.507-08:00How to Be Specific with your Acting Choices<p></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhJOB8baFBHcQ-m8tc5dQEmvrgstJK-GC7WAOGwKzT6tfdZU535eS-HDDdn5PWPQqXXPTd3CNwL00QvmxtU99lEIPxtg0ymMYZZRmlJ71o0shQSi-ZZbLlDyJRQxgKBmskCqP4bWbO1nt5yUJ0ulgjTokevXQkcG3hJNvhYsO52jXH_RpCE7YZirxqUcA=s1920" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="815" data-original-width="1920" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhJOB8baFBHcQ-m8tc5dQEmvrgstJK-GC7WAOGwKzT6tfdZU535eS-HDDdn5PWPQqXXPTd3CNwL00QvmxtU99lEIPxtg0ymMYZZRmlJ71o0shQSi-ZZbLlDyJRQxgKBmskCqP4bWbO1nt5yUJ0ulgjTokevXQkcG3hJNvhYsO52jXH_RpCE7YZirxqUcA=w640-h272" width="640" /></a></p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg2L_svaupFZmGf7seZBY2O9FeDG55PTMyh7HSf0M69VmbAw1aYh7BFWJlNdRH3_s2e_ZGoZAwLZPOLCUiCGige-YMMpCt62iKkYCCdnbVRnfVD0D2C8eP-vtmBMYYNOcmey17OKavPMAWhgJr1-xyhbKXJQHtpYT1IiZH_nGBgFyrRCs7wmxhqYNtIBg=s499" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="331" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg2L_svaupFZmGf7seZBY2O9FeDG55PTMyh7HSf0M69VmbAw1aYh7BFWJlNdRH3_s2e_ZGoZAwLZPOLCUiCGige-YMMpCt62iKkYCCdnbVRnfVD0D2C8eP-vtmBMYYNOcmey17OKavPMAWhgJr1-xyhbKXJQHtpYT1IiZH_nGBgFyrRCs7wmxhqYNtIBg=s320" width="212" /></a></p>Character animation is a complex art form to master since it combines so many different skills. An animator needs to know body mechanics, the basic physics of motion, how to create visual appeal, be tech-savvy enough to learn Maya, and on top of all that, be able to act. They say that teaching a young animator how to create polished animation (aka clean arcs and spacing) is the easy part. The thing they’re really looking for when reviewing reels is good acting and unique, entertaining ideas. The primary skill that separates a good animator from a great animator is specificity. This is what your teacher or that recruiter is talking about when they say “be more specific!” after reviewing your reel. The ability to make specific, character-driven acting choices that feel believable comes from knowing your character inside and out. Legendary theater actress and acting teacher Uta Hagen outlines nine key questions an actor should ask themselves when developing a character in her book <i>Respect for Acting</i>. As an animator, answering these nine questions before you shoot reference will help solidify who your character is and inform the actions they take in your shot. Typically, an animator animating their own shot picks out pre-recorded dialogue and must come up with a situation and performance for the dialogue. Answering these questions should help narrow down what sort of situation you want to put your character in and what specific acting choices you can make for them to create a genuine performance that showcases their personality best.<p></p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>1. Who Am I?</b></h3><p>This first question covers all the basic details about who your character is: name, age, gender, physical traits, job, etc. Then you can go a little deeper and ask yourself who they are as a person: what are some things they like, what do they dislike, what do they fear, what are their goals, what are their beliefs, and what makes them unique. These questions simply serve to establish a baseline of who your character is.</p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>2. What time is it?</b></h3><p>You can take this literally to mean what the exact hour and minute are, or you can simply consider the season, the era, or whether it's light or dark out. The important thing to think about is whether time has significance in how your character acts. A character would act and speak very differently in the 1500s compared to the 21st century. Likewise, someone who’s more of a night-owl may be more energetic in the evening and act more groggy in the morning.</p><p> </p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>3. Where am I?</b></h3><p>What is the setting of your scene? Describe the country, town, building or even a specific room your scene takes place in. Consider how this specific setting makes your character feel and how this location affects how they act. Is the character cold or warm in this place? Does this place hold sentimental meaning to them, or are they just at their boring 9-5 job? The location can also play into what the character is doing while delivering the line and what props the character can interact with. The easiest way to make a shot more interesting is to simply give the character something to do. Put your character in a specific situation or place they can interact with and your acting options will automatically get more specific.</p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>4. What surrounds me?</b></h3><p>This fourth question continues a similar idea from the last question. It is referring to the people and things around the character. Ask yourself what is happening around the character and how your character reacts to this. If your character is making their way through a crowd of people, do they shove through others or try to squeeze past? If there is construction going on in front of them, do they plug their ears or simply ignore it? What are they doing while delivering their line and how do their surroundings affect their actions?</p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>5. What are the circumstances?</b></h3><p>For this question, you need to analyze your character’s past, present and future. You need to take into account past circumstances when crafting your character’s performance. For example, if your character just suffered the loss of a loved one, then they’ll probably be more solemn in your scene. They may not be hysterically breaking down like they did in the past, but they are still affected by this past experience. It is important to go into your scene with past circumstances in mind. Moreover, it's also important to think about your character's future and where they’re going. Continuing the previous example, your character is grieving now but if they’re working towards moving on, the character may convey bits of hopefulness in their performance. </p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>6. What are my relationships?</b></h3><p>What are your character's relationships to people, objects, places, and events? How do these relationships make your character feel and, more importantly, act? Do they think of certain people or places fondly or is there tension and resentment for that specific person or place? By considering these questions, you can begin to think about how to best incorporate subtext into your performance. For instance, someone brings your character to a cafe that triggers a lot of negative memories. Your character then says, “this place is great” with a weak smile out of pure politeness when subtextually, you know she’s really saying that she would rather not be there. Knowing your character's relationship to other characters and specific places and things is essential to building a believable performance. It will also give you the ability to create more specificity in your character’s acting once you know what they subtextually feel in that moment. </p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>7. What do I want?</b></h3><p>Consider your character’s goals and objectives. What is their immediate objective in the scene? What is their overall, long-term objective? Is this smaller, immediate goal working towards the bigger objects, or against it? Are these wants hidden or made obvious? Knowing your character's motives will greatly affect their performance and will allow you to more genuinely explore the subtext of what your character is saying.</p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>8. What is in my way?</b></h3><p>In other words, what is preventing your character from getting what they want? These obstacles can be physical or mental. For example, if what your character wants is to be with this girl he loves, his obstacle could be that he lives too far away from her (physical) or he is too afraid to communicate his feelings to her (mental). When creating a situation for your character, consider obstacles that are authentic to the situation and relatable to the audience. Conflict is one of the most important pieces of any story, because it is the aspect that adds entertainment. A good story comes from establishing a situation and characters, then putting them into a situation that will showcase who they really are and in some cases, cause the character to change who they are. You need the conflict or disruption in the character’s everyday life in order for the audience to be interested in the story in the first place.</p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>9. What do I do to get what I want?</b></h3><p>This final question more or less is a culmination of all the previous questions you answered about your character. What actions (physical or verbal) does your character take in order to overcome the obstacle and achieve their goal. After analyzing who your character is, what they want, and what’s in their way, you can now make a very informed decision about how that character will act in your scene. You use what you know about your character, their situation, and their goals in order to make believable, specific acting decisions that will set your performance apart and bring it to the next level.</p><p><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">For more information about how to create top-notch acting in your animation, watch our video below where AnimSchool teacher Scott McWhinnie talks about what he considers "good" acting.</h4><h4 style="text-align: left;"> </h4><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="395" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/UOTM-qZeWc0" width="622" youtube-src-id="UOTM-qZeWc0"></iframe></div><br /><p style="text-align: center;">Join our next 11-week term at https://animschool.edu/</p><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-530997445842770378.post-46154326084728876432021-10-26T08:25:00.004-07:002021-10-27T15:26:46.971-07:00Become a VFX Creature Animator | Interview with Tony Mecca<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhjYZQwl8lkd2KVM5WcHtWLdaKru0tTtlnfgpsobAo4DR6hWuNK3Ifsej0tAQ8wMpqBJUuqDzkJpmrr--o_XEYEEoK5ryQSsstyjcug3T-eDUGbklX78Z_J-jE70Ov9jmoBwwH5if9hmCYlZynnmxXadkPyvXuE7cYode47HDF50bbht-ywhG-5uHlpyw=s1920" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="815" data-original-width="1920" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhjYZQwl8lkd2KVM5WcHtWLdaKru0tTtlnfgpsobAo4DR6hWuNK3Ifsej0tAQ8wMpqBJUuqDzkJpmrr--o_XEYEEoK5ryQSsstyjcug3T-eDUGbklX78Z_J-jE70Ov9jmoBwwH5if9hmCYlZynnmxXadkPyvXuE7cYode47HDF50bbht-ywhG-5uHlpyw=w640-h272" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div><span><div style="font-family: Roboto, Noto, sans-serif; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: start; white-space: normal;"><b>See How the Experts Animate Giant Monsters for Film & Games</b></span></div><div style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span face="Roboto, Noto, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><span face="Roboto, Noto, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Join Us for a FREE AnimSchool VFX Animation Workshop with industry veteran and AnimSchool instructor Tony Mecca on Thursday, November 4th, 2:30 PM (PST) 5:30 PM (EST)
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://madmimi.com/signups/6aef7e9a067948959e9b6e8558dc9e3f/join">Click here to register</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></span></span><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">AnimSchool Instructor Tony Mecca has worked on it all</span></b></p><p><b></b>He’s animated on video games, feature films, VFX, and currently, he is working at Universal Creative in their Ride Design and Show Technology department where he is working to create the next generation of storytelling and immersive experiences for new lands and attractions at Universal. In addition to his impressive career in animation, Tony also started the VFX Creature Animation course here at AnimSchool. In our interview with him, we go in-depth with what you can expect from the VFX Creature Animation course and who the class is best suited for. Tony also goes through what the day-to-day at a VFX studio is like and how it differs from a traditional CG animation feature studio.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="363" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XRbqBdUEO3o" width="481" youtube-src-id="XRbqBdUEO3o"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #666666;">Watch the interview on Youtube</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #666666;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span face="Roboto, Noto, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15px; text-align: start; white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></span></div><p><b>Tell us your story! How did you get into this industry?</b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgsjIEHiXep2dzMnto9bAKf0tDAVTga2OSbigI0KlbccJb4ibRgFEQGsCDnMH4w9qmG1pK_ZX9QuoUz3xz4ZR0S_LBi97cwNmZvDID5cRPnHxx6m2FL8vOBUJWlfhyrdOEnFjhhA3qCkV_IpLrHSOg1kbR2HAuok6B2enJsksJAkz51jPES1IHq-Pw1wA=s1574" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="847" data-original-width="1574" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgsjIEHiXep2dzMnto9bAKf0tDAVTga2OSbigI0KlbccJb4ibRgFEQGsCDnMH4w9qmG1pK_ZX9QuoUz3xz4ZR0S_LBi97cwNmZvDID5cRPnHxx6m2FL8vOBUJWlfhyrdOEnFjhhA3qCkV_IpLrHSOg1kbR2HAuok6B2enJsksJAkz51jPES1IHq-Pw1wA=s320" width="320" /></a></div>From a very young age, I have always wanted to work in special effects for movies. I used to build those Revell models all the time and after learning a bit about the industry from those 90s “making of the movie” specials, I assumed I wanted to be a model builder. Of course, things shifted to CG, and by the time I was in college I was learning all aspects of digital art for film. Even though when I started I assumed I would gravitate towards digital modeling or maybe lighting, I fell in love with animation and completely shifted all of my thinking and studies to bringing characters to life. After graduating, I got hired into a game studio where I worked for over 5 years and then started my adventure in feature films. I traveled the world working on many different feature films and eventually ended up at Universal Studios where I am able to combine my skillsets in animation, creative direction, and technology to lead teams and play a role in creating our future landscape of world-class attractions.<p></p><p><b>What were some of your first jobs in the industry?</b></p><p>The first job that I ever had was right out of college. I worked at a video game company called High Voltage, so I got to work on <i>The Family Guy</i> video game. I just jumped right into it. All hand-keyed animation working with the animators. Then I went on to America’s Army. So I went from super cartoony to combat simulation with Conduit and Conduit 2 where they were more of that Sci-fi adventure stuff. So I really started in games, right from the get-go.</p><p><b><br />How did you make the jump from video game animator to theme park creative producer?</b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjzQaxLmvrctXNpe2lk_gb4XnmhfKUQVVw7lB7pkYGnRz8j4_AUlHHJ98jgA0DPpeTLebH5yz4Ad4yA-13bSSXTuIR9E4iCWjmOWDAImBgwo5DoCm6Tj7fm-b38R--PqYD4wh7TZt07mF5eYc0oUtWUYDSoajFwa8hQuDfF2M-E8XGRbOEdLXie7qNQTg=s1912" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="807" data-original-width="1912" height="169" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjzQaxLmvrctXNpe2lk_gb4XnmhfKUQVVw7lB7pkYGnRz8j4_AUlHHJ98jgA0DPpeTLebH5yz4Ad4yA-13bSSXTuIR9E4iCWjmOWDAImBgwo5DoCm6Tj7fm-b38R--PqYD4wh7TZt07mF5eYc0oUtWUYDSoajFwa8hQuDfF2M-E8XGRbOEdLXie7qNQTg=w400-h169" width="400" /></a></div>I went to another online animation school while I was working in games, specifically tailoring feature film animation like AnimSchool does, and then I got hired right into Rhythm and Hues. I got thrown into VFX right away. Since I hadn’t used a plate before in my entire life, Rhythm and Hues did a training program where you spend two weeks in their training department learning the plates. And they don't use Maya, they use Vudu. Rhythm and Hues, Dreamworks and Pixar all use their own custom animation software. So I learned Vudu and went right into<i> Mr. Popper’s Penguins</i>. I worked on a few movies there and worked up to a lead animator. Then I jumped over to Blue Sky and back to full CG animation where I worked on a few shows there (<i>Epic </i>and <i>Rio 2</i>). Then I went back to Vancouver where I worked as a lead at Digital Domain on <i>Fast and Furious 7</i>, <i>X-Men: Days of Future Past</i>, <i>Lost River</i>...and then went to Sony Imageworks where I worked on <i>Hotel Transylvania 2</i>. So I went from super hyper-realistic back to insanely pushed animation. I’ve been crazy enough to go back and forth between multiple animation styles. After Sony, I went down to Florida to work at Magic Leap which is a top-secret tech start-up. I can’t say a lot of what I did there, but it was a lot of behind-the-scenes next-generation animation stuff. And then I was able to make the jump to Universal because theme parks are awesome and never in a million years did I put two and two together. You don't realize it, but all these attractions you ride are movie-based and they have a lot of media and technology and show syncing. Since Universal started with the <i>Back to the Future</i> ride and <i>E.T.</i>, they’ve been at the pinnacle of technology for movie special effects when it comes to integration with theme parks. So I jumped into that role where I’m on a few of the teams at Universal Creative that are in charge of designing the next generation of rides, attractions, and lands. I work with Universal Media which owns Dreamworks and Illumination, so I get to work a lot with their IPs and animation crews. And of course, a lot of the other vendors we use are your typical AAA-level VFX studios for all of our attractions. So I get to be exposed to all different types of animation and animation technology.<p></p><p><b>Is it better to specialize or be more of a generalist?</b></p><p>In terms of animation itself, it’s still better to concentrate just on animation for now. You can know a little bit about modeling, a little bit about lighting—that’s fine. There’s nothing wrong with understanding what the other elements are in what you’re doing. But really hone in your skillset into animation if you want to be an animator. Don't spend 50% of your time trying to light your shot. You really want to get your concentration focused on just the animation portion of it. It's always about having that raw talent and understanding of being a storyteller and an entertainer. I always tell my student that if you have two identical reels and one reel is super polished and nails the 12 principles, and you have another reel that is pretty good, lacks some polish, but is hilarious or got a dramatic reaction or made the viewer feel something, ten times out of ten that’s the person that’s going to get hired. Learning entertainment and how to be a good animator is the hard part. It’s easy to learn the 12 principles and how to smooth arcs and things like that. It's all about what you can do with the craft that makes it new and unique. And that's all in your story and some of these shots are only a few seconds long. My advice would be to be interested in other things. Definitely be interested in things outside of animation. Walt Disney said it's about the illusion of life, but if you don't have one how can you create that illusion. Do things outside of animation because those are the stories that you’re going to bring into your animation. So step away from the computer, movies and games. Go try something else because that’s the experience you want to bring into your storytelling. In terms of AnimSchool, just concentrate on the animation. I’ve had students who want to do modeling and lighting and animation classes all at once and I'm just like “No, do the one and do a really good job at it.” </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="374" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ba5VUWo3LY8" width="638" youtube-src-id="ba5VUWo3LY8"></iframe></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><b>How different is the workflow for creature animation compared to character animation?</b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhgXXsPaskrvLFLywhfhQV8okkJeevm5pSbcBba-5djG3gdgc9b5FsaH6OUe92aqKZ7hNznrudDy-E1fLUM28OV7TNZSiKDD5sFOMx_5lZ_lE1WLZ7y0JYMkJuN0T9ObjwuO6skHg1-rep3hudlRVuVUy0cSRPLZWabf7PAhRQb9B_1epThbq9phExk0w=s2588" style="clear: right; display: inline; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1215" data-original-width="2588" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhgXXsPaskrvLFLywhfhQV8okkJeevm5pSbcBba-5djG3gdgc9b5FsaH6OUe92aqKZ7hNznrudDy-E1fLUM28OV7TNZSiKDD5sFOMx_5lZ_lE1WLZ7y0JYMkJuN0T9ObjwuO6skHg1-rep3hudlRVuVUy0cSRPLZWabf7PAhRQb9B_1epThbq9phExk0w=w400-h188" width="400" /></a><span style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;">There are few major differences. One main difference is that in VFX animation you get what you get. Meaning, your set is unmovable and the camera is completely locked due to them well… shooting it with a real camera. There are always exceptions with things like set extensions or sometimes you get a full CG set but generally, you are at the mercy of what the set crew shot. What this means is that you have to reverse your thought workflow a bit. For example, when thinking about how to lead the camera on a camera that is already locked. The second, and there are always exceptions of course, but generally, directors for VFX movies come from live-action and not animation backgrounds. What this means is they are used to being able to tweak and react to a performance on set. They get almost instant feedback from the next take and are able to mold their shot how they see fit and explore it in a live-action setting. Animation of course is not instantaneous, so the odds of changing things over and over is very high to “try” and see different things the director wants to shape. When you show your animation you can’t show things in stepped mode because, generally, they won’t understand it. They want the animation to look smooth and they don’t understand why the character is “teleporting” everywhere. This leads to more of a splocking workflow to ensure agility in your shot as well as working on multiple shots at once. There’s also a lot of redos in VFX. A lot of the time the director will want you to show it a bunch of different ways (from the top, from the bottom to the left, to the right, with a backflip, without a backflip) and you're doing like ten different versions because they want to react to what they like best. Usually in full CG, you have storyboards, animatics, layout, and just more time to explore video reference and acting. But then in VFX they just want to see it in 18 different ways and choose from it. So we learn a bit about how to get the fastest idea that you have out there and then adjust quickly. So in terms of workflow, they’re pretty different, but in terms of animation skill set, most of it transfers over.</div></span></div><p></p><p><b>Do all the same principles of animation apply to creatures?</b></p><p>Absolutely! The basics are even more important when breaking creatures down. We start blocking the shots out with spheres and basic shapes. It all comes back to the bouncing balls!</p><p><b>Is the quality of VFX animation lower because you are presenting so many iterations and ideas constantly?</b></p><p>You see some beautiful VFX animation and you think, <i>Man it must've taken months to do that</i>. And yeah, they did, but that was just version 17. It definitely still demands the highest quality because they have budgets that are the same, or even more, than animated films. You do have to hit that level of quality but usually at a much more condensed time frame because you're doing three or four different things. That’s another thing; in traditional CG animation, you're only doing one shot at a time (or if you're lucky, you’ll get a sequence of three shots in a row). But in VFX, sometimes you're working on three or four shots at once in different parts of the movie because usually, the directors aren’t on-site (they might only review once a week or once every two weeks). So in VFX animation, you really learn how to bounce between different creatures, characters, shots, etc. You learn how to animate really quickly at a high bar really quick in VFX.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhwGadYU9uYantbZ84v2dSreDJNqhbtC6AJHTK5k_85rguAyPGYwMBRGG0ABEl4CMKUj04Qvne_ouE0wEb6DYSt88fdnHhObD73xrme_H-Bc5mCAQqyHd8Ywwe5toGeSVay0LwlUBdWoE8bDzWL13I832e6KOp5VFy_7WW4is1zYKNuwQZYFOwp8qoioA=s1496" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="838" data-original-width="1496" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhwGadYU9uYantbZ84v2dSreDJNqhbtC6AJHTK5k_85rguAyPGYwMBRGG0ABEl4CMKUj04Qvne_ouE0wEb6DYSt88fdnHhObD73xrme_H-Bc5mCAQqyHd8Ywwe5toGeSVay0LwlUBdWoE8bDzWL13I832e6KOp5VFy_7WW4is1zYKNuwQZYFOwp8qoioA=w400-h224" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><b>How do you find or create reference for creatures that don’t exist?</b></p><p>The same way you create reference for any shot. Every new shot is a shot that has never been done before—VFX or not—and you cannot just google exactly what you want and get the perfect reference. You start with what you know and gather that. Even just parts of motions or timings or posing you are looking for. Study the known to create the unknown. In terms of creatures, I have my students rotoscope animals with bouncing balls throughout most of the class. The point is to create a muscle memory of actions and moves that help “fill in the blanks” so to speak on performances or parts of performances where you don’t have anything to go off of. It’s all about practice and knowing how to use the known, even if it’s in your head, to create or fill in the gaps of the unknown. It truly is about taking all the reference you can from the animal kingdom and yourself, filling in the gaps, and then adding the flair to it. Because you just don't want to rotoscope over something that exists in reality, because it's already there. We want to create something fantastic. We go over a lot of this in the class—how to take video reference, what to take from what, how to combine it—and students have a lot of fun with that. They love getting to take 20-30 different things and mashing it together into something awesome.</p><p><b>What pushed you to start the creature animation program at AnimSchool?</b></p><p>I taught body mechanics at Animschool for many years and some students seemed to really enjoy doing the dog walk assignment and wanted more. I also have seen the lack of schools teaching fantasy creature animation combined with actual real-world tracked plates. I learned how to use and work with plates on my first job at Rhythm and Hues during their 2-week training session for new animators to the company. Then you just kind of get thrown into the deep end if you have never worked at other VFX companies before in terms of how to use those plate skills you literally just learned to create shots in a movie. The point of this course is to better equip students for their first job and give them a leg up in not only creature animation performance, but also working with real-world plates in a simulated production environment they would be exposed to at a studio. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="359" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Y3HCPdTNrbA" width="656" youtube-src-id="Y3HCPdTNrbA"></iframe></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><b>Who is the creature animation class best for?</b></p><p>It's for anyone who’s interested in learning more about the VFX side of things. We’ve had some students that have already worked in the industry or were currently working who wanted to hone their skills to that next level. Because the class sizes are usually smaller and I consider this a graduating mentor-level class; you do get a lot more one on one time. I wrote the syllabus so I can alter the syllabus. We can move things around. We can shift dates. There is no amount of work we won't expand on if you knock the first project out of the park. I’m only going to make the second half harder. We’re really going to push the students. I’ve had students that have worked with plates before and they ended up doing 15 characters. There's no limit to the number of characters I'll make you put in this shot if you’re ready for it. I will push you to the max. On the other hand, I’ve had students who have never used plates before and have never animated a quadruped before. They do the class and end up getting hired to work on a movie. It’s for all levels. It's geared a bit more towards those who have never done creature animation or VFX style animation before, but we have had some pretty advanced students in here and we can gear the syllabus to them too. It's great because students that are just starting out can see how complex it can be. And to the students who are more advanced, it's always good to have a refresher of the basics to re-grasp some of those concepts.<br /></p><p><b>What are the main differences between your creature animation and character animation classes?</b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgY1nzrYC_PGSrxwRzXu_13Jr3CSXx-jSOiB6_Za1RpUgbtIHnqZmx28XF1NwiG_VSpG8E_YSyDDkDkRH0HShE_xJ2BF-mgC5gcSgk4rNPaJJ7-d9IIPUAvy03ClhjJXWvaTrQBxiEGo9fBsNtMecTCEP4NK7IPRNA9vuJtPavvLEv-ABwIIBzGzt3GQA=s1480" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="784" data-original-width="1480" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgY1nzrYC_PGSrxwRzXu_13Jr3CSXx-jSOiB6_Za1RpUgbtIHnqZmx28XF1NwiG_VSpG8E_YSyDDkDkRH0HShE_xJ2BF-mgC5gcSgk4rNPaJJ7-d9IIPUAvy03ClhjJXWvaTrQBxiEGo9fBsNtMecTCEP4NK7IPRNA9vuJtPavvLEv-ABwIIBzGzt3GQA=w400-h213" width="400" /></a></div>With the creature class, we focus more on that muscle memory. Everyone thinks creatures are so complex and that you have to learn all these things about quadrupeds, but in the end, everything comes back to the bouncing balls. We start by planning your shot out with just spheres. How do we get the character from point A to point B doing the action that we want with the performance that we want? How do we break down that motion with the body mechanics of it just on spheres? We talk a lot about rotoscoping spheres over animals. I have my students do that for a majority of the class because it builds that muscle memory. If you don't have the perfect piece of reference, how do you connect them? Oh, you do it like this. How do you know that? Well, because when I did the squirrel that way and combined it with the skunk and the lizard, my brain is just telling me it works like this. And yeah! It's from practice and muscle memory and really learning how to connect those pieces together. And then there’s also a lot of video reference of yourself. This was done at the very very beginning, even on Jurassic Park, the first thing director Phil Tippett had his animators do was get away from the computer. He brought them into acting classes and said, “Everyone act like a raptor and look around.” There's such great footage of them in the parking lot acting like gallimimus, jumping over ILMs parking lot, and you look at the shot in the film and it's the same timing. It's adapting that performance and that gusto and mechanics onto a character that doesn’t exist. So we go over a lot of that in the creature class. Not to say it differs too much from the typical CG method, but more so because the characters are typically not bipedal or have any human anatomy to them. <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgkcjudXRTrxtwWMcvK_k-vJi_gkMUFqqF3skFA4F3YbPyxLi6L5kz5g_2tohbE4Ly912U_XgrwS7YlAU-FDOnfvTVwhp75rCzx3WK8O-3UCFRLbY29-FtuPFAfDBanioxzHUod-FOOunsL3-vT8gLF88j1rbrVhvLeHAhXeGhMLWXpASU0sUyBGVZAWw=s1464" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="819" data-original-width="1464" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgkcjudXRTrxtwWMcvK_k-vJi_gkMUFqqF3skFA4F3YbPyxLi6L5kz5g_2tohbE4Ly912U_XgrwS7YlAU-FDOnfvTVwhp75rCzx3WK8O-3UCFRLbY29-FtuPFAfDBanioxzHUod-FOOunsL3-vT8gLF88j1rbrVhvLeHAhXeGhMLWXpASU0sUyBGVZAWw=s320" width="320" /></a></div><p><b>How do you push your students towards industry-level work? What are some key concepts you cover in your class?</b></p><p>I teach 2 graduating-level classes at AnimSchool and my mentality as an instructor at this level has always been to transition from a classroom-like environment to a studio one. In the creature course, we have lectures and informative classes, but as we progress I want the students to start getting notes from me as if they were a member on my animation team. We start out by talking about how to use a plate and how to use video reference, and eventually I shift into a studio environment. About halfway through the class, I start to run the classes as dailies to prep the students for the type of notes they would get in the industry (the same style notes I give to the animation teams I work with currently). I’ll stop giving notes about arcs and timing and instead say we need to bump up the aggression here or we need to ground the character more here and have him slip on something. It's fewer notes about specifics from your animation lead/supervisor but more so notes that you would get from a director, which is not animation talk and more about the character itself. By the end of the course, students should truly feel like they're having dailies with a director and know how to translate those kinds of notes into their animation. I want them to be prepped as much as possible for this industry.</p><p><b>Who/what are some of your biggest inspirations in animation?</b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg0DSPP_XqyNLpA12ecsfWWfd4r4ns4UCvp6k5UTpLsqtsrkV3EB8-QY_Mxitsx5AMi1-CKi02vUWV39w6btnz0C4UgQkNyTam3LfOf0uTYgiREQNnhg-h2zCBy5TkvSQHCiNxyM96yqrkOB4hSdN-bVeZX5icXAPm69L3e_y1DUeLK9yNeKylQH6XK0g=s1915" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="804" data-original-width="1915" height="134" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg0DSPP_XqyNLpA12ecsfWWfd4r4ns4UCvp6k5UTpLsqtsrkV3EB8-QY_Mxitsx5AMi1-CKi02vUWV39w6btnz0C4UgQkNyTam3LfOf0uTYgiREQNnhg-h2zCBy5TkvSQHCiNxyM96yqrkOB4hSdN-bVeZX5icXAPm69L3e_y1DUeLK9yNeKylQH6XK0g=w320-h134" width="320" /></a></b></div><p></p><p>Too many to list but I always look up to the innovators. The 9 old men, the Spaz Williams of the industry. Those who didn’t just take an established craft and master it, they literally discovered and wrote the rules. How do you get a T1000 to blend into a scene? - You literally discover and write Photoshop. How do you get dinosaurs to look and feel real in the latest Spielberg movie at the time? - You literally invent CG creature animation. It’s a space I enjoy being in. I am always working on the future of storytelling.</p><p><b>Do you prefer animating characters or creatures? VFX, games or film?</b></p><p>I’ve been fortunate enough in my career to touch all styles of animation in many different mediums. From monsters in Snow White and the Huntsman to the zany antics and style of <i>Hotel Transylvania</i> to cartoony games like <i>Family Guy</i> to sci-fi shooters like the Conduit. I’ve done a lot of different animation styles and have worked for many years in the top-secret media divisions of company’s like Magic Leap and my current role at Universal. Universal owns Dreamworks and Illumination and we feature attractions with IPs like <i>Jurassic Park</i>, <i>Transformers, </i>and <i>King Kong</i> so I am still exposed to a wide variety of animation mediums and styles. My favorite thing is being able to move in between them. I find it hard to get sick or burned out on a specific style or medium because I am lucky enough to work on them all at the same time!</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjiEaVJEsJE1Xar38Ug_5bkvPqgOC6aSN6E1hJvq4pGHfqUZCXBGzY8fDfXjcftbOeDpFBWjkNKt-fMhD2rrffe-OxQ5NynCMADklJ0s0I_wt4RS8oAPYDdo92tf2FDio5rGC1tGMUn0b9z0VldJtTAr_m7xQooPi2aUh8GwaJl59hkuebFO7ZQz6hBwg=s1649" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1649" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjiEaVJEsJE1Xar38Ug_5bkvPqgOC6aSN6E1hJvq4pGHfqUZCXBGzY8fDfXjcftbOeDpFBWjkNKt-fMhD2rrffe-OxQ5NynCMADklJ0s0I_wt4RS8oAPYDdo92tf2FDio5rGC1tGMUn0b9z0VldJtTAr_m7xQooPi2aUh8GwaJl59hkuebFO7ZQz6hBwg=s320" width="320" /></a></div><b>Is it easier to get into creature animation for VFX/games compared to character animation for film/TV? </b><p></p><p></p><br />That really all depends on industry trends and your location. Sometimes there are 5 VFX heavy summer blockbusters going on at once and there is a shortage of good Jr’s for VFX, and sometimes there is a mass exodus from certain animation studios and new talent is needed ASAP. I’ve seen it go both ways but VFX studios tend to need to ramp up much quicker and some are more prone to giving Jr’s a shot in larger quantities. The point of the course is to make sure that the students are at an advantage for any VFX studio need should the timing be in their favor. There are two major things to getting hired in your dream job: skill and luck. Luck is going to happen because everyone has luck. Skill is not guaranteed. Would you rather be really lucky with no skill, or have high skill and when the luck comes, you can combine the two together. There are plenty of artists out there who are very lucky, who are born into Hollywood or have friends and have all the hookups in the world, and they still can’t get into the industry because they don't have the skill set. What we’re doing here at AnimSchool, is we’re making it so that you do have the skill set. So that when the luck and timing align, it's a no-brainer for you to jump right in.<p></p><p><b>What’s the best way to get better at creature animation? Most animation programs train us how to animate human, bi-ped creatures, but how do you learn how to animate different creatures such as birds, lizards and monsters.</b></p><p>Best way I can think of is to attend this place called AnimSchool and sign up for the creature course!</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjNDRovnJBwNJNbuhOF2n3VoxHN12WfZ9at9Yr2jxg4HJy-BhZCLWB5FIFIMhlJZg8kE8Yp74aoORmMc976_pb44ypx94JZBh_QPD3O7WTPY3IFML3U-YSmA6X1728D0ygmLhq0KN8fALj-N3wcvAIjqGZpSTOPHsr8lP-3HDRjOWmQYhU24M5x9u3mzA=s2048" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1108" data-original-width="2048" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjNDRovnJBwNJNbuhOF2n3VoxHN12WfZ9at9Yr2jxg4HJy-BhZCLWB5FIFIMhlJZg8kE8Yp74aoORmMc976_pb44ypx94JZBh_QPD3O7WTPY3IFML3U-YSmA6X1728D0ygmLhq0KN8fALj-N3wcvAIjqGZpSTOPHsr8lP-3HDRjOWmQYhU24M5x9u3mzA=s320" width="320" /></a></div><b>Can you talk about how to create a reel for creature animation jobs? Any tips?</b><p></p><p></p>I always tell my students to gear a reel to the studio they are applying to. Now at first, being a student, of course, you might not have a lot of content to make separate reels for VFX, games, full-feature, etc. But, you can order your reel appropriately. For example, if you did all of AnimSchool AND the creatures course, I would recommend putting the creature work FIRST on the reel if applying to a VFX studio. This way it showcases to the recruiter from the get-go that you have creature chops while supplementing it with other work later in the reel. <p></p><p><b>Aside from the technical skills, what are some soft skills that are essential to being a good creature animator? </b></p><p>I think the two most important skills in creature VFX animation are agility and patience. The ability to splock quickly EXPECTING change and know that you might have to present an animation 15 different ways before buy off. Knowing that there might not be storyboards or even animatics, you have to actually come up with the idea and pitch it to a team or director that might not know what they want right away. So much of VFX creature animation is the exploration of a monster or a creature while dealing with tight deadlines.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg9fScW13Gqk-iy88VH7B0FhqcdnC408eXhxdnL0bVDHREntjes7XDpIlB0NkREr5cysM2O30Wr5yggVWAt3IF5U7A2GxmpLvieSYSP8Nyz5wq2DpDbJumFWWC0AzvtcCMau53Sq-SHOYdwL2lMgVf1bxNP8RNcbzIdZJMgHMy7tC8HcnsGhzSe1GjkiA=s1913" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="806" data-original-width="1913" height="135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg9fScW13Gqk-iy88VH7B0FhqcdnC408eXhxdnL0bVDHREntjes7XDpIlB0NkREr5cysM2O30Wr5yggVWAt3IF5U7A2GxmpLvieSYSP8Nyz5wq2DpDbJumFWWC0AzvtcCMau53Sq-SHOYdwL2lMgVf1bxNP8RNcbzIdZJMgHMy7tC8HcnsGhzSe1GjkiA=s320" width="320" /></a></div><p><b>What has it been like teaching at AnimSchool?</b></p><p>I’ve been teaching at AnimSchool for over 5 years and it has been amazing! Working with Manuel, Dave, and the crew to develop this program has been very rewarding. My absolute favorite part about teaching here is meeting all the students from around the world. Seeing their culture come out in their acting choices and being able to learn a little about all walks of life from around the globe has been an experience I wouldn’t trade for anything!</p><p><b>What’s next for you?</b></p><p>Unfortunately being in the top-secret group in the top-secret division means I cannot share anything at this time… but… I can refer you to Universals official blog where they make public announcements like our new theme park Epic Universe! :)</p><p><a href="https://blog.discoveruniversal.com/destination/announcing-universals-epic-universe/">https://blog.discoveruniversal.com/destination/announcing-universals-epic-universe/</a></p><p>Find out the latest about Universal Creative on their <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/universalcreative/">LinkedIn</a> page or learn about alternative careers in animation and check out what <a href="https://jobs.universalparks.com/universal-creative/">careers</a> Universal Creative currently has available.</p><p>Sign up today to learn from industry-leading animators like Tony in our online accredited courses (ACCSC). Apply today at <a href="http://animschool.edu">animschool.edu</a>. Tony is currently teaching Entertainment & Appeal and VFX Creature Animation.</p><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-530997445842770378.post-85358019034343561912021-09-21T08:40:00.004-07:002021-10-21T12:17:51.085-07:00Should I be a 3D Rigger? | Interview with AnimSchool Rigging Instructor Daria Jerjomina<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_eiWawpSu45t43n9xWXo9U6JgobeeWSaJ8x1Gq7qe4kwe7Yt2P6nuycp9Q_vGZSiqQgUtUu0IHMaabeXujuxtEgy4BCMJCRhTOhOjrvgs5cEYnHL_Y1Phn0CU-azHwJBVc6aM7BcNzGqd/s1920/Header_Daria.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="815" data-original-width="1920" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_eiWawpSu45t43n9xWXo9U6JgobeeWSaJ8x1Gq7qe4kwe7Yt2P6nuycp9Q_vGZSiqQgUtUu0IHMaabeXujuxtEgy4BCMJCRhTOhOjrvgs5cEYnHL_Y1Phn0CU-azHwJBVc6aM7BcNzGqd/w640-h272/Header_Daria.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>We recently had the chance to interview AnimSchool instructor, Daria Jerjomina. Daria has worked as a technical animator and rigger for video games, stop motion (Laika), VFX and is currently using her skills outside the animation industry in tech. In our interview, we talk to Daria about what it takes to be a rigger, working in each field, why she made the switch to tech and robotics. We also gain insight into her rigging courses, including Rigging Automation, where students create their own rigging tool, just as they would at a studio.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="337" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/f0rkPFrg18E" width="613" youtube-src-id="f0rkPFrg18E"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;">Watch our interview with Daria on Youtube</div><p><br /></p><p><b>How did you first get into rigging? Did you always know you wanted to do rigging for animation?</b></p><p>I didn’t know anything about rigging until I went to school (Academy of Art University). I wanted to work in animation and visual effects but I didn’t know about the difference between the different disciplines. After taking a couple introductory classes I learned about different parts of the industry and found that I enjoy rigging the most. I saw there was a combination of it being both technical and artistic, and that really appealed to me. And the rest is history!</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Where have you worked?</b></p><p>I started working at some small video game companies. Then I worked at a company that did a little bit of everything. They did visual effects and theme park things. And then I worked for animation at Laika. And after that, I worked for some tech companies. I feel lucky that I’ve tried a little bit of everything.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Can you talk about what it was like working for Laika on a stop motion feature as opposed to 3D animated projects?</b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd12kI26-AESPrtlU-bnQGQ3vgMVSB4eEGTDxWamyc1jRpuFQMqpQ2an_TL5eC5Up96HMR9OqKH8rYbaMqGSGQFMMGVqqAG3gXrly3kVA3a6MjqSyguokzNBs0KNnSyUHunxuxeKNIFykI/s2048/Kubo.PNG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1271" data-original-width="2048" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd12kI26-AESPrtlU-bnQGQ3vgMVSB4eEGTDxWamyc1jRpuFQMqpQ2an_TL5eC5Up96HMR9OqKH8rYbaMqGSGQFMMGVqqAG3gXrly3kVA3a6MjqSyguokzNBs0KNnSyUHunxuxeKNIFykI/s320/Kubo.PNG" width="320" /></a></div>I enjoyed working at Laika a lot, and the stop motion side of it was part of the reason. It was just so great to walk through hand-built sets when walking towards my desk and collaborate with so many extremely creative people, who do the kind of work very few others can do. Working with 3d printing was very exciting, and it was so cool to be able to hold the face you rigged in your hand after it was printed out.<p></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Laika is a stop motion company, I’m surprised they need riggers. What kind of work did you do for them? </b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO737JLjgxP6gACuldy5AELaAtW6mEHnxCzN3R5GuBL45VKJ_zgi1K5aLD4Sa351tr4rHgEq5n4gHGvfVA16StH9NgUHD42soLt3p2RpGG4hE38YTeN05umYszOP8fnw_735qCf04Xp-X6/s1000/Kubo.jpeg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO737JLjgxP6gACuldy5AELaAtW6mEHnxCzN3R5GuBL45VKJ_zgi1K5aLD4Sa351tr4rHgEq5n4gHGvfVA16StH9NgUHD42soLt3p2RpGG4hE38YTeN05umYszOP8fnw_735qCf04Xp-X6/s320/Kubo.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>I came in when they were working on Boxtrolls, but I mostly worked on<i> Kubo and the Two Strings</i>. They have a department called Graphic Prototyping Department and they work on just facial animation and facial rigging. So what happens there is that all the body is animated by hand, in a very classical stop motion way, but then the faces are animated in CG. Kind of the same way they would be animated in any other CG studio. All those faces that are animated CG are then printed. The old-school stop motion way would be to sculpt different faces and replace them on the character in the scene. But Laika is taking that a step further and what they’re doing is 3D printing those faces. So almost every frame they print out and place on the characters. That way it feels very seamless and fluid. If you look at the older stop motion films, you’ll see the facial animation is a bit choppy because they hand-sculpted all of those faces.<div><br /><p></p><p><b>What kind of tools did you create there?</b></p><p>At Laika, I switched from doing rigging into doing more programming. I started there as a rigger but then went into the engineering department. So I was writing tools for 3D-printing-related pipelines. All of the tools I created related to how rigging is happening and how the models are being passed to the rigger and how the rig character is being passed to the animator. One of the tools helps pass information about the rig onto the servers so the rigging can happen on the farm. Some tools were for creating ways to automatically check for model intersection. A lot of things to help review the model before it gets printed, how we can rig it faster, or review the models before their animations. </p><p><br /></p><p><b>Who and/or what are some of your biggest inspirations in animation?</b></p><p>For technical work a lot of what we do is behind the scenes, and you realize the intelligence with which a tool or a rig is built only when you yourself work on a project. For that reason, most people that have inspired me are the people I’ve worked with. Seeing the amazing work that they contribute to a mutual project inspires new ideas and pushes me to learn more.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Do you need to be able to code in order to be a rigger or technical director?</b></p><p>It’s different per company, but nowadays in most cases - yes. You need to be able to create tools that would help with rigging. Which is why I’m happy to be teaching a Rigging Automation class at AnimSchool and help students learn those skills.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>AnimSchool teaches modeling and rigging together in their Character Track program. Do riggers need to be able to model as well?</b></p><p>No, not really. It helps though. At some places, riggers do a lot of blendshape and corrective shape sculpting, with that it really helps to know modeling. I’m not very good at modeling so I'm an example of being on the more technical side of it. Animschool teaches modeling and rigging, but they also have a rigging automation class where we do all that tool writing.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-nHqUCCFBZuAJYbv6jMMVC2rzg2fAk5Sm4mxv5ak1rc7crRoaDiZnXZB1cgs_7cnuPh71DeOupRcdWMNhJxMJR5_Q30WpuV_g7PU4MPiTGGi1AJcN0UECHPa3-HdaHEHwNvOuY_PL3HFF/s2048/dino+hunt+tool.PNG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1138" data-original-width="2048" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-nHqUCCFBZuAJYbv6jMMVC2rzg2fAk5Sm4mxv5ak1rc7crRoaDiZnXZB1cgs_7cnuPh71DeOupRcdWMNhJxMJR5_Q30WpuV_g7PU4MPiTGGi1AJcN0UECHPa3-HdaHEHwNvOuY_PL3HFF/s320/dino+hunt+tool.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Can you talk more about the Rigging Automation class?</b></p><p></p>I like this class a lot because I see how much students improve in that class and all the great work they do. In that class, students write a tool of their own design from the beginning to the end of the term. They work on the tool at home, and in class, we review how they’re working on it. It can be any tool they want, but it has to help automate some part of the 3D pipeline. Most choose to make an auto-rigger, which is a tool that automates the rigging of the character, but they can choose any other aspect as well. And in the class itself, we go through important programming concepts. So they don't need to know any programming when they start the class. We talk a little bit about mel but mostly about python and we talk about all the concepts such as writing loops, variables, classes, functions, all those things they learn in that class. We do a lot of practice and small exercises in class to help them write their own tool. A lot of the tools people create in this class are really good tools. They can put them up on GitHub and then companies can notice those tools and bring them to their company. </div><div><br /><p><b>Do you need to know programming in order to take rigging classes at AnimSchool?</b></p><p>No, not at all. It’s not expected. If you know too much programming, you might be bored in the class. But If they know a little bit, that’s fine too. The concepts we learn are applicable to all parts of the 3D process. And it’s not just riggers who can benefit from the class, modelers and animators can too. There are cases where animators write tools for their company. It's a very valuable skill. </p><p><br /></p><p><b>You found rigging work outside of the animation industry. Can you talk about this more?</b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMs2mF1bLN5eyw5_vPOSWVhOx3zCy8aRb9ERnMMHhdfCYjUpn9Io_JciP8ykYYbHX8kwpvI8QamRgIKXKywg-n7nYm5Vwsd2jcygHONlT2QMQoVfsZ3UJXyWhkVqZaCA7V8C_uKWPGFsbe/s2048/Einstein.PNG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1142" data-original-width="2048" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMs2mF1bLN5eyw5_vPOSWVhOx3zCy8aRb9ERnMMHhdfCYjUpn9Io_JciP8ykYYbHX8kwpvI8QamRgIKXKywg-n7nYm5Vwsd2jcygHONlT2QMQoVfsZ3UJXyWhkVqZaCA7V8C_uKWPGFsbe/s320/Einstein.PNG" width="320" /></a></div>When I started I was the same way thinking it was just for animation, games or VFX. But that's actually a pretty small field, and there aren't enough animation companies for everyone. Other fields are very interesting. At the robotics company, we had a team of animators animate a robot in Maya that was modeled and rigged in Maya. We then exported that animation onto the robot. My position there was tools engineer. So I wrote tools for maya to help animators create their animations and export their animations onto the physical robot. That was really fun for me because I never before thought about how rigging and scripting could be used to fill the gap between 3D and the real world. It was so much fun.</div><div><br /><p><b>I understand that you are working in the tech industry now. Why did you switch? How does this differ from the animation industry? </b></p><p>I used to work in robotics at my previous job, for the past two years I’ve been working at an AI company that creates realistic digital human characters. I switched because an opportunity came my way, and I wanted to try something new. It ended up being a great decision, working in tech is very exciting, and I have a chance to work with very innovative people from different industries. I definitely don't regret switching, but I don't think it's superior to the animation industry or vice versa….different things work for different people.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6afN9KUMCDZtV2dkFzjpsph-GYyagGbAazNdZmaCZ8K9V2NLsNLvV_cpZQWhMNZTCcPgDfQxt1lJuKPeoeqShuq0SAcVHuJfuq7dMS8c8l7qWojEnybuinjbSiQE-ZapgOmXF-R9oGX40/s2132/cozmo2.PNG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1055" data-original-width="2132" height="158" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6afN9KUMCDZtV2dkFzjpsph-GYyagGbAazNdZmaCZ8K9V2NLsNLvV_cpZQWhMNZTCcPgDfQxt1lJuKPeoeqShuq0SAcVHuJfuq7dMS8c8l7qWojEnybuinjbSiQE-ZapgOmXF-R9oGX40/s320/cozmo2.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Were your skills from animation rigging transferable to your tech jobs?</b></p><p>A lot of the work I do is very similar, the differences are usually very specific to each project and company. A lot of the skills are transferable though because it's still working with the same software and there's still rigging and type of programming involved. </p><p><br /></p><p><b>What is your advice to students struggling to decide which industry (film/tv/games/other) to pursue?</b></p><p>There are some people who want to get into feature films or VFX. And there are some who just want a job and don't care where. I think both are fine. I think it's fine to have one goal in mind and strive for it, but it's important to remember that not meeting that goal may not be dependent on you, it may just be dependent on luck. It's good to have an open mind, but it's ok to have specific dreams.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>What are some key concepts you try to emphasize to your students in your class?</b></p><p>I think it's important to be open to other ideas and different approaches. In my intro to rigging class, I teach them how to do it my way, but then when they go into intermediate rigging class and they learn it a different way, I don't want them to just stick to my way. People would come into my intermediate rigging class and they would come to me and be very stuck on how they were taught something differently in the previous class. I think it's important to see the different approaches and try them as well.</p><p>Also, I think one important thing, especially when starting a new job, is to understand that not everything will not be perfect at the studio. A lot of times when people start working they expect the big, fancy animation studio to have perfect tools and rigs, but it's not like that. If they're hiring you, they're probably in crunch time and just want to get the movie done. So of course there are going to be duct-taped things here and there. You can't have perfect code and rig. It's important to remember that when you go into a new studio or project, you shouldn't come in and say “This is not how I learned it in school.” </p><p><br /></p><p><b>What kind of person do you recommend going into rigging? Do they need to be more technical or creative?</b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1tMEcahfVuc_ajUJqjwACNBN4Aayv1peu929ajMBMA_jNspOKjk37FCBr9G5cZOEmjwwMoq_IU6njUAbiryPMemYLewy2AtKHzT2nXh7BSlcrPsczeagvxNKXGSCEFMaBIbjV5f9AGmEX/s2048/cozmo3.PNG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1151" data-original-width="2048" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1tMEcahfVuc_ajUJqjwACNBN4Aayv1peu929ajMBMA_jNspOKjk37FCBr9G5cZOEmjwwMoq_IU6njUAbiryPMemYLewy2AtKHzT2nXh7BSlcrPsczeagvxNKXGSCEFMaBIbjV5f9AGmEX/s320/cozmo3.PNG" width="320" /></a></div>I think anyone can go into rigging. And definitely, everyone should try it to see if that’s something they might enjoy. The combination of technical and creative usually works the best, but the bigger problem is that people often don’t see themselves as technical and get afraid of doing tasks that they might be good at if they were to learn the method or get more familiar with the software. I think if someone is just very technical and not artistic at all, they can pick up the artistic side and vice versa. It's good to have a bit of both, but I don't think it's a requirement.</div><div><br /><p><b>Aside from the technical skills, what are some soft skills that are essential to being a good rigger?</b></p><p>It’s good to be flexible, to be able to adapt to different workflows at different workplaces. When people are less experienced they usually want to find some flaws in the new pipeline or new codebase they see. But with time I think you learn to adapt yourself, rather than try to change the project or workflow to be “the right” way.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>What are your biggest demo reel tips for rigging and TDing?</b></p><p>Put your best work first and don’t make the reel too long. Also, it’s a good skill to have to be able to put together your work and make changes to your reel quickly, especially when starting out. That way you can cater your reel to different workplaces, and create new ones if companies ask for examples of other work.</p><p>With that said, we all have a finite time to spend on our work, and I would prioritize getting better at what you do, being rigging, animation or tools, than spending too much time working on your reel.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Is it easier to get a job as a rigger compared to an animator?</b></p><p>I think it is easier to get a job as a rigger, just because fewer people are doing it. Another good thing is that if you're getting into the programming side of rigging more, and you decide later on you want to switch industries, it’ll be a lot easier as a rigger than an animator. I think this discipline is a bit more flexible in terms of jobs.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>What’s the best piece of advice you’d give to someone just starting out?</b></p><p>See the different methods with which different people work and try them out. If you rigged a character one way, try to create another rig a different way. This way you will try different methods and can see what works better for you. I would also say that it’s important to not be afraid to fail or be “bad” at something. We all start at the bottom and we all make mistakes. Students that I see succeeding are the ones who work on their projects despite the fallbacks, who are not afraid to redo the work, and don’t get discouraged by negative grades.</p><p><b>What has been your experience as a female in the animation industry?</b></p><p>You do definitely find yourself being in male-dominated groups. At my current job, I'm the only woman on my team. So that happens. I think even not that long ago, 5 -7 years ago, it used to be felt a lot more. I felt there was under the rug sexism going on, but now to be honest I'm not seeing it. Maybe I'm just lucky at my current job. I’m not seeing any different treatment; I'm being treated very well. It might also be because I'm getting higher in my experience. But yeah, I have to say I have noticed some of it, but I'm not really seeing it for myself right now. It doesn't mean it does not exist or that there are people who are not experiencing this mistreatment. We hear stories from various companies of course and that’s horrible and we should do everything we can to prevent that. But again that hasn’t been my experience recently. If we have more women, we’ll have a more diverse and more comfortable environment for everyone. In my experience, at teams and companies where you see more women and just diversity in general, it just creates more ideas and comfort for everyone.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Can you talk about your experience watching your student’s skills develop through AnimSchool?</b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZSyjufP3nECFq6ejOtdIrrN7Hkr_rfx2AsSNpV5htMoMqBp0iJ_TTb3DJthO7qCi2OuiXliKwfs2OpnHTRrB1mpN99z7xBm-0KFg613s8vrBo4EUjVTL3TWJkZ7sd4RGVr18jIRNgvs_O/s2048/train+city.PNG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1141" data-original-width="2048" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZSyjufP3nECFq6ejOtdIrrN7Hkr_rfx2AsSNpV5htMoMqBp0iJ_TTb3DJthO7qCi2OuiXliKwfs2OpnHTRrB1mpN99z7xBm-0KFg613s8vrBo4EUjVTL3TWJkZ7sd4RGVr18jIRNgvs_O/s320/train+city.PNG" width="320" /></a></div>That's my favorite thing! Just to see how people improve from knowing nothing to creating rigs and tools. That’s just great. I think it all boils down to how much time and effort people put in. The people who put in the most time and passion for something, improve a lot, and seeing that improvement is amazing. For rigging automation class, people come in that know nothing about programming. They ask these questions that can be considered very simple, but it's always very good that they ask questions if they don't understand something. Then you see those people who were worse than their peers in the beginning, and by the end become better than everyone else.<p></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Why should students that are interested in rigging and programming for animation attend AnimSchool?</b></p><p>I think AnimSchool is really good. All classes in general are a nice system where you can listen to the lecture. It Is nice that the lectures are being read for students so they can interrupt the instructor whenever they want. The deal I make with my students at the beginning of the term is that if you don't understand something, interpret me and ask the question. I tell them they can even interpret me mid-sentence. I think that's the big benefit of AnimSchool because other online schools use pre-recorded videos that you watch. And of course the reviews as well. We have one lecture class and one review class each week. Those reviews are very beneficial for students as well. It's a critique of their work. And then just the professionals who work at AnimSchool are just great too. I love to watch some of the videos from the other classes, it's just so educational.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>How do you like teaching at AnimSchool?</b></p><p>I love it a lot. I didn't expect to like it as much as I do. I like to see how people grow in the class. I really like to learn things from students. Because when students have a question, it will make me think differently about a concept or design pattern that I'd normally do automatically. And they stop you and ask why you do it that way and it makes you pause and ask yourself “Yeah why do I do it this way?” Sometimes they even bring up that Maya has this new feature that I’ve never heard of, which then forces me to research and ask others about that feature and determine whether I need to talk to my students about this feature.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Where do you see your career going in the future? Do you think you’ll ever go back to animation or are you happier in the robots/engineering world right now?</b></p><p>Only time can tell! At the moment I’m very happy working in tech, but I am not opposed to going back to feature animation, games or VFX in the future.</p><p><br /></p><p>Sign up today to learn from industry-leading animators like <a href="https://animschool.edu/InstructorProfile.aspx?teacherid=128" target="_blank">Daria </a>in our online accredited courses (ACCSC). Apply today at <a href="http://animschool.edu">animschool.edu</a> She is currently teaching <a href="https://animschool.edu/ClassDetails.aspx?&courseid=28" target="_blank">Rigging Automation</a> and <a href="https://animschool.edu/ClassDetails.aspx?&courseid=11" target="_blank">Intro to Rigging</a>.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Follow the links below to learn more about Daria!</b></p><p><a href="https://vimeo.com/257891395" target="_blank">Reel</a></p><p><a href="https://www.instagram.com/dariaanimschool/?hl=en" target="_blank">Instagram</a></p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/AnimSchool/videos" target="_blank">AnimSchool YouTube</a> (Daria is featured in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=je_oPOTR4EM&t=46s" target="_blank">How to Create Rig Controls</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uExLpKlOIM8&t=33s" target="_blank">An In-Depth Guide to Maya Constraints</a>)</p><div><br /></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-530997445842770378.post-1304998380338779322021-08-24T08:44:00.005-07:002021-08-24T08:46:01.737-07:00A Day in the Life with Pro Character Animator Scott McWhinnie<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin_o5TMesrpi09koPRp-PoKN8SvPPe7TBkUiDlyZ38xwsZ8kXrwD5hvsz5UxQrHReugAQtQe8BTssmQR7xwPUcStpYx6kXeAQzZYbOGIeSAcQmF0cOC-9zenJlzb7PHNzHv4QrPSUnklgS/s1920/Scott+Header.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="815" data-original-width="1920" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin_o5TMesrpi09koPRp-PoKN8SvPPe7TBkUiDlyZ38xwsZ8kXrwD5hvsz5UxQrHReugAQtQe8BTssmQR7xwPUcStpYx6kXeAQzZYbOGIeSAcQmF0cOC-9zenJlzb7PHNzHv4QrPSUnklgS/w640-h272/Scott+Header.png" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="300" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/T_Ktx4f_wUw" width="482" youtube-src-id="T_Ktx4f_wUw"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Watch on Youtube: A Day in the Life of a Pro Character Animato</span>r</div><div><br /></div><br /><br />We recently had the chance to sit down with AnimSchool instructor Scott McWhinnie and chat about his adventurous career as an animator and the things he has learned along the way. Scott has worked at Moonbot Studios, Sony Animation, Bue Sky Studios, and most recently, Illumination Mac Guff in Paris. Scott gives us an insightful look into the day-to-day life of an animator and illustrates how to balance working hard for those top-level industry jobs with your own happiness.<p></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Tell us about your journey. How did you get into animation?</b></p><p>I started out as a teenager wanting to do comic strips for newspapers, but after a while, I realized it would be even cooler to make those drawings move, so I started wanting to do 2D animation. Eventually, I realized that I would have more opportunities to animate in 3D, so I attended Ringling College of Art and Design. During my time there I spent a summer as an intern at Sony Imageworks in LA. After graduation, I started working at Moonbot Studios in Louisiana. After a year of working there, I jumped around between animation studios in NYC and Dallas. I eventually landed at Blue Sky Studios where I worked for about 5 years on <i>Rio 2</i>, <i>Ice Age 5</i>, <i>Ferdinand</i>, and <i>Spies in Disguise</i>. Then in 2020, I started working remotely... before it was cool :) ...so I could live as a "Digital Nomad", where I would travel around and work from wherever I was staying. A studio called Little Zoo, which is fully remote, gave me that chance, but we all know what happened in 2020. Later I made my way back to Sony and animated on <i>Hotel Transylvania 4</i>. Currently, I have just moved to Paris where I am working at Illumination Mac Guff.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>It is incredible how your career has taken you around the world. Would you say moving around a lot like you have is normal for a career in this industry?</b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_0uc2k_iEaFD_CCzdv7C5q6EZ0pA9-bRttPODNs9r0oxHcdW8v1i9BgzwyJNV49LC8IYYRKiRUCFhP6_mviN0iJUdPJzpaSbvY1R3m7xBtDHAvIkilPLnK63NA4IZ4vKaXD5jH9URqgqN/s2048/Screen+Shot+2021-08-23+at+13.13.28.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1143" data-original-width="2048" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_0uc2k_iEaFD_CCzdv7C5q6EZ0pA9-bRttPODNs9r0oxHcdW8v1i9BgzwyJNV49LC8IYYRKiRUCFhP6_mviN0iJUdPJzpaSbvY1R3m7xBtDHAvIkilPLnK63NA4IZ4vKaXD5jH9URqgqN/w320-h179/Screen+Shot+2021-08-23+at+13.13.28.png" width="320" /></a></div>I think if you want to stay put you can find a way. If that’s your priority, there are plenty of jobs that allow you to stay relatively stable. It's just a matter of whether it lines up with what you want to do in animation. For me, I always wanted to do feature films so that was a big part of moving around and figuring out where to go. Also, for me moving around was sort of my life. My dad was a pastor so we were moving every two to three years on average; moving for animation jobs wasn’t a big deal for me. It actually feels weird to stay in one place for more than five years. It is very common to move around in this industry, but I don't think it has to be if you don't want it to be.<p></p><p><br /></p><p><b>As someone who went to a four-year art college, can you talk about the pros and cons of doing an online program like AnimSchool compared to a traditional four-year university?</b></p><p>I think the biggest pros of a traditional school are the classmates and the environment it provides. I learned so much from the person sitting next to me during late-night discussions about animation and art with friends. For me at least, those interactions taught me so much and are much easier and more organic to come by in-person versus over the internet. A big con of course is the cost, but I would recommend to any new student is to really understand what the true cost of your schooling is and what that might mean for your future and try and take advantage of financial help. I think a lot of students don't understand and might not even realize what the cost of the school is and what that will mean. I was lucky because my grandmother worked in banking and made sure I understood and taught me ways to manage this cost and save as much money as possible on school. As far as pros and cons for an online school, I would say the pros are one: the price, they are very affordable. Also the flexibility so you can take classes at your own pace, which opens it up to so many people...oh, and the ability to take the classes from anywhere on the planet. It is so cool to have students from all over the world. A potential con for me would be having to build relationships over the internet. For me, it is not a thing I did really until 2015, (I didn't even have a cell phone until 2012) so I find it a little extra challenging. I think a lot of students today have probably spent their entire lives interacting via the internet, so it is probably very normal for them.</p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: center;"><i>As far as recruiters and supervisors looking at your work, they could care less where you went to school.</i></h3><div><i><br /></i></div><p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGOsnRj5sfLVjQnGb9Mzk3-UXvtUK0X_EC3qUaEG7DsrbxFlDyHI85sqMCivc_gDOMvslREeE-bQ-nvMFlIE0eOh5QmlK4VNolf-TDGKG0zBVM1g3tr3UwK5yaLu1HA3MeqSbcasnSkYai/s2048/Screen+Shot+2021-08-23+at+13.17.51.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1144" data-original-width="2048" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGOsnRj5sfLVjQnGb9Mzk3-UXvtUK0X_EC3qUaEG7DsrbxFlDyHI85sqMCivc_gDOMvslREeE-bQ-nvMFlIE0eOh5QmlK4VNolf-TDGKG0zBVM1g3tr3UwK5yaLu1HA3MeqSbcasnSkYai/s320/Screen+Shot+2021-08-23+at+13.17.51.png" width="320" /></a></b></div><b>Does the type of school you go to factor into getting a job?</b><p></p><p></p>No one cares. At Blue Sky, I don't think they even looked at my resume when they hired me. Years later I started talking about how I worked at all these places and they were like “Oh...we thought you came from straight out of school or something?” So a lot of the time they don't know. They just look at your work and that’s all they care about. I’d say the one advantage is—it depends on the kind of person you are—but the connection you make with people, especially in person. For me, it was a lot stronger in person. When I started working here I went to school with someone for only one or two years, but we had known each other in person. We hadn’t spoken since school, but we still had that immediate connection where we recognized each other and knew each other. Compared to the online school where if no one turns on their camera you may not feel like you really know your classmates. As far as the recruiters and supervisors looking at your work, they could care less where you went to school.<div class="separator"><br /></div><p></p><p><b>Should you consider online animation school even if you went to a four-year university?</b></p><p>I think it’s just going to come down to what your priorities are and what you're comfortable with. If you're going to a traditional four-year school that makes you do everything, you have to spend all your extra time focusing on animation if you want to be an animator or modeling if you want to be a modeler. If you don't do that, just assume you're probably going to have to sign up for AnimSchool after you graduate. There's a lot of stuff you can learn at the four-year schools but if you want to specialize and you don’t focus on it at the four-year schooling then you're probably going to have to take another year doing online animation school. I was too stubborn and just worked on my reel privately. I probably wasted three years that I didn't need to if I had just gone to an online school after graduating. I probably would've gotten better a lot quicker. </p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: center;"><i>I chose AnimSchool because it's the school I always said I would take if I were to take a school. I saw what they were producing and I thought, I want my stuff to look like that.</i></h3><div><i><br /></i></div><p><b>Why did you choose to teach at AnimSchool?</b></p><p>I chose AnimSchool because it's the school I always said I would take if I were to take a school. It really just came down to seeing the work the students were producing. I saw what they were producing and I thought, <i>I want my stuff to look like that</i>. When I was at Blue Sky, I knew a few animators who were teaching there and they only had positive things to say about it. As far as compared to the other schools, I don't know enough about the other schools beyond looking at their reels. I just think the AnimSchool animation that comes out is cooler and better. I like what they do and what the students are producing, so it seems like we’d be a good fit.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbUjjeEI_Gtsnk2yBeYX2JdV5CcE26gON6BpIFWtw5U8UI5JHUj5kxlsBTaGQ00aO8pHsrbbiqnSzg56mT9_32w6qup-51yrbb0-BHQ-Y_MHi1e2VmHaFLRXeRFb0nMBl7_h4x2ysm8021/s2048/Screen+Shot+2021-08-23+at+13.23.32.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1099" data-original-width="2048" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbUjjeEI_Gtsnk2yBeYX2JdV5CcE26gON6BpIFWtw5U8UI5JHUj5kxlsBTaGQ00aO8pHsrbbiqnSzg56mT9_32w6qup-51yrbb0-BHQ-Y_MHi1e2VmHaFLRXeRFb0nMBl7_h4x2ysm8021/s320/Screen+Shot+2021-08-23+at+13.23.32.png" width="320" /></a></div><p><b>What are some of the most important concepts you try to emphasize in your own class that you feel like missed out on in school?</b></p><p>I would say the main thing I try and emphasize in my class is the idea of learning concepts that can be applied to every shot you will animate in the future and not just specifics for a specific shot. I’m not going to teach “here’s how to make an angry face.” Instead, I’ll talk about how I can structure my face to read clearly and look appealing. Of course, I'll go over basics stuff like, “angry brows go down,” but we’re going to spend more time on how to make an appealing face pose that looks good and feels believable. Instead of teaching that a blink is always two frames down and three frames up, I’d say just make sure to get some variety in your blinks so it doesn’t feel mechanical; we’re going to go faster down and slower up. I’m teaching more conceptual things so that the knowledge can bend and change depending on the need. Sometimes we’re going to have blinks that go up a lot slower, but if they’re going up and down at the same speed, it’ll feel very mechanical. I try to teach things as concepts and ideas, instead of “this is how it's done: step a, b, c” because that’s only going to help you on that one shot instead of down the road on other shots.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Do you need to be good at drawing in order to be a good animator? Do you have a studio art background yourself?</b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi9Kk00pJGrVk4vJnwkU4bCp1Ffm9ZWQbMZqA8RKErX_7NDQtrU3FGMCdLdm6AEqVCPW34vaL8XN1rlNQBFJ-Ry5IyZQxwdIGw_gWqC45HpduBx2CaSTZmtqlNEAfUF34E_ZKOWuBiJuFc/s1125/IMG_0910.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1115" data-original-width="1125" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi9Kk00pJGrVk4vJnwkU4bCp1Ffm9ZWQbMZqA8RKErX_7NDQtrU3FGMCdLdm6AEqVCPW34vaL8XN1rlNQBFJ-Ry5IyZQxwdIGw_gWqC45HpduBx2CaSTZmtqlNEAfUF34E_ZKOWuBiJuFc/s320/IMG_0910.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /></div>Short answer: no. But I think it can be very helpful. Drawing can provide exercise and practice of a necessary animation skill: critical observation. Anyone who draws in a representative style is required to be highly observant in order to recreate the world around them, and those skills are also essential to animation, but you can develop these skills in other ways as well. Yes, I do have a studio art background; at Ringling your first year is all traditional art. In fact, in addition to animation, I landscape paint (with real paints :)) and do a bit of pottery as well.<p></p><p><br /></p><p><b>How does animating differ between feature film, TV, video games, and VFX? Should you stick to one medium, or is it normal to jump around?</b></p><p>I can only speak for film, TV, and video games because I have not animated on a VFX project. But the basic animation skills are all the same. The main difference is going to be workflow stuff and, of course, speed. So I don't think jumping around is that crazy of an idea, you just have to be willing to accept the change to your workflow to adapt to the production. I would say jump around if you want, but if you don't want to do video games then there is no need to be doing game-related animations. </p><p><br /></p><p></p><h3 style="text-align: center;"><i>If you ask almost everyone in the industry what their favorite project they work on is, it's almost never the coolest film. It's just the one they felt was the most smooth and enjoyable. Once the honeymoon phase of the job wears off, your day-to-day ease will really be essential to your enjoyment of the job.</i></h3><p></p><h3 style="text-align: center;"><br /></h3><p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU3227yOGLzIcYWzk_5Mh5yDdv9f1xWdwGT4tiVLCqBNy-QpI2cYz-Jyv7LKIHGYQYbg088KGd4B_zgnX55_gSuQSvKgibL8hsA4f51DDN6nFkcTZSXcuNMFbXKbBMC8Ohe-qzBjZc0wO_/s2048/Screen+Shot+2021-08-23+at+13.16.09.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1141" data-original-width="2048" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU3227yOGLzIcYWzk_5Mh5yDdv9f1xWdwGT4tiVLCqBNy-QpI2cYz-Jyv7LKIHGYQYbg088KGd4B_zgnX55_gSuQSvKgibL8hsA4f51DDN6nFkcTZSXcuNMFbXKbBMC8Ohe-qzBjZc0wO_/s320/Screen+Shot+2021-08-23+at+13.16.09.png" width="320" /></a></b></div><b>How important is it to find a studio you get along with versus working at a big-name studio?</b><p></p><p>If you ask almost everyone in the industry what their favorite project they work on is, it's almost never the coolest film. It's just the one they felt was the most smooth and enjoyable. For me, it was <i>Ferdinand</i> because Carlos and I were just mentally on the same page. I’d just show him something, and he’d say two words and I knew what he meant instantly. Alternatively, there were other people who didn't like the production because they had no idea what he wanted. So it depends on creativity if you have that or not. I’ve had that at other studios where I was struggling so hard to figure out what the heck they want from me and I see these other guys who love it there and are having so much fun because they know exactly what everyone wants. Once the honeymoon phase of the job wears off, your day-to-day ease will really be essential to your enjoyment of the job.</p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: center;"><i>If you're looking for a job that you really connect with and enjoy and don't feel like you're struggling at, just do what animations you like to do and put that on your reel.</i></h3><div><i><br /></i></div><p><b>What are your biggest demo reel tips?</b></p><p>My tip for demo reels is to just do work you like. Do the work you want to do for your job. Do the style and kinds of shots you want to do and do them well. And then just apply for all the jobs. The people who like your reel are going to be the people who are creatively in the same boat as you, so you’re going to enjoy the job more than if you’re creatively in two different worlds. That’s one thing I was surprised to find out. At Pixar, they make amazing films, but not everyone’s going to like it there. Not everyone's going to like every studio. Some people are going to feel like they fit in better, they work better, fit the style better, connect with the director better at certain studios over others. So for reels, I always recommend putting your best stuff in there, and don’t...well, this sort of contradicts what a lot of people say about tailoring your reel to the job you’re applying for. If you just want a job and you don’t care if you’re going to like it or not, then yes, tailor your reel. But if you’re looking for a job that you really connect with and really enjoy and don't feel like you're struggling at, just do what you like to do and put that on your reel. But definitely try to make sure all your shots are the same quality. I know some supervisors when they watch your reel are only looking for your worst shot and will ignore everything else. The director is thinking that you’re going to give them nothing less than the worst shot, but if they only look at your best shot, they think this may not always be their best work. So some sups like to find the worst shot and base their decisions off of everyone's worst shot on their reel. So don't give them the worst one. Make it hard for them to decide which one is your worst one. </p><p><br /></p><p><b>Aside from the technical skills, what are some soft skills that are essential to being a good animator? For instance, as an artist, can you talk about best practices for communicating with your animation supervisor?</b></p><p>I think it is super important and took me a while to find what works for me. The best thing is to be positive to the feedback and open to ideas. When you're next to get your notes, sit up in your chair, get your little pad out, and just let them talk and just say “cool….yeah…awesome” and write all the notes down. And if you have any notes to clarify, you can ask. The worst thing you can say is “okay, yeah….but”. Try to avoid saying things like "but". When you say "but" after receiving a note it has the implication that you don't agree with the note. I like to let them say all of their thoughts and then come back and ask questions to make sure I understand everything they have said.</p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: center;"><i>The worst thing you can say when getting notes is "okay, yeah...but".</i></h3><div><i><br /></i></div><p>Another thing I’ve learned is don’t be afraid to get up out of your chair and talk to people. You’re just going to learn from what they have to say. By going up and talking to them, you’re going to see what they’re working on or they might explain something to you or you might all of sudden realize you have a question. By developing some sort of social relationship with the people around you, you will open up doors and opportunities to discuss animation and get help from people. If you just sit in your chair and never get up, you’re never going to get help from anyone else…. or vice versa, helping someone else out will give you a lot and show where you are with your own animation. And that same kind of concept goes for your supervisors as well. I think it is great to make sure you establish a bit of a relationship outside of getting notes from a sup. In animation we are all much more laid back than say an accounting firm, so don't be afraid to have conversations with your sup just like you would with your friend. This can make receiving notes less of a to-do list but more of a discussion between peers, which will be more enjoyable as well as breed better animation.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvveh7dC7djcYf_l794KnoDI41O1c8ylafLWE-Kpj_E8-77b0ka5Hj7NtxG3LuOoNyrQ31SBOttH_2GkTiGsx9fUiDgFEjn7lgo_oXLMQ-VTZUHOj4iEtoeEkwqQW42PhlLyD9ktY45Opv/s1914/Screen+Shot+2021-08-23+at+13.24.57.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1072" data-original-width="1914" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvveh7dC7djcYf_l794KnoDI41O1c8ylafLWE-Kpj_E8-77b0ka5Hj7NtxG3LuOoNyrQ31SBOttH_2GkTiGsx9fUiDgFEjn7lgo_oXLMQ-VTZUHOj4iEtoeEkwqQW42PhlLyD9ktY45Opv/s320/Screen+Shot+2021-08-23+at+13.24.57.png" width="320" /></a></div><p><b>What was the most unexpected thing you encountered when going from being a student to working professionally at a studio?</b></p><p>That it is a lot less work. When I was a student I stayed up until 2, 3, 4 in the morning and now I'm done at 6pm. Maybe I've been very fortunate with all the studios I've worked at, but over time has never been mandatory. They’d say if you want to do 5 or 10 hours extra a week, you’re more than welcome to, but it's not required. Only a couple instances they’d say, “Do overtime just these couple days we need you to finish this up.” Whereas school it was every day. I was always falling asleep. When I'm finished with work, I'm done and I don't have to think about it until the next day.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>How important is it to be a super clean, organized animator? I know some animators animate strictly in the graph editor and keep their keys super clean while others manipulate the rig freely in the viewport and slide keys around without much thought.</b></p><p>Well, I hope it isn't super important because I am not organized at all. For me, if I am thinking of anything besides that image in front of me that is wasted thoughts. Art is not about the tools or the technique; it is about expressing the ideas of the artist. I want to say it's good to be organized, but it feels weird to say that because I'm not organized at all. I don't worry too much about technical stuff because I don't like technical stuff. I think it can be helpful if you’re organized, but my mentality is that if I'm worrying about technical stuff, then that's energy that I'm not using on the image in front of me. And I want to put all my care and thought and concerns into the image in front of me and nothing else. If I'm thinking, well if I do that pose then it kind of breaks the rig, now I don’t have the best pose, and what's more important: breaking the rig or having the best pose? I’m sure some artists in the tech anim department would have a different answer though :)</p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: center;"><i>My mentality is that if I'm worrying about technical stuff, then that's energy that I'm not using on the image in front of me. And I want to put all my care and thought and concerns into the image in front of me and nothing else.</i></h3><div><i><br /></i></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="322" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kHUA3vsIIL0" width="522" youtube-src-id="kHUA3vsIIL0"></iframe></div><br /><b><br /></b><p></p><p><b>One of the bigger things student animators struggle with is making the jump from stepped to spline? What's the best way to get out of the “floaty phase” and into the polish phase? Does this floaty phase get less time-consuming as you get better at animating?</b></p><p>Ah yes... I actually have a whole lecture about how we can avoid this. If you are working in stepped and want to avoid that terrible first spline floatiness you need to make sure you have enough blocking keys and that they are the correct blocking keys. The computer is stupid. So we need to make sure that the keys we put down give the computer the best information to give us the result we want. So if your animation after hitting spline is very floaty you either need to add in more information (keys) or your information (keys) you gave the computer was not the correct information.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p><b>How do you think working in the industry will be in the future, post-COVID?</b></p><p>I think the biggest thing will be the opportunity for people to choose if they work from the office or from home. I hope it is a hybrid, but I think a lot will go back to normal. </p><p><br /></p><p><b>What are some of your favorite activities to do when you need a break from animating and looking at screens?</b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlI37vW4SkMmUNNLKWgL83d8pqHSDCrAEeo49PX1fmx3Xege6Q4MhnrfNAVntYy3O0QxJOh0N_2bmVxU33rKNxugnt8T9oVTtjOyd-o9pj4_f7hRRUytyWHu8vzRDP6s78dpMOu4op5vlJ/s1125/IMG_0909.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1103" data-original-width="1125" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlI37vW4SkMmUNNLKWgL83d8pqHSDCrAEeo49PX1fmx3Xege6Q4MhnrfNAVntYy3O0QxJOh0N_2bmVxU33rKNxugnt8T9oVTtjOyd-o9pj4_f7hRRUytyWHu8vzRDP6s78dpMOu4op5vlJ/s320/IMG_0909.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Oooo, I love breaks! Just ask anyone who has sat next to me and they know I get up from my desk like every hour. Typically the longer I sit in front of the computer the less productive I become, so I always get up take a walk outside or go say hi to a friend, or grab a snack about every hour or two. I think it keeps us more focused. Some people say having a life outside of animation will make your animation better, but I don't know if it will definitely make your animation better. I will say though, if you are not in a good place with your life, it will 100% affect your animation for the worse. Back in the day, I did painting, drawing, sketching... art forms that weren’t animation-related. But now I've started to do some non-art-related things. When you start animating for a while—when you do one thing for a long time—it's good to get out and branch out into different aspects of the world. It can open your mind to new ideas. Just branching out and doing things that aren’t animation or even art can help with your animation by having a broader scope of the world and life. And also, you don't want to get burned out. Going out and doing things that you like outside of animation that doesn't have the same stress as trying to be the best animator ever, can alleviate that potential issue of burnout which is super important if you plan to animate for thirty years.<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p><b>What’s next for you? Are there any other facets of animation you want to try out or are you happy with animating for now?</b></p><p>I really enjoy animating so I think I will keep animating how I am for the moment. But I have always been amazed by stop motion so maybe one day I will try and make that transition and try and work on a Laika or Aardman film. I also love teaching so maybe more of that too.</p><div><br /></div><div>Thank you so much for sitting down and chatting with us Scott! If you'd like to see more of Scott's work, click the links below.</div><div><a href="https://vimeo.com/414637286">Animation Reel</a></div><div><a href="https://www.instagram.com/mcwhinniescott/">Instagram</a> @mcwhinniescott</div><div><a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/AnimSchool/videos">AnimSchool</a> YouTube</div><div>Some of his featured videos include <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56fmyzm3-9I">Hand Posing</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFzqreLb1lo">Eye Mask</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqmf-4SRGvQ&t=160s">Eye Darts</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHUA3vsIIL0&t=4s">Breakdowns</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SFW2H0shPY&t=1s">Anim Polish</a></div><div><br /></div><div>Sign up today to learn from industry-leading animators like <a href="https://www.animschool.com/ClassDetails.aspx?&courseid=21">Scott</a> in our online accredited courses (ACCSC). Apply today at <a href="http://animschool.edu">animschool.edu</a></div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-530997445842770378.post-75063025792130234642021-07-09T07:57:00.005-07:002021-07-09T08:12:21.793-07:00How I Became a Game Animator for AAA Games<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJxTu_JwbH4FxqBcih6uBteDn1Cr71__hKrGgbCr8w7ZepiDXuTUHTlPkf7c_fHrlKw8hjRyJ9oNyicxDU9qauUiKnR39BexXDRfzYWWmqDCMBkW-LJtlbbZyvKFozdqtzRGr6pOG45cDj/s1920/JP+Header.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="815" data-original-width="1920" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJxTu_JwbH4FxqBcih6uBteDn1Cr71__hKrGgbCr8w7ZepiDXuTUHTlPkf7c_fHrlKw8hjRyJ9oNyicxDU9qauUiKnR39BexXDRfzYWWmqDCMBkW-LJtlbbZyvKFozdqtzRGr6pOG45cDj/w640-h272/JP+Header.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>We recently had the chance to interview AnimSchool instructor John Paul Rhinemiller and talk to him about his journey from being an animator for feature films to a game developer at Vicarious Visions for the past ten years. Keep reading to get a taste of what working in the game industry is really like and whether it's the right choice for you.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvhq3fKCkM3EytsNfRyiLpw2hCNAq2pnqdoCE9Y3QgMrHaZN-OV9DtjYBsJu-U6Q0o9PZ_O3RyzkH-KVLPk6fYlomYcemZasv4SRwX-6R_KzG4bG1GWx8tyPZWQjTquR04vcrkaM3jod4-/s800/JP+Profile+Pic.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvhq3fKCkM3EytsNfRyiLpw2hCNAq2pnqdoCE9Y3QgMrHaZN-OV9DtjYBsJu-U6Q0o9PZ_O3RyzkH-KVLPk6fYlomYcemZasv4SRwX-6R_KzG4bG1GWx8tyPZWQjTquR04vcrkaM3jod4-/w200-h200/JP+Profile+Pic.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div><p><b>Tell us your story! What got you into animation?</b></p><p>It’s not something I knew from the start. It’s more a series of events that led me to want to be an animator. I always was into art but never put the two together until I attended McCann Technical High School where I focused half my time on Computer Assisted Drafting. I loved the computer side of things but not so much the mechanical drafting of parts. After high school, I attended a local community college and took an elective course in animation, and the marriage of computers and art for me is what I needed. I never looked back.</p><p><br /></p><p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2QtYMVcKxkY" width="479" youtube-src-id="2QtYMVcKxkY"></iframe></b></div><b><br />Did you always go for games specifically or did you explore films and TV first?</b><p></p><p>I think I always had the film itch, just like a lot of students do. They get it into their head “Film is the thing that we have to do. If I don't reach film, I am not a success story.” It feels like film is the pinnacle of animation sometimes. In a lot of schools back in the day, a lot of programs were set up like that because the game industry was this weird insular thing. There really wasn’t a lot of exposure to games. So I gravitated towards film in the beginning. I worked as hard as I could to get in, and then worked in film for a few years. It wasn’t until my wife was looking to go back to college that I came across Vicarious Visions in New York. It felt like, “Ok let's go there for 2–3 years while she gets her degree and then I'll go back to film. That’s the plan.” I got there and interviewed, and the environment throughout the interview process was just a breath of fresh air. I got to interview with people from all different disciplines, not just animators, and they all wanted to know how I would collaborate with them. There are just so many more opportunities to collaborate since the teams are so much smaller. Over the years at Vicarious Visions, I learned a lot about being an artist and game developer, not just an animator. It provided this opportunity for growth that I don't know I would've gotten in film because it's so specialized. Sometimes there’s very little room to lift your head up and see what's out there in film, but in games they encourage that. They push you to follow what you're passionate for and want to go after. Even after I shipped a project, I’d think about looking for another job but then I'd think, “The next project looks really great and the studio has been really good to me and I’ve learned so much so why don't I just hop onto the next project?” Before you know it, I’ve been here for 10 years. And I’m not ever going back to film, I’m a game developer now!</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Can</b> <b>you talk a bit more about the key differences between animating for video games versus film?</b></p><p>Honestly, the amount you are involved in the entire process with animation in games can be very different from film. I have been able to collaborate with so many departments that it allows me to enjoy being an artist and an animator. The teams are smaller, so even when I interview people now, I’m looking at how their voice is going to impact my team. At a game studio, there can be six animators on a team. When I was at the Rhythm and Hues, we had 90 animators on a team for a short project. My personality is big, and I try to get to know everyone, but at a game studio, you really get to know everyone and you have to work together to solve problems. As an animator you want that quality to be shown, and if there are technical issues, you have to work together to solve them so the rest of the team can be proud of what we ship. You can be involved as much or as little as you want to be. If you want to be heads down and just focus on being a good animator, there’s room for that. If you want to solve technical problems and want to work and collaborate outside of just animation, there's also room for that. We expect animators on our team to have more of an impact and a voice. We really want their voice to shine through, because your perspective is very important to round out our team and help give us the different pieces that come together to help us ship a good project.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiHe7zbLXD9PurffuqDEVtRsJTit8AktphLmcoTKQmhN1x3pYGSAkLNxiF5CVn6O5l6j8u8wr8w8hxS97uCWIrQE72BXOXdKYghWM6Bu4tlKm87INl9VRnkY3-oQifkqBZcu2WsnHOMLlP/s2048/festival+two+boys.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1151" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiHe7zbLXD9PurffuqDEVtRsJTit8AktphLmcoTKQmhN1x3pYGSAkLNxiF5CVn6O5l6j8u8wr8w8hxS97uCWIrQE72BXOXdKYghWM6Bu4tlKm87INl9VRnkY3-oQifkqBZcu2WsnHOMLlP/s320/festival+two+boys.png" width="320" /></a></div><p><b>A lot of student animators aspire to animate for the big screen. Could someone start off in games and transition to film or vice versa?</b></p><p>I feel like the difference between the quality of animation in film and games is narrowing all the time. This means that the qualities each look for are also narrowing. The foundations are super important as your building blocks. One thing that transfers to both industries is showing a wide range of styles on your reel. One thing that sticks out is many of the studios want animators to think like game developers as well. It’s important to hone your craft but understanding how games get made is super important to continue to push this medium further. With tools and pipelines, knowledge does not always transfer one to one.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Can you elaborate a bit more about what you mean by “think like game developers”?</b></p><p>Game development is a process you have to see in real-time. Cinematics can be isolating when you do large, full-scale movies. When it comes to game animators in general, it's not just about your animations. You have to get it into the game and see the responsiveness of your controller or PC. When you put it in a playtest, they’re immediately talking about how responsive it is, how it feels and what their experience is. And you as an animator have to interpret this and work with designers to make sure that responsiveness not only looks good from a visual standpoint but also plays well with the gamer who’s thinking, “Well this guy isn’t turning fast enough so I can’t get over here fast enough…” There's a level of responsiveness that has to go back and forth with the game and player. When you understand game development, then you can craft and tailor your animations a little bit differently in the beginning. Your approach might be slightly different compared to a shot that’s just going straight onto a screen in a film. I was an animator when I started, but now I'm a game developer first. I know what animation systems it takes to make the animation run well in games. I have to understand game development in order to know how to make the animation shine.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwzZm3SuYg2Yt3I5a9rPd5kcs5tBEAC3YhEouNDRz0vyj1Mu3fxUMGIAkb0C3MZC4reqoh1f01V4c-5zMJJ6l8hNVbXpTLe8vqhc5DaCbgfWqjzAzm38p8GbFyj1MdO-gfb14axZXpexhg/s2048/orange+three+team.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1150" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwzZm3SuYg2Yt3I5a9rPd5kcs5tBEAC3YhEouNDRz0vyj1Mu3fxUMGIAkb0C3MZC4reqoh1f01V4c-5zMJJ6l8hNVbXpTLe8vqhc5DaCbgfWqjzAzm38p8GbFyj1MdO-gfb14axZXpexhg/s320/orange+three+team.png" width="320" /></a></div><p><b>How well versed in video game programs such as Unity and Unreal do you need to be to animate for video games?</b></p><p>It is a plus and we teach some intro and basic setup in our game courses. From my experience, as a junior animator coming in, we like to take into account that new hires will need some guidance and mentoring along the way. Getting experience in an engine will always start to set you apart. As real-time rendering becomes more and more widely used in the industry as a whole, it will only serve you better to get some training.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>In your class, you also teach cinematics. In the industry, how often do you animators utilize knowledge about cameras and cinematography?</b></p><p>It all depends on the size of the studio that you work at. The larger teams tend to have layout artists. That doesn’t mean you won’t touch cameras or have a say, but it may not be your primary job. At Vicarious Visions we want our animators to have a good understanding of cinematics as a whole and be active participants in the development of our story content so understanding the foundations of cameras and cinematography is certainly a plus.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>What’s your biggest piece of advice to students?</b></p><p><u>Two things:</u></p><p>1. Everyone's timelines/journeys are different. If you chat with someone working in the industry, most of the stories on how they got there are different. So stick with it if you are passionate. Someone may land a job right after school and someone else may take a year. That's their journey. You have to continue on that journey and continue to find that passion in order to make it happen. If you continue down that road, continue to be passionate, and continue to put your all in it, you’ll make it into the industry. </p><p>2. It’s easy to get distracted by all the areas within school so FOCUS. The earlier you can figure out what you want to focus on the better off you will be and more practice and iteration you will have under your belt. If you want to model FOCUS on that...if you want to animate, do that as much as possible. There’s plenty of time for you to learn other things afterward, but if you want to get that job, it is very competitive and you need to focus as quickly and as early as possible in your studies.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqDOyknntv0Cg1IQRQUT78fgzXMPXGPht8MGMYpy1LzI7sw9UBR_z9ByCXLrCFBA_oyl7OyfiF_csY1QEMGMzk9R3427WMCRbtxqv9VjnaqEytgWHXMdcAsbkZrFAK_VDNAK1d2HSyf-30/s2048/snow.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1150" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqDOyknntv0Cg1IQRQUT78fgzXMPXGPht8MGMYpy1LzI7sw9UBR_z9ByCXLrCFBA_oyl7OyfiF_csY1QEMGMzk9R3427WMCRbtxqv9VjnaqEytgWHXMdcAsbkZrFAK_VDNAK1d2HSyf-30/s320/snow.png" width="320" /></a></div><p><b>What are your biggest demo reel tips for those trying to get into the game industry?</b></p><p>Only put your best on there. If that's 2 pieces then so be it. Organizing your reel around consistency and pacing can show really well. Variety! Showing your range to potential employers can help set you apart.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>You’ve clearly animated a variety of characters and styles. How do you film references for creatures that don’t exist and make them feel believable, but also have character/personality?</b></p><p>What a great question! Many places I had would bring in animals if possible for us to take time and study. One good way is thinking about 1-2 features that could ground that creature in reality. Talk to your lead or get input from the team and then you have a good starting point for reference gathering. If you can add something that people can connect with it can help make these fantastical creatures feel a little more believable.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>How do you use MoCap in your game animation pipeline?</b></p><p>For the first five years I was here at Vicarious Visions, we didn’t use it at all. Since working on the Destiny franchise, we transitioned and have been using a mix of it since. We still feel it’s really important to be a good animator at the core. We look at MoCap as another tool for animation to use. You must have solid foundations to build off of. If we are talking from an execution standpoint, we have lots of resources across Activision. They have a large motion capture space for anything that requires that level of effort that we use from time to time, and we also have an Xsens suit that we use at the studio.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl_n47lisrTPW3HuG2lc59f9DFi2VqVbzI9BL8Pr4-L9pUMaTaBAMfXHYpI11d-8gBrl3V5LghfLRUxu_Ou8zpRozy-_aWp8C8GawuVtMqtnaolR192uwh9z4COx9ubA958UwBOpACeEsm/s2048/orange+three+end.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1142" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl_n47lisrTPW3HuG2lc59f9DFi2VqVbzI9BL8Pr4-L9pUMaTaBAMfXHYpI11d-8gBrl3V5LghfLRUxu_Ou8zpRozy-_aWp8C8GawuVtMqtnaolR192uwh9z4COx9ubA958UwBOpACeEsm/s320/orange+three+end.png" width="320" /></a></div><p><b>In your class, how do you push your students to create industry-level work?</b></p><p>We focus a TON on iteration and feedback. One of the biggest things I push is Weight, Timing, and Spacing. I feel these are some of the important building blocks to an animator's foundation. Without being able to show this off in your work, it is hard to see past the mistakes. They don’t have to be perfect, but the sooner you understand this the faster you can show the potential you have as an animator to potential studios.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Where should I start if I only have a little bit of animation experience and want to be a game animator?</b></p><p>There are lots of resources out there nowadays but I like to think we have a good veteran group of game instructors here at AnimSchool. We are constantly trying to evolve the curriculum as the gaming industry evolves as well. We need to be agile just like game development in order to help provide the best training to our students. We care about our students and really work to help them succeed with their hard skills as well as their soft skills.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>What’s the biggest advantage of taking live classes instead of learning from online tutorials?</b></p><p>The interaction that I have with the students individually and drawing over and being able to explain what's in my brain about animation is so much easier. I can see what's on the page and interpret their animation skillset and give appropriate, individual feedback. They can ask me questions in real-time while we’re going back and forth, and we jam just like we would in a studio. During dailies at a studio, if you don't understand it, then we continue to hammer on it until it clicks. It's not just about draw-overs, we’ll open up the files and I'll do the note, show it to them, and then they’ll go back and do it on their own. You can listen to or read something, but are you getting enough clarity in order to interpret it in the way you see animation? Everyone understands and sees things slightly differently. We also get to talk about the industry as a whole. Some of the discussions for the first 5-10 minutes of class are about the industry: how you can advance your career or get better at an interview. There's so much I'm trying to give these students in only 11 weeks. We try to inject as much as the other stuff that’s going to get you a job. Your reel is the 70% that’ll get you an interview, but if you go into that interview unprepared, you might not get it. We really try to inject a whole lot more about the industry itself (how to succeed and how to get in), rather than just the skillset. There'll always be time to grow the skillset, but how often do you have the opportunity to ask someone with 20 years of experience questions about the interview process or how to tailor your reel? Those kinds of things are gold that never really get seen in a curriculum.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXZnoyNmiWBLHgkZasHM5X3IZlRljaz8iVUFqAufqfToO6od_DkfJJgRhyphenhyphenC1TF0hUYDOoaMye5YfTIb6iPM3Xnove2BluKs3VulB3PKEVdU9aULIJGlLDz2wD5upfhJK5izG2WyYugNek3/s2048/festival+queen.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1146" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXZnoyNmiWBLHgkZasHM5X3IZlRljaz8iVUFqAufqfToO6od_DkfJJgRhyphenhyphenC1TF0hUYDOoaMye5YfTIb6iPM3Xnove2BluKs3VulB3PKEVdU9aULIJGlLDz2wD5upfhJK5izG2WyYugNek3/s320/festival+queen.png" width="320" /></a></div><p><b>What kind of person should pursue the Game Animation track?</b></p><p>There’s a lot of stigma that you have to be a big gamer to go into games and that is not true. I was a casual gamer growing up, but I wasn’t a hardcore gamer that knew from day one that’s what I wanted to do. There's a love of animation in this industry just like there is in film. The thing that AnimSchool has done is set up tracks to help you understand the multiple facets of being a game animator. Whether that be cinematics, whether that be motion capture, whether that be gameplay animator. The Game Animation Track gives you a good foundation of touching an engine for the first time, getting your stuff in an engine, and being able to present that work on your demo reel. If you want to see where this industry is going and have a different perspective on how animation can be a part of the community and touch people in a different way, then this is for you. Games are an experience. And there's so much new tech out there that allows us to interact with a community and the people playing our games. Games are still in their infancy as an art, and I think AnimSchool does a great job of capturing that base foundation so that when you get out of school, you’re not completely lost. </p><p><br /></p><p><b>Can you talk about the gender gap that exists in the game industry?</b></p><p>As we continue to develop more young talent and more young gamers, we’ve seen some good growth in the diversity of the new hires we’re getting out of school. However, we definitely need more diversity in games in general, but we also need more females. The thing that this offers is different perspectives. We need those different perspectives in our industry to help create great ideas and good experiences that everyone can enjoy and that represent everybody. Those perspectives are going to help us develop games that people want to play in the future. The gaming industry as a whole has done a better job of being more self-aware, but we have a long way to go. Young female gamers can be part of that change and drive to evolve our industry. It offers a completely different dynamic to our teams and it makes us better. That diversity and inclusion make our games better and just make us all better.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQciTbpN9d29pN_ioQvOhbO-eeR3ELNHiIx8mPR23azsVmEoCf5dYvtdIn_ExNloRPy4fOW7dyrStpDUirFhEgZcdjbNegnjsZc32pO6PLMvi7PZj_zsbO6716xOELJZMOWYiej6GeoqKu/s2048/orange+girl+hand.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1145" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQciTbpN9d29pN_ioQvOhbO-eeR3ELNHiIx8mPR23azsVmEoCf5dYvtdIn_ExNloRPy4fOW7dyrStpDUirFhEgZcdjbNegnjsZc32pO6PLMvi7PZj_zsbO6716xOELJZMOWYiej6GeoqKu/s320/orange+girl+hand.png" width="320" /></a></div><p><b>How has working during the pandemic been for you? Do you think video games will shift more towards remote work than it already was?</b></p><p>This is a tough question. While I think we have been successful and very productive, I feel we lose a whole side of our industry that makes it special...the culture. We give it a good try, but trying to inject the fabric of a studio through Zoom boxes will never be the same in my opinion. I feel the collaboration and excitement of being around other creatives can never be replicated from a screen. Part of why I love this industry so much is all of the little interactions and events that happen at a studio that we miss out on when we're remote. I do think that we can strike a balanced approach of hybrid and many studios are, but moving to the extremes of all WFH or all in the office could definitely change moving forward.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>What are your favorite games at the moment?</b></p><p>There are two games that have affected me in two different ways. One: The Last of Us 2. I was playing it at the beginning of the pandemic and that story….it felt like an episodic HBO series that I could not wait to pick back up again and see what happened next. And I was interacting with it—I was actually in there—so there were moments that were really tense and I'm gripping the controller super tight and holding my breath. I can’t remember the last time I played a game like that. With technology getting really good and the amount of time and effort those devs put into that game, it was just a really good immersion of story with an experience from beginning to end. There's really not a lot of lag time in there. I really felt engaged the entire time. That one stuck with me and it will for a while. The other one is Spider-Man. It’s the first one that my son and I really played together. I’ve started to slowly age him into games and try to keep it as PC as possible, for as long as possible. But that was the first one that I opened up and he saw me playing it, and for 3-4 months I just let him swing around the city. And that one mechanic was so enjoyable to do; to learn about and to watch. They did such an amazing job of creating the experience of swinging through New York, so I just let him do that. Then we finally started the game and we 100% it. All the missions, all the quests. I can’t tell you the last game I’ve 100% a game! My son has played some of the games that I've made, but this was the first time we were in it together for the journey.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Where do you see yourself going in the future? Games, film, or something new?</b></p><p>Games are my future. I am a game developer first and an animator second. The future of games and how we tell stories to interact with our community is still evolving. It's exciting to be a part of and if I’m lucky I can continue to be a part of this industry for some time.</p><p><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: inherit;" /><span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9)" face="-apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;">Level Up in our Game Animation courses taught by industry pros:</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: inherit;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: inherit;" /><span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9)" face="-apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;">Intro to Game Animation | </span><a data-attribute-index="17" href="https://lnkd.in/gXc9pta" original_target="https://lnkd.in/gxc9pta" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; display: inline-block; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: var(--font-weight-bold); line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-decoration-line: none; touch-action: manipulation; vertical-align: baseline;" waprocessedanchor="true" waprocessedid="o051q7">https://lnkd.in/gXc9pta</a></p><div mcafee_wa_ann="{"rep":-89,"cat":[194],"ufg":34,"url":"https://lnkd.in/gxc9pta","dossierUrl":"https://lnkd.in/gxc9pta"}" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); cursor: default; display: inline-block; float: none; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 4px; position: relative; top: 2px; vertical-align: baseline; z-index: 1;" waprocessedid="o051q7"><div class="mcafee_ok" id="0DE9E47C-871A-4F90-8440-B190C216800A_92" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-origin: initial; background-position: 50% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: contain; background: url("chrome-extension://fheoggkfdfchfphceeifdbepaooicaho/images/annotation/green_icon.svg") center center / contain no-repeat transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; height: 16px; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 16px;"></div></div><p><span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9)" face="-apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;">Instructor </span><a data-attribute-index="2" data-entity-hovercard-id="urn:li:fs_miniProfile:ACoAAABLMIcBFpzAt4POFgBEdO08wlLhyXjTNlQ" data-entity-type="MINI_PROFILE" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/ACoAAABLMIcBFpzAt4POFgBEdO08wlLhyXjTNlQ" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; display: inline-block; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: var(--font-weight-bold); line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-decoration-line: none; touch-action: manipulation; vertical-align: baseline;">Jarrod Showers</a></p><p><br /></p><p><span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9)" face="-apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;">Game Animation Pipeline | </span><a data-attribute-index="18" href="https://lnkd.in/ghxXh5M" original_target="https://lnkd.in/ghxxh5m" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; display: inline-block; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: var(--font-weight-bold); line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-decoration-line: none; touch-action: manipulation; vertical-align: baseline;" waprocessedanchor="true" waprocessedid="cd1g4">https://lnkd.in/ghxXh5M</a></p><div mcafee_wa_ann="{"rep":-89,"cat":[194],"ufg":34,"url":"https://lnkd.in/ghxxh5m","dossierUrl":"https://lnkd.in/ghxxh5m"}" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); cursor: default; display: inline-block; float: none; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 4px; position: relative; top: 2px; vertical-align: baseline; z-index: 1;" waprocessedid="cd1g4"><div class="mcafee_ok" id="0DE9E47C-871A-4F90-8440-B190C216800A_93" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-origin: initial; background-position: 50% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: contain; background: url("chrome-extension://fheoggkfdfchfphceeifdbepaooicaho/images/annotation/green_icon.svg") center center / contain no-repeat transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; height: 16px; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 16px;"></div></div><p><span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9)" face="-apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;">Instructor </span><a data-attribute-index="4" data-entity-hovercard-id="urn:li:fs_miniProfile:ACoAAAEeaH4BR69hsUVGNJauBPdktk67a2v3eKg" data-entity-type="MINI_PROFILE" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/ACoAAAEeaH4BR69hsUVGNJauBPdktk67a2v3eKg" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; display: inline-block; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: var(--font-weight-bold); line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-decoration-line: none; touch-action: manipulation; vertical-align: baseline;">Seth Kendall</a></p><p><br /></p><p><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: inherit;" /><span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9)" face="-apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;">Advanced Game Animation | </span><a data-attribute-index="19" href="https://lnkd.in/g4Myfzi" original_target="https://lnkd.in/g4myfzi" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; display: inline-block; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: var(--font-weight-bold); line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-decoration-line: none; touch-action: manipulation; vertical-align: baseline;" waprocessedanchor="true" waprocessedid="wgivcm">https://lnkd.in/g4Myfzi</a></p><div mcafee_wa_ann="{"rep":-89,"cat":[194],"ufg":34,"url":"https://lnkd.in/g4myfzi","dossierUrl":"https://lnkd.in/g4myfzi"}" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); cursor: default; display: inline-block; float: none; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 4px; position: relative; top: 2px; vertical-align: baseline; z-index: 1;" waprocessedid="wgivcm"><div class="mcafee_ok" id="0DE9E47C-871A-4F90-8440-B190C216800A_94" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-origin: initial; background-position: 50% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: contain; background: url("chrome-extension://fheoggkfdfchfphceeifdbepaooicaho/images/annotation/green_icon.svg") center center / contain no-repeat transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; height: 16px; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 16px;"></div></div><p><span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9)" face="-apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;">Instructor </span><a data-attribute-index="6" data-entity-hovercard-id="urn:li:fs_miniProfile:ACoAAAHBRbEBkAkZ-R5khQF3f8HQZIAs1pmrRJ0" data-entity-type="MINI_PROFILE" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/ACoAAAHBRbEBkAkZ-R5khQF3f8HQZIAs1pmrRJ0" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; display: inline-block; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: var(--font-weight-bold); line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-decoration-line: none; touch-action: manipulation; vertical-align: baseline;">John Paul Rhinemiller</a></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Learn to be a Game Animator in our next 11-week term at </span><a data-attribute-index="11" href="http://animschool.edu/" original_target="http://animschool.edu/" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; display: inline-block; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: var(--font-weight-bold); line-height: inherit !important; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-decoration-line: none; touch-action: manipulation; vertical-align: baseline;" waprocessedanchor="true" waprocessedid="h1kgt">animschool.edu</a></p><div mcafee_wa_ann="{"rep":15,"cat":[111],"ufg":36,"url":"http://animschool.edu/","dossierUrl":"http://animschool.edu/"}" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); cursor: default; display: inline-block; float: none; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: inherit !important; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 4px; position: relative; top: 2px; vertical-align: baseline; z-index: 1;" waprocessedid="h1kgt"><div class="mcafee_unknown" id="0DE9E47C-871A-4F90-8440-B190C216800A_1" style="background: url("chrome-extension://fheoggkfdfchfphceeifdbepaooicaho/images/annotation/white_icon.svg") center center / contain no-repeat transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; height: 16px; line-height: inherit !important; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 16px;"></div></div><p><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"></span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: inherit !important;" /></p><div class="style-scope ytd-watch-flexy" id="merch-shelf" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: rgb(24, 24, 24); border: 0px; color: black; font-family: Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"></div><div class="style-scope ytd-watch-flexy" id="ticket-shelf" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: rgb(24, 24, 24); border: 0px; color: black; font-family: Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"></div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-530997445842770378.post-51503449865331467892021-06-29T06:58:00.002-07:002021-06-29T06:58:57.630-07:003 Ways to Take Your Animation Above and Beyond Your Reference<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjJy4G2n9rjpDSedl7zTcB_pHd9V0Z32s6ZdOBR1A6okOZpPARSp2RWqfIcuu0PlQZ7Og5kx4C_ju6Vin6suvtW_g1USGj-1fxwEFZNfWGPs98LLNvpvd64w2wm7NXbSP9DsOAsUu0pdM/s640/abovebeyond2.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="239" data-original-width="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjJy4G2n9rjpDSedl7zTcB_pHd9V0Z32s6ZdOBR1A6okOZpPARSp2RWqfIcuu0PlQZ7Og5kx4C_ju6Vin6suvtW_g1USGj-1fxwEFZNfWGPs98LLNvpvd64w2wm7NXbSP9DsOAsUu0pdM/s16000/abovebeyond2.png" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Shooting reference is an essential part of the planning phase when animating a shot. It gives the animator an opportunity to step into the character's shoes and fully explore their personality through movements and acting. Studying reference is a key part of how students learn body mechanics because it allows them to experience the movement and timing of a scene firsthand. Over time though, it is easy for animators to fall into the habit of relying on their reference too much. So much that they begin rotoscoping the reference into their shot, frame for frame. </div><h4 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>It is easy for student animators to fall into the habit</i></span></h4><h4 style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-size: large;">of relying on their reference too much. </i></h4><div><div><br /></div><div>So does this mean that you should stop filming reference? Of course not! You still need to do reference in order to try out different acting ideas and provide some kind of foundation for the timing and body mechanics of your shot. The key is knowing when you can steal directly from your reference, and when you can simply ignore your reference. Your reference is a foundation, it is—as the name implies—simply a reference. It is an inspiration, something to refer back to, but it is not meant to become a carbon copy of your animation. When animators begin rotoscoping their reference, they forget to think about pushing appealing poses, creating stylized breakdowns, maintain smooth arcs, and deciding what’s leading and what’s following. It's these decisions that really make animation an art form and the animator, an artist. </div><div><br /></div><div>Below we’ve compiled a few ways you can avoid falling into the habit of rotoscoping and push your animation beyond your reference to make a performance that’s all your own. </div></div><div><br /></div><div><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b>1. Stop putting reference into your viewport.</b></h2><div><div>This is a debatable topic, so it is definitely not for everyone, but we encourage you to try it out. The idea is, that if you put the reference directly into your Maya viewport, there is a greater temptation to copy the poses and the timing of the reference frame for frame. Without the reference sitting in the viewport though, you’re more likely to push the poses and timing of the shot.</div><div><br /></div><div>Don't stop using your reference though! If your reference is open in another program such as QuickTime or SyncSketch, you can easily frame by frame through it and pick out the poses you want to use. You can even count the frames in between the poses if you want to get the timing in Maya the same as your reference. But isn’t this just rotoscoping, why not put the reference in Maya and save time? By having your reference in a separate window, you will automatically feel less tied to the reference’s poses and exact timing. Instead of animating on autopilot, you’ll become more conscious of how many frames it takes to get from Pose A to Pose B, and therefore more likely to make the timing more your own. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8K19MgEPxNSDYwZvdFLbBqhjoGUPim0GczPXItWMdTxa98mY7orTuRleSlDS9g7wJyr1Lzs2TFcNO4Ggd_9L-zmRhp9UyuY3hKQ9IHD10hem4ABJLd4OlRCF79jukLb0o0NReRkYpz3dM/s2048/Screen+Shot+2021-06-24+at+15.13.55.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1149" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8K19MgEPxNSDYwZvdFLbBqhjoGUPim0GczPXItWMdTxa98mY7orTuRleSlDS9g7wJyr1Lzs2TFcNO4Ggd_9L-zmRhp9UyuY3hKQ9IHD10hem4ABJLd4OlRCF79jukLb0o0NReRkYpz3dM/w640-h360/Screen+Shot+2021-06-24+at+15.13.55.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">AnimSchool Student NyGyra Lawson</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /><br /></div><div>Nonetheless, if you're still adamant about sticking your reference in the viewport, that’s okay! Many professional animators actually prefer it this way. The key point is to remember that animation is an art and as an artist, you need to make decisions about timing, poses, breakdowns, and all the animation principles, independent of your reference. If you copy the timing of your reference exactly frame for frame to start off, that’s fine! Just be sure to go back, and move those keyframes around to really push the timing before you start polishing. You should also keep in mind that sometime during the late spline phase, it's ok to just turn off your reference. There will be a point when you’ve got everything you could from it, and now it's up to you as an animator to make the animation really shine. </div></div></div><div><br /></div><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b>2. Study the reference in your sketchbook and do a 2D drawing pass of your reference before you even touch the rig. </b></h2><div>If you like drawing then this tip may be great for you. First, observe your reference and try to get a good understanding of the motion<span face="Roboto, arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 16px;">—</span>what’s leading, what’s following, where’s the arc, etc. Once you feel like you understand the reference, pick out your golden poses and some key breakdowns and draw them in your sketchbook or directly on top of your reference (you can do this pretty easily in SyncSketch). </div><div><br /></div><div>Now that you have a solid understanding of the reference, draw some variations and try to improve the appeal of your sketches. Try pushing some poses or pulling back on others. You can push the timing of certain movements for exaggeration by changing up the spacing. Experiment with spine reversals, line of actions, and even mouth and eye shapes. </div><div><br /></div><div>By doing this, you’re figuring out a lot of the body mechanics and posing before you even get into Maya. Figuring this stuff out on paper is much faster than in Maya, and you do NOT need to be a good artist to use this method. Trying a new pose out in Maya can take 30 minutes to an hour, but you can easily sketch out a stick figure in a few different variations of a pose in a couple minutes. Working in 2D will also help you avoid getting too caught up in the complex 3D rig, and instead focus on appealing graphic shapes and silhouettes for poses. </div><div><br /></div><div>They say animation is ultimately 50% planning and 50% animating. Though this planning phase can seem time-consuming, it’ll more than likely be worth it and make your animation not only better but quicker to complete.</div><div><br /></div><div>Here is an example of some planning thumbnails from AnimShool’s Body Acting Class. </div><div><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: justify;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1186" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivs9mEKIvFUp89LxDBzPXkhnAyCxjaOytl-x0OycAs_W0XzrK_6BrrlySBaZwxKieFkR_MvOyPicgmDR_1TnfeXe7Zpc3MuNkHesvdOYj9x9eKh-JuCfNjlwQvtMS-SL3HLJeEsG315RvK/w370-h640/McKenzie-Rhys+thumbnail.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="370" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">AnimSchool Student Rhys McKenzie</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /><br /></div><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b>3. Push the poses in Maya.</b></h2><div><div>This is probably the most obvious way to go beyond your reference: push the poses! </div><div><br /></div><div>The biggest things to remember when translating a pose from reference to the rig are line of action, silhouette, and character. Oftentimes, humans aren’t the most elegant creatures and our line of actions can feel a bit disjointed no matter how much we try. This is where you as an animator can come in and make the poses your own. Try and simplify that line of action, in one coherent statement that supports the way the character is feeling. Doing this will not only improve the clarity and appeal of your pose, but it’ll also allow the character’s thoughts and feelings to read better. Improving the silhouette of your character can have a similar effect as well. Ensuring that limbs and hands don’t get lost in a character's body will allow your character’s emotions to be read with clarity. They say that after the eyes, hands are the most expressive part of a human, but if you can’t see the hands because they’re lost in the character’s silhouette, the pose ultimately doesn’t read as clearly as it could.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Q4a1uMyFeYPp6cTIzCUV7FuxNdxpyhpWyTBG2YBvLDrNCdAb4tRbBUV6cgWJZAncoGAiuf79y-MghgoR0fTnnU3eCSSYdr7XM3Gp_yy8H8Xq6YWWnIMxTKeGZ6rRO3_kd1Ezm8aDaLEx/s1452/Screen+Shot+2021-06-24+at+15.24.50.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="982" data-original-width="1452" height="432" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Q4a1uMyFeYPp6cTIzCUV7FuxNdxpyhpWyTBG2YBvLDrNCdAb4tRbBUV6cgWJZAncoGAiuf79y-MghgoR0fTnnU3eCSSYdr7XM3Gp_yy8H8Xq6YWWnIMxTKeGZ6rRO3_kd1Ezm8aDaLEx/w640-h432/Screen+Shot+2021-06-24+at+15.24.50.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /> </div><div>AnimSchool instructor Garrett Shikuma does a fantastic job of demonstrating some methods to push a character’s pose to be better than the reference. Though Garrett says you can always push your poses, he emphasizes the importance of remembering to make intentional acting decisions while posing your character as well.</div></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="365" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WWVD7pwDpJA" width="636" youtube-src-id="WWVD7pwDpJA"></iframe></div><br /><div>We hope you found some of the methods useful. What are some of your best tips for animating with reference? </div><div><br /></div><div>Join our online community of 3D artists and animators in our online accredited courses (ACCSC). Apply today at <a href="http://animschool.edu">animschool.edu</a></div></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-530997445842770378.post-68730607025619248342021-04-20T09:35:00.004-07:002021-04-26T15:45:02.915-07:00Instructor Interview: Koji Tsukamoto<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_X71hJrVWI&t=196s" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="815" data-original-width="1920" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcnIxKHoo7Q3472uCpOhXoEO2CZuxcx37dfodk2c8T0M5aBIranMgdRamcNQgLeKEtzNaMQE5FTRdGCoumK3ZjsjQgY7EYFxH1KJ_csuLKucQPzXiUCpAr96bV8U9eNggFy9n8ertwyhkG/w640-h272/Koji+Header+copy.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large; text-align: left;">We recently had the opportunity to sit down with AnimSchool instructor and CG modeler, Koji Tsukamoto. Koji is currently teaching Environment Modeling and Intermediate Modeling: Intro to ZBrush at AnimSchool and has worked at DreamWorks Animation as a modeler for the past five years. It was a pleasure to learn more about Koji’s passion for his students and the art of modeling.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="373" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/S_X71hJrVWI" width="639" youtube-src-id="S_X71hJrVWI"></iframe></span></div><span style="text-align: left;"><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghTB308g6Wc95Eou5mYnrpVQ903h2ssDdXj_qq5bJrnHMKdd3myypWSL-YmeW2vIERVDjmXtAS8FI4Ga7wSA9JYMb4_4dBkF8XD8VkGJ_cxlgwLPYIhek1fOvf7YXb7NEWfJxjgTS5yqdg/s250/Koji.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghTB308g6Wc95Eou5mYnrpVQ903h2ssDdXj_qq5bJrnHMKdd3myypWSL-YmeW2vIERVDjmXtAS8FI4Ga7wSA9JYMb4_4dBkF8XD8VkGJ_cxlgwLPYIhek1fOvf7YXb7NEWfJxjgTS5yqdg/s0/Koji.jpg" /></a></div><p></p></div><p><b style="text-align: justify;">Tell us a bit about your journey. How did you get into modeling?</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">From childhood, I loved building and creating things. My father worked in the auto industry and would take me to the Detroit auto show. I became fascinated with car design and dreamt of becoming an industrial designer. My older brother is also a very artistic and creative person, he helped me realize animation was an actual career path. This quickly became my goal, I studied animation at BYU Provo and took courses online through Animschool. I was determined to become an animator. But I soon discovered whenever I felt stuck or stressed while animating I would model and sculpt to relax. So I modeled.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>What are some of your biggest inspirations in animation?</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Studio Ghibli! I grew up watching Laputa, Totoro, Kiki’s Delivery, etc. I ate it up as a kid. For most people who wanted to go into animation, they watched a lot of Disney films and thought <i>Oh that’s why I wanted to go into animation</i>. For me, it was Ghibli films. That beautiful storytelling is what made me want to go into animation. I wanted to be part of a story like that. When I was jumping into animation originally, I was completely clueless about anything. I didn't know who any of the artists were. I just really wanted to do animation. When I was a little kid I wanted to be a pilot and fly planes and be in the air force. And then I found out I was color blind and was like “Ahh I can’t do it!”. I remember the day I found out I couldn't be an airforce pilot was a little like <i>Little Miss Sunshine. </i></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_I8VUlVyJtBdmCqoLcRLbomZ3DadD6BNcNt4FuKakVXSoFsExLCPuo84OXmuPEG9iI8TMlHHn9ptuiXrf4Ll2pFikvHkpDreu3OJQgSOcxl7RoLJ42S4_H7z13e-Bf5AV1NJnNfV2gYAC/s1920/koji-tsukamoto-oldman.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Gram" border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1920" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_I8VUlVyJtBdmCqoLcRLbomZ3DadD6BNcNt4FuKakVXSoFsExLCPuo84OXmuPEG9iI8TMlHHn9ptuiXrf4Ll2pFikvHkpDreu3OJQgSOcxl7RoLJ42S4_H7z13e-Bf5AV1NJnNfV2gYAC/w320-h225/koji-tsukamoto-oldman.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>Do you think it is necessary to be able to draw or sculpt with clay in order to be a good modeler?</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">I always loved drawing. I wasn’t amazing, but I loved it. Traditional sculpting, painting or drawing definitely helps enlarge one’s understanding of form, design, and style. But it’s not necessary. I’ve never really touched clay. I wouldn’t call myself very good at clay sculpting at all. So yeah I’d say you don't need it. It’s something you should study if you are interested because any design knowledge helps. But starting off it's not necessary to have that down. 3D art is like anything else. If you practice, you’ll figure it out.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>Can you elaborate on your time learning at AnimSchool versus learning from YouTube tutorials and at a four-year university.</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">BYU (Brigham Young University) is a great school. For me though, I knew I wanted to get into modeling, but there weren’t any teachers who specialized in the technical side of modeling. Honestly, the reason why I started going to AnimSchool really was that I lacked confidence. I was unsure if what I was doing was correct. And even watching YouTube—there are so many YouTube videos—half of them are not good. Maybe they were good at the time, but now they're outdated. I just wasn't very confident whether I was modeling things correctly. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVTbLb3Vahixft_90P1IcZRbiJhF9QENyttv1zxxWd51FqdXoot9o341p-p9I3IQTacbJ26Ef2AAXlSBCFPVtW7KPe1k5EIYNAbvTQP0gbp44asqD-VWyVeSC_m2mXQz5Y6wWyDby5o5h6/s1346/koji-tsukamoto-lennonfina3.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVTbLb3Vahixft_90P1IcZRbiJhF9QENyttv1zxxWd51FqdXoot9o341p-p9I3IQTacbJ26Ef2AAXlSBCFPVtW7KPe1k5EIYNAbvTQP0gbp44asqD-VWyVeSC_m2mXQz5Y6wWyDby5o5h6/s320/koji-tsukamoto-lennonfina3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>So I was emailing artists. That's something I recommend doing: finding artists that you admire in the industry and try to reach out. If they don't respond then they’re just busy. But if they do respond then that’s awesome, right? I was lucky there were two modelers who responded to me and gave me some feedback.<p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">I felt I needed a little bit more in-depth feedback than that, so I went to AnimSchool where I could learn from teachers who I knew specialized in modeling and could let me know whether I was doing it right or not. When I was taking my courses, a lot of my teachers asked me why I didn't skip ahead to the later classes. And yeah, I probably could've skipped ahead, but for me, it was a confidence-building experience. There were small things here and there that I didn't know, but really, the biggest thing for me was to see them model and see them confirm that what I was doing was correct, and that helped me become more confident in what I was doing.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>How does environment modeling differ between feature film, TV, video games, and VFX?</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">A lot of the differences are technical or found in the level of detail. The budget, available software, and hardware all affect how one models. VFX and TV are more time-limited and some of the detailing will be baked maps or skipped for surfacing. Video games rely even more so on baked detail because of the needs of real-time rendering. I believe they’re all pretty similar though. I think the biggest difference between video games and film and TV is style. If there’s a studio you like, focus on that style and that’s how you’d get into it. Like if you want to go to Pixar or Dreamworks, don't go super realistic VFX style. It’ll be hard for them to tell if you can make models in their style. Definitely tailor your stuff to what you want to do.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx-O1_Sa4NJWKeAtRuT486kkMrgodKkMhsBcw1UjrwzI-wJjVYNKeRk9kMaDeZgTPIFUL-3eErxUYYbmAVQ0KpEwftRwA4GPT2cdHztyT42bkJUq7srm6UX7WBQ0wYDkCd4Nc_veWJxJJO/s2048/Shante_final+render.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1097" data-original-width="2048" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx-O1_Sa4NJWKeAtRuT486kkMrgodKkMhsBcw1UjrwzI-wJjVYNKeRk9kMaDeZgTPIFUL-3eErxUYYbmAVQ0KpEwftRwA4GPT2cdHztyT42bkJUq7srm6UX7WBQ0wYDkCd4Nc_veWJxJJO/w400-h214/Shante_final+render.png" width="400" /></a></b></div><b>Can you talk a bit more about the styles you teach in your modeling class?</b><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">In my environment class, I sort of let them do whatever they want. The scale of their model and design they pick determines how they model it. I had a student, Shanté Knott, who did this Paris-steampunk scene (design by Bogdan Marica). That scene was really large scale, so we modeled that scene how they would model it in video games: very low poly with a lot of bake maps on it. We went that route because if she modeled all those details to feature film level that’d be way too hard on her computer and it’d be way too large of a scene file. In my environment class, I try to tailor it towards what my students want to build. My class is pretty flexible. A lot of the time, they have questions about things I normally don't teach, and sometimes I'll take part of that class time to cover that information even if it's not part of the curriculum. If that's the kind of knowledge they want and I feel like that's going to help them become a better modeler, then I want them to have that information.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b></b></p><b>How does your modeling process differ from project to project? </b><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Every show is different. The style and shape language the Production Designer and Art Director’s aim determine the process. There are just so many different styles. On <i>Boss Baby</i>, it was all ridiculously straight lines and sharp edges. I had to go back and fix so many models because the director wanted things so sharp you could cut your hand on it. But then you have other films, like <i>Trolls World Tour,</i> where everything was soft and round and felt like miniatures. The funny thing with <i>How to Train Your Dragon 3 (HTTYD)</i> is that I could get away with so much. With rocks and trees you could make a mess. A lot of it was covered with moss and dirt and foliage. Every film is very different. It's definitely a process we go through with all the other departments. That’s one thing that makes DreamWorks really fun for me. All our films have very different styles. I get to jump around and try my hand at very different styles. Each time I switched from one film to another, I had to kind of warm-up and get used to working in that style.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiazBHSDigIUnd1u7t7rJwtENEO7Um-4vLCR8dsM2wDdaEhx_jOYxHWONG0N_60V_RiFWuiwoKMs3f143DJhvQuc7twcLvKJPxr7Osgzj_cRGTPtq3honvJcxTIboTlVGDXUteY2otNcovA/s1920/koji-tsukamoto-trolls-world-tour-2020-1080p-webrip-x264-aac5-1-yts-mx-moment5.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="816" data-original-width="1920" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiazBHSDigIUnd1u7t7rJwtENEO7Um-4vLCR8dsM2wDdaEhx_jOYxHWONG0N_60V_RiFWuiwoKMs3f143DJhvQuc7twcLvKJPxr7Osgzj_cRGTPtq3honvJcxTIboTlVGDXUteY2otNcovA/w640-h272/koji-tsukamoto-trolls-world-tour-2020-1080p-webrip-x264-aac5-1-yts-mx-moment5.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>How do you create stylized sets that still feel based in reality? Do you have any advice on how to best combine inspiration from the real world with stylized design ideas?</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">#1 Have a clear easy to read silhouette. If you blackout the shape and can’t recognize what the object is, you are probably doing something wrong. I like to build the basic structure based on reality (maybe simplified), and then push and pull from there. Don’t be afraid to go too far, play around. I like to place layers of added detail on a blendshape. That way I can pull back to find a balance. #2 Big, medium, and small. Having repeated shapes and patterns in your object is fine, it can actually be really great, but when they are the same size it can become noisy, rigid, and uncomfortable. Change up the size, have areas of rest (less detail) to contrast areas of higher detail. #3 I like to see environments the way I see characters, they have personality and history. Think about the weathering they face, the maker (if it's man-made), and how people treat and interact with it.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi640fnAYHoJMLuCJtV8zwvekSoaCPra85OcsY7w9qNPgIRbMjqRSDfEZPkotSriT-dlbJbtuF-vQyFfCDIPDqa-GY6UW1mCSjY7RF27bDZCc_NFzgKViqGrOgJfgGWtbH2nM7_YS_Fe6W_/s720/old+stairs.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="479" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi640fnAYHoJMLuCJtV8zwvekSoaCPra85OcsY7w9qNPgIRbMjqRSDfEZPkotSriT-dlbJbtuF-vQyFfCDIPDqa-GY6UW1mCSjY7RF27bDZCc_NFzgKViqGrOgJfgGWtbH2nM7_YS_Fe6W_/s320/old+stairs.jpg" /></a><b style="text-align: justify;">In your class, how do you guide your students to grow and work towards industry-level models?</b></div><p style="text-align: justify;">What I try to help my students do is capture the essence of the art piece. I really iterate over and over in my class that these environments aren't just props or a set-piece. Think of these set pieces as characters. They have their own story. They have their own life. They have their own history that occurred to them. One of my favorite things I like to show my students when they first start off is stairs: really old, worn-up stairs. You can see exactly where people keep on stepping on these stairs, there’s a history. You can see people always walk in the center, always step in these two spots. You can see this indent where their feet lay and when it rains the water probably flows through. When you're adding wear and tear into the model, when you’re adding character, you have to think: what’s affecting this piece? What’s rubbing up against it? We don't want it to feel artificial? We want it to feel organic and real, like it's experienced stuff. When I have my student take a concept piece, I want them to really nail that concept piece, but I also want them to add more to it. To make it feel like not just a copy of it, but an actual place where you can see things occurring at. You can feel it's something people are actually living in and interacting with. That’s one thing I want to help my students do: to make a piece that tells a story and draws people and makes them wonder what this piece is about.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">I also try to help my students get the tools they need to make their pieces as efficiently as possible. I could show them the slow way of making something. Like laying down the tiles of a roof, piece by piece and duplicating it, but one of the skills you need when you work in the industry is that you need to be able to make things fast. As much as I'd love having a lot of time to make things perfect, there’s a deadline. I try to give my students the tools to get their work done fast. I just noticed the video posted of me teaching MASH. I try to let my student learn tools that are outside the basic modeling toolset. I want to give them access to and knowledge about tools that are outside of what most people know so they can be competitive in the industry.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="387" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/EDOipxhG2TQ" width="661" youtube-src-id="EDOipxhG2TQ"></iframe></div><b><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></p>Aside from the technical skills, what are some soft skills that are essential to being a good 3D modeler? For instance, as an artist, can you talk about best practices for communicating with your art director?</b><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">It’s very different depending on the art director. I’ve had art directors who have been like, “Hey you can email me directly, just send me screenshots and I’ll do draw overs,'' and I’ll have other directors who are like, “No don’t do that, email the production people and they’ll email it to the art director.” What I would do is make sure you’re writing it down. I have a bad habit of just looking and thinking about things and then later I think <i>Shoot, I should’ve asked that</i>. It’s good to write your own questions and notes that the art director gives you. That way you’re sure you don't miss anything. It also shows the art director that you care and you’re paying attention. It’ll make them feel more confident that you’ll get it done. Just create a good impression and find ways where you can create a good relationship of trust. It's also good to experiment and try things. Don't just do what's given to you, try to make things better. Don't go crazy though! Just add a little bit to it that you think will improve it. It's best to make the project look as best as you can. But yeah overall, teamwork, friendship, communication are big. It makes working much more fun and enjoyable.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0cNpCQXtXL06LgIB9vRoYo-qSX8vCdENJVK9h1RXIqfWnAMRUIrqY9cEkNjBRaR-V3r-V27ls3f0EODR2Lu8i_dhSTxea2XSwoE0NxrMsKsr8tw2zeTA26txRSjlZb4QaPRUaZ8ucnjRi/s1920/koji-tsukamoto-backstagedonefinal-bw.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1081" data-original-width="1920" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0cNpCQXtXL06LgIB9vRoYo-qSX8vCdENJVK9h1RXIqfWnAMRUIrqY9cEkNjBRaR-V3r-V27ls3f0EODR2Lu8i_dhSTxea2XSwoE0NxrMsKsr8tw2zeTA26txRSjlZb4QaPRUaZ8ucnjRi/w400-h225/koji-tsukamoto-backstagedonefinal-bw.jpg" width="400" /></a><b></b></div><b>What’s the best piece of advice you’d give to someone just starting out?</b><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Open up, ask questions, show your work to the world. Reach out to artists you admire, and studio recruiters. If your work isn’t the best, that’s okay. Getting feedback is the best way to grow and improve. Showing progress is the best way to impress. I always felt like I needed to do things myself. Don't do that—reach out and ask for help. The biggest reason you need to do that is people need to know who you are. It's fine if you’re introverted, but you need to step out of your bubble to make it in the industry. You need to introduce yourself. You need to show your work. That’s really what animation is: showing who you are and telling a story. If you want to be a part of that, you need to show you can do that. Show that you have a story to tell, you have amazing taste in art and style. It's ok to be a quiet person but definitely reach out to artists you like and recruiters. If you have good things and show it...maybe not everyone will remember you, but some may. And when opportunities come around maybe they’ll reach out to you. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQSBLI3OJg9Bag5gZRsuYh4lMwz1MKWnG38GsGqdD_b79pIXWhLO-NMQZFX-Es5PaOdYJJyDUkRZZY2V17lNCdXZLswUeRNKfwA7vGbaXtJ3n_bB1a-UkL8k0EfrY_rWDSl-N_P-qRfUXh/s1920/koji-tsukamoto-img-20200831-114949-738.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="1920" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQSBLI3OJg9Bag5gZRsuYh4lMwz1MKWnG38GsGqdD_b79pIXWhLO-NMQZFX-Es5PaOdYJJyDUkRZZY2V17lNCdXZLswUeRNKfwA7vGbaXtJ3n_bB1a-UkL8k0EfrY_rWDSl-N_P-qRfUXh/w200-h200/koji-tsukamoto-img-20200831-114949-738.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>How has your experience been working remotely? Do you think in the future you’ll have to live in the same city as the studio?</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Well….I think I’m going to have to go back to LA eventually. So...still expensive. It’s been nice working remotely. Just being able to spend more time with family and take care of my kids. At work, I’m stuck in that timeframe when I'm at work. I’ll be there for nine hours and then I leave. At home when I feel distracted, I can take a break and put in my hours more effectively. I’ll go back and work on it longer. Sometimes the hours I work at home aren’t exactly the timeframe I normally work (it's a little later) but I feel like I'm being more productive with my time. What's cool about modeling is that working remotely has not really affected me. I have my computer. I can do all my work from here. I know there are some departments that have struggled to work from home, such as surfacing and vfxs. They have their own technical issues that come up from not being able to use their computer. They have to work remotely controlling their computer at work.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>How do you think working in the industry will be in the future?</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">What’s interesting is that Netflix, prior to the pandemic, was doing a sort of hybrid working situation where people would come in for meetings and some people work from home part of the week. There’s been talk at my company whether we might be working hybrid as well... where we come in some days and work from home other days. And that sounds really nice to me. Working completely remotely sounds nice too so I can live in a cheaper place but it is nice to see people’s faces. I do really miss a lot of my co-workers. Working in the studio, it is nice to just be able to turn around to the guy sitting next to me and ask questions. Now you have to send a chat online and hope someone sees it. Another thing I miss is the DreamWorks campus, it is really beautiful...and there's free food….and free soda fountains. Yeah...I miss all that a lot, actually.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVvSDdRTu2OZH_QSZNLCp7Q3iy_daNDri-8rH4MvcQuUumBdS4UhLrZ7AwvBElpllrKXu2mL3UHpa03KYyeC-qBZCxVYEmjVLwRTePUDRWaUfmyh6Q8YrT5q_QJLjzFPAcWXB0NlPnuUAW/s1920/koji-tsukamoto-traindragon-hiddenworld-animationscreencaps-com-7572.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="816" data-original-width="1920" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVvSDdRTu2OZH_QSZNLCp7Q3iy_daNDri-8rH4MvcQuUumBdS4UhLrZ7AwvBElpllrKXu2mL3UHpa03KYyeC-qBZCxVYEmjVLwRTePUDRWaUfmyh6Q8YrT5q_QJLjzFPAcWXB0NlPnuUAW/w640-h272/koji-tsukamoto-traindragon-hiddenworld-animationscreencaps-com-7572.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>Where do you see your career going in the future? Are there any other facets of animation/3D modeling you want to try out?</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">I would love to continue being a simple modeler, maybe eventually take a position as a lead or supervisor. I love it at DreamWorks, but video games are interesting to me because software-wise they’re really ahead. Being able to render and do things in real-time is just amazing. There’s a lot of new things out there that keep popping up and it's too many for me to really get into all of them, honestly. At DreamWorks, up until <i>HTTYD 2</i>, everything was NURBS modeling. So a lot of the models in <i>HTTYD 2</i> were still NURBS. When I got to <i>HTTYD 3</i>, a lot of my work was converting NURBS to poly. Modeling is always changing. I’m always going to have to be learning. I don't know what modeling is going to look like in the future, but modeling is what I'm interested in and what I want to keep doing as long as I can. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">That’s one thing I really love about teaching is that it forces me to keep learning new things. When I’m teaching I have to do the process over and over in front of my students and that forces me to retain it and really understand how these new tools and processes work.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Thank you so much for your time Koji! If you'd like to see more of Koji's work, follow the links below.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>ArtStation:</b> artstation.com/koji</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Reel: </b>vimeo.com/153656161</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Instagram: </b>@tsukachan</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div>Sign up today to learn from industry-leading artists like <a href="https://animschool.edu/ClassDetails.aspx?programcourseid=179">Koji</a> in our online accredited courses (ACCSC). Apply today at <a href="http://animschool.edu">animschool.edu</a></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-530997445842770378.post-45683611967161441872021-02-25T11:18:00.000-08:002021-02-25T11:18:30.102-08:00Top 10 Tools and Plug-Ins Essential for Maya Animators<p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguz2f6hyUd4IHPgHcM_vCiyuookFo_R6H2vg4t_iJ5TApYRR0JLWVueL3CWeXrtZw8JjlJ3jSQKJ05sv1slJoJtMZSrLLcSXatWRGiudV5Ll9pH0oKONL5_Rl7EP3H2ixGH8Ix4X7F3L4n/s1200/Anim+Plug-Ins+Header.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="449" data-original-width="1200" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguz2f6hyUd4IHPgHcM_vCiyuookFo_R6H2vg4t_iJ5TApYRR0JLWVueL3CWeXrtZw8JjlJ3jSQKJ05sv1slJoJtMZSrLLcSXatWRGiudV5Ll9pH0oKONL5_Rl7EP3H2ixGH8Ix4X7F3L4n/w640-h240/Anim+Plug-Ins+Header.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">We can all agree Maya is quite a remarkable program. From creating particle simulations to modeling a character, Maya can do just about anything in CG. Maya was clearly built for a lot of different artists, but not for any one of them specifically. As a character animator, Maya can serve most of your needs, but the program wasn’t built for character animators specifically, so doing simple tasks such as checking arcs or creating parent constraints can get complex and time-consuming. Lucky for us though, artists around the world have created numerous plug-ins, scripts, and tools to help Maya animators out. Below we’ve compiled a list of some of our favorite tools that will help make Maya a happier place to animate and speed up your animation workflow. The best part: a majority of the tools we list are completely free to download today.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><h2 style="text-align: justify;">1. AnimBot | Subscriptions starting at $60/year (Free for current AnimSchool students)</h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://animbot.ca/home/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1366" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0gQR-DoSsUEOEcjYwxnce2AuwslN0Iv4JvFiBRauxEG9oA9Yk7tsSScwkWo8VEy1Te76SRcCLNCVbVxBgoHooP5Im-itFeqRlM10vEZrrFeyl2yRkFQ6E1oK3dkXjw7E5Mg6n0AJP7NfX/w640-h360/AnimBot.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">First and foremost, the plug-in professional and student animators alike swear by: AnimBot. Tailored specifically for animators, AnimBot is filled with 150 tools that make animating faster and easier. Some of its notable tools include the tween machine, retiming tools and selection sets. It is an essential plug-in for any Maya animator and absolutely worth the cost. To keep animators from getting overwhelmed by the myriad of tools, there are pop-up gif tutorials built into AnimBot that make it quick and easy to find out what any of its 150 tools do. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #ffa400; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://animbot.ca/home/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #ffa400;">LEARN MORE</span></a></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><h2 style="text-align: justify;">2. ZV Parent Master | Free</h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.paolodominici.com/products/zvparentmaster/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1366" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAQGrXW8QXBoQb8Gjd7gbVrpSu40LFzqeHtIV5_7K5uzSNa7Hme924_XpuTjp7FrHGIqz5lP0eYBA7Wbp-3q3sSZJ_PA_9F5Uwlq_jw7eupyPBic8-QsDunPPqEruJqW6Eg9S424J0W2kh/w640-h360/ZV+Parent+Master.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">If you’ve ever felt lost in the world of Maya constraints - fret no longer! ZV Parent Master is a plug-in designed to make constraining objects simple and painless. With a few simple clicks, you can attach, detach and then reattach an object to a new object with ease. Retiming your attachments and detachments are as simple as shifting a couple keys, and for more complicated scenes, ZV Parent Master also has a colored timeline to visually show you what to and when an object is constrained. Currently offered for free, this tool is a must-have for animators.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="http://www.paolodominici.com/products/zvparentmaster/"><span style="color: #ffa400;">LEARN MORE</span></a></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><h2 style="text-align: justify;">3. bhGhost | Free</h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.graphite9.com/MayaDownloads.html" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1366" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmgtW0syQM1-3TBT4D9gjLhVrJdnv_2Bi8nTozF1pCgn0KverfZKDYaHl5xbbaEe3l8ZGTk914S1LUSHKq5btRtxSPuLPnSkYEtO1tAwRu0d64K-wcHWJiDcndbeyMm0hHvyMOMvkjfcXQ/w640-h360/bh_Ghost.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">One thing many 3D animators forget is that despite the fancy 3D models that can be tumbled around freely in space, 3D animated shots are viewed on flat 2D screens. Ultimately, you are animating for the camera. In this way, classic 2D hand-drawn animation isn’t very different from 3D animation. With this in mind, tracking arcs and spacing on a 3D character can seem complicated compared to 2D drawings, where the spacing is obvious. bhGhost helps us bridge this gap by creating a way to transform your 3D model into a simple outline to help track spacing and timing. With this plug-in, you select your character's geometry, or whatever you want to track — whether it be a hand, a foot, or the entire character — and you ghost it. What sets bhGhost apart, is that it doesn’t simply onion skin your entire geometry. Instead, it creates an outline that reads as 2D to make it look like you're tracking a simple drawing instead of a complex, 3D rig. The plug-in allows you to change line thickness, color, and even add sphere trackers to the geometry to see parts of the body as a simple bouncing ball to track spacing. If you find that you have trouble tracking arcs and spacing with only your eye in Maya, bhGhost is definitely worth a download.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="http://www.graphite9.com/MayaDownloads.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #ffa400;">LEARN MORE</span></a></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><h2 style="text-align: justify;">4. World Space 2 | $15</h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://eblabs.com/shop/world-space-2/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1366" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4ruUmeyfonQmbRIMdPcs3frCKb7F1H4vgw26r5OWXXQLk7VqSOP_hP3Err3unv_dobLk3y8yhOyA0Kt9nSGGgtNG2z1jehM-V_dCTRORV7MrZMn5SuYlLY_KzTGv_oxuLhb62Ar6XbjCY/w640-h360/WorldSpace2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">World Space 2 is a set of advanced animation tools for manipulating animation and switching between world, local, and parent spaces. First off, this tool is yet another way to constrain objects to each other. In this case, you put child objects into parent space and the tool will create temporary controls for you to animate with. Once you’re done, you can simply bake down the animation and have complete control over your character's original controls again. In addition, utilizing World Space 2 to put part of a character, such as an arm or head, into world space is a great way to do a final polish pass on animation since controlling how an arc will look to the camera in world space is much easier than in object space. In world space, you can fine-tune an arc by translating the head or limb more precisely. World Space 2 also includes a number of other features that allow you to create simple on-the-fly rigs for props, manipulate which channels you want space switching on, in addition to tools for creating paths and copying animation. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://eblabs.com/shop/world-space-2/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #ffa400;">LEARN MORE</span></a></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><h2 style="text-align: justify;">5. AnimSchool Picker | Free</h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.animschool.com/pickerInfo.aspx" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1366" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfdgld-ok9P5_CESp6mEGsaOhvVLK3Kp31CwO2RNLNYdtWl1Bf2SzE-OM2YuPJvsJTy8gy9iMPJH1qJhKNkwDmSzyIWzg9BFkNA3pZQjPyjm87VKDoKP5OICBmXAwz_vSqxPfENR1sIVfo/w640-h360/AnimSchool+Picker.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The AnimSchool Picker allows you to select and control components within Maya, just like the pickers they use at the big studios. With the AnimSchool Picker, animators can easily select rig controls without the clutter of NURBS curves controllers in the viewport. There’s ample opportunity to customize your picker from colors, names, sizes, and alignment. Navigating the picker is simple and allows users to zoom, pan, and click and drag to select multiple controls at once. In addition to controllers, the picker can be used to select geometry and other components in your scene. Once you’ve created your custom picker, save it and reuse it for other characters by simply changing the namespace. The best part is that the AnimSchool Picker is free to anyone! I repeat you do NOT need to be an AnimSchool student to use this picker, however, students receive the perk of being able to use a number of pre-made AnimSchool Pickers included with their character rigs.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #ffa400; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.animschool.com/pickerInfo.aspx"><span style="color: #ffa400;">LEARN MORE</span></a></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><h2 style="text-align: justify;">6. AnimPolish | Free (Basic Version)</h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://gumroad.com/l/animpolish-premium" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1366" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxKjPDbWjlXlchJ117fw0khoEqsMurpt4i_wQ20RqxarAsDZtf_toJPp5EFM9GgqfJSNkMsN81RFOHcZPZ-eXmcP2mFj5VBQRbw8NgmPj1RbDbPKNzle-H2eJLpLw0xu1VqnH-H97xKeMm/w640-h360/AnimPolish.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Most professional studios have the luxury of a technical animation department. These are the people responsible for hair and cloth simulations, in addition to smoothing out any kinks when the rig needs to be pushed beyond its own boundaries in order to hit an extreme pose or make a point of contact feel like real flesh instead of crashing geometry. Unfortunately, as student animators working on personal projects at home, we don’t have this luxury. That’s where AnimPolish comes in. This plug-in offers a set of artist-friendly deformation tools to help add that extra polish and believability to their animation. With AnimPolish, you first export your animation so it is cast geometry. Then, using its tools, you can sculpt, adjust, and animate the geometry using a set of intuitive tools to fix any clothing clipping or crashing geometry, push poses for smear frames, or deform the skin in places where it comes into contact with other geometry. This is a great free tool if you're looking to bring your work to that next level of polish.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://gumroad.com/l/animpolish-premium" target="_blank"><span style="color: #ffa400;">LEARN MORE</span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"></h3><h2 style="text-align: left;">7. FCM_Hider | Free</h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://gumroad.com/l/FCM_Hider" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1366" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivs0RUQihV-IHTB59Jw_aY3255ftTnKWXArvIaDzNsQz4rWH6CnbhTxUeRZfm55MdMHN9dZmQxEFghGGwGBEYZdMqkoYoTeRuxgxUAJ4TB4gfeOGMMIovlU4IIkOKJS55oGg0Ev1DEN9QS/w640-h360/FCM_Hider.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">We’ve all been there before. Awkwardly holding our hand up to our computer screen to block out the arms of a character so we can check if the body animation is working without being distracted by the other limbs. Or trying to add the rig's geo to a display layer but for some reason toggling the visibility button isn't doing anything. Well, there’s no need for that nonsense any longer! This tool gives animators a simple, quick way to hide parts of a character in order to focus on certain body parts. This is a great tool to ensure the body and root of the character are polished and moving properly without being distracted by the character's limbs. With FCM Hider, adding controls and geometry to a selection set is simple, and the easy-to-identify icons make turning parts of your character on and off a breeze. </span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://gumroad.com/l/FCM_Hider" target="_blank"><span style="color: #ffa400;">LEARN MORE</span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><h2 style="text-align: left;">8. Convert Rotation Order | Free</h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://morganloomis.com/tool/ml_convertRotationOrder/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1366" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy6FDvL9MCrDAc4QIzX2TCma4RNVU2z5xW65hJhI_Jwm6zRVhxBVAMT7dJkK2rQoSiPu-ul2UB9E55Tm6SZWsU3zdIQAdrJYTdB8MPjFUhAb0arQqEq0ngvZrpLriy0XPVfvd2F5fCa8Iu/w640-h360/Rotate+Order+Converter.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Rotation order is something most student animators may not even know is an issue. You click E, the rotate gimble appears, then you click and drag that blue circle with the intention to rotate solely in the Z-axis, but when you check the channel box or the graph editor, you notice the X values changed as well. What’s happening? This is a small issue but becomes a problem when trying to polish rotations in the graph editor and the curves aren’t affecting the rig how you expect. You may also run into this issue after running the Euler filter to fix gimbal lock. This rotation order issue is further explained <a href="https://vimeo.com/54541692" target="_blank"><span style="color: #ffa400;">HERE</span></a>. Unfortunately, you can’t simply switch rotation orders mid animation natively through Maya. However, animator Morgan Loomis has come up with a script to switch rotation orders while preserving animation. The ability to freely convert rotation orders with this plug-in will and allow you to polish curves in the graph editor with more accuracy. (If you’re still a bit lost and want to further understand this issue, AnimSchool instructor Justin Barrett explains Maya’s gimbal rotation <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ss9ViQL4lXg" target="_blank"><span style="color: #ffa400;">HERE</span></a>. Gimbal rotation, as opposed to object or world rotation space, is a more accurate representation of what rotation orders are.)</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="http://morganloomis.com/tool/ml_convertRotationOrder/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #ffa400;">LEARN MORE</span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><h2 style="text-align: left;">9. Studio Library | Free</h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.studiolibrary.com/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1366" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGPLXpWxYTzEEfxKXpPeB7AhXf3N32yYB7J6YplHW8ML1EYgqbcoriyO7MnDEWMFl8L8bFkXdH2eCLT_lSdEikjZnMGe_m7v_a9q31F66-0ve5lWcLDDs_0a0ve3LgPYdTSp8MzTXOiuX2/w640-h360/Studio+Library.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">As the name implies, Studio Library allows animators to create a library of poses and animations. This tool makes reusing character poses, cycles, and lip-sync poses throughout a scene simple and helps speed up the process of blocking in poses. You can build upon and blend between different poses within your library to ensure your poses are still unique and not repetitive. Studio library also gives you the ability to create selection sets, mirror poses, and utilize shared pose libraries. If you’re looking to speed up your animation process and work with a pose library, Studio Library is definitely worth looking into.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.studiolibrary.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #ffa400;">LEARN MORE</span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><h2 style="text-align: left;">10. Aaron Koresell Scripts | Free</h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://aaronkoressel.com/index.php?nav=tools" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1366" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXDH9vB5yBSFIZMeb_a_OUXuM7ofCRIIpgk_-SJJC-6PkS9dOxLPkj08smCqpOz7-G-lTMpMO9MXKLElEyrokeMk-n3wS6u3Nq_ZnKDvKVWSNYzFe2c4o01jhkqDOrNvI14u0tImU2QT71/w640-h360/Aaron+Korsell+Scripts.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Lastly, Aaron Koresell offers a collection of free scripts aimed at Maya animators that help fill in some of the gaps in Maya and improve your animation workflow. Created back in 2007, these tools are still very useful, however, a number of these are now available through AnimBot. Nonetheless, it is still worth giving his collection a look, especially since they are completely free, unlike AnimBot. To name a few, Koresell has scripts that will allow you to insert a key without changing animation curves, delete redundant keys to make the jump from stepped to spline more manageable, and toggle on and off image plane visibility. Since these are all Mel scripts, they can easily be made into buttons or hotkeys for easy access as well.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="http://aaronkoressel.com/index.php?nav=tools" target="_blank"><span style="color: #ffa400;">LEARN MORE</span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span><a name='more'></a></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">We hope you find these tools useful and that they help improve your Maya animation workflow. All of the plug-ins listed above have links to their site and videos that further explain how the plug-in is used. We highly suggest you check them out. Let us know in the comments below if you have a favorite plug-in we missed!</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Join our online community of 3D artists and animators with our online accredited courses (ACCSC). Apply today at <a href="http://animschool.edu"><span style="color: #ffa400;">animschool.edu</span></a></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-530997445842770378.post-59761877926835051232021-02-09T11:54:00.003-08:002021-02-09T11:54:37.890-08:00Maya Tools 101: Retime Your Shot<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixyhG7dkekn1umOtB9x7c0m2_Xlh4_ILJcXFMTUTahxRwUZ7fJZzWlaZwoi5WdGZWl2lpls4BQ68bbfwWtwX2gBJXQm6AiE_Y7yrU_UruqJmJyoQt-1v1pqc2uaH8QP1c7xp6PDEFvnU8/s640/Retimeshot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="239" data-original-width="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixyhG7dkekn1umOtB9x7c0m2_Xlh4_ILJcXFMTUTahxRwUZ7fJZzWlaZwoi5WdGZWl2lpls4BQ68bbfwWtwX2gBJXQm6AiE_Y7yrU_UruqJmJyoQt-1v1pqc2uaH8QP1c7xp6PDEFvnU8/s16000/Retimeshot.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>As an animator, learning how to retime your keys in a shot is an absolute must. If the character is moving too fast, you need to add frames. If the character is moving slow, you need to remove frames. Before you know it, you are retiming your keys left and right. There are various ways to retime your keys depending on the situation. </p><h2 style="text-align: left;">Maya Timeline</h2><div>The most common way of retiming keys is to use the default Maya timeline. </div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Moving One Key</h3><div>If you want to just move one key on your timeline, this is the easiest way to do it.</div><div><i>Left Mouse Button + Shift</i> to select the key.</div><div><i>Left Mouse Button/Middle Mouse Button</i> to move it.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6J67ekut54TLgH0mNyGYdwWHMcP6WKmxUky368d4G_o3fsHikep94mi0m-aeHFn-8zgVfiarH7HpoCrYIaNEXEvazLTosQN6gkwQHFSYSC4mHUivHQVbWgfU1G8_ETRWHaf42j3m_LVM/s1796/singleKeydrag2.gif" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="204" data-original-width="1796" height="72" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6J67ekut54TLgH0mNyGYdwWHMcP6WKmxUky368d4G_o3fsHikep94mi0m-aeHFn-8zgVfiarH7HpoCrYIaNEXEvazLTosQN6gkwQHFSYSC4mHUivHQVbWgfU1G8_ETRWHaf42j3m_LVM/w640-h72/singleKeydrag2.gif" width="640" /></a></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Moving Multiple Keys</h3><p>If there is a section of your shot that you want to move, you can select multiple keys together of that section to move those together.</p><div><i>Left Mouse Button + Shift</i> to select the key.</div><div><i>Left Mouse Button/Middle Mouse Button</i> to move it.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqEFXKA4GDHk9rOv6NiEQ0pE2Z8zwIumKrsbt_Ec6TAQzWq-zMwVDp_0TUQwsrfEmqJMQKgTikrzvbr_fz41za-QvmO58OZUYJrP8qje5ojRaow3tvjY8El4i98L3SCqDn8dHQVg12j3I/s1796/multiplekeysdrags.gif" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="204" data-original-width="1796" height="72" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqEFXKA4GDHk9rOv6NiEQ0pE2Z8zwIumKrsbt_Ec6TAQzWq-zMwVDp_0TUQwsrfEmqJMQKgTikrzvbr_fz41za-QvmO58OZUYJrP8qje5ojRaow3tvjY8El4i98L3SCqDn8dHQVg12j3I/w640-h72/multiplekeysdrags.gif" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: left;">Make sure you are moving the keys by clicking on < >, anywhere else and it would deselect the keys.</p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Resizing The Keys</h3><div>If there is a section of your shot that you think is overall taking a lot of frames, you can select that section and then resize it by making it shorter.</div><div><div><i>Left Mouse Button + Shift</i> to select the key.</div><div><i>Left Mouse Button/Middle Mouse Button</i> to move it.</div></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS0g_MTtpbCgstPDS-JAAn3bZQyrXgq3KNlWV04VI4L89o5ZmneCThvH71duh_G3rB_QoUbbI_jPN1_RrEAYeDD6hRDc-ZmaYHakK05jRorECynCIGP8G7vnCmG-CC_5XFHW7aPVDSy_Q/s1796/resizing.gif" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="204" data-original-width="1796" height="72" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS0g_MTtpbCgstPDS-JAAn3bZQyrXgq3KNlWV04VI4L89o5ZmneCThvH71duh_G3rB_QoUbbI_jPN1_RrEAYeDD6hRDc-ZmaYHakK05jRorECynCIGP8G7vnCmG-CC_5XFHW7aPVDSy_Q/w640-h72/resizing.gif" width="640" /></a></div><div>However, this creates a problem of having keys midframe Like this.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOiBy1tBOX7HtnNYgxVXlZvbuXoq_PgUBRA2VABAEqgCG-CbwWRqWYxDMxi7pJq2pegLbuckvbdfEqAbOfwwGSMgg8WtF7IP6syOURVNYB8Zdrhh4gqIu0NHrc4nD3Gp2opXrBLDteW-c/s1633/resizing+problem.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="199" data-original-width="1633" height="78" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOiBy1tBOX7HtnNYgxVXlZvbuXoq_PgUBRA2VABAEqgCG-CbwWRqWYxDMxi7pJq2pegLbuckvbdfEqAbOfwwGSMgg8WtF7IP6syOURVNYB8Zdrhh4gqIu0NHrc4nD3Gp2opXrBLDteW-c/w640-h78/resizing+problem.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>Midframe keys create a lot of problems in animation and rendering so make sure your keys are exactly on frames like 12.0, not 12.34.<div>To deal with this issue, you have to snap your keys often manually.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Left Mouse Button </i>to select the key.</div><div><i>Right Mouse Button </i>to open the options menu.</div><div><i>Left Mouse Button </i>on Snap.</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQd0nlrrGc-kiDadtdCTlA8JAp4BWjvo1L-aqiqyFykzyiAYPUjBZ76bn9GW72PII1CO8jmpYx9tvSaLY0jq0K-QsIzBUimXjnn0Uw70IuEojFAheHhQXqSDnLzLNMe42ym_ldcnxgKKc/s1024/snapping.gif" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="252" data-original-width="1024" height="158" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQd0nlrrGc-kiDadtdCTlA8JAp4BWjvo1L-aqiqyFykzyiAYPUjBZ76bn9GW72PII1CO8jmpYx9tvSaLY0jq0K-QsIzBUimXjnn0Uw70IuEojFAheHhQXqSDnLzLNMe42ym_ldcnxgKKc/w640-h158/snapping.gif" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Even after the snap, sometimes the keys have issues in graph editor with tangents so it is extremely important to use this one with caution.</div><div><br /><h2 style="text-align: left;">Graph Editor</h2><div>If you are an animator who uses graph editor a lot, selecting keys and moving those must have become part of your muscle memory by now. I for one am so used to moving keys in GE that I could not even recall how I was doing it. I had to do it slowly to make these gifs. </div><div><br /></div><div><i>Left Mouse Button + Drag</i> to select keys.</div><div><i>Middle Mouse Button + Shift </i>to move the keys.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2A6nfk2IcMsPyE8FZVrh8BHTx82bhG1C2ENcGnQ7nwq5nXYt5FeO9KYWcrljH1vCFBP7GlUsp0AhJkpGz3jjk_iGkmicK5smdMBUVlNJFFlhVxAfdqaTCgW9Wqq-SHjwh31dkqdgwej0/s720/Sequence+04_1.gif" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="193" data-original-width="720" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2A6nfk2IcMsPyE8FZVrh8BHTx82bhG1C2ENcGnQ7nwq5nXYt5FeO9KYWcrljH1vCFBP7GlUsp0AhJkpGz3jjk_iGkmicK5smdMBUVlNJFFlhVxAfdqaTCgW9Wqq-SHjwh31dkqdgwej0/w640-h172/Sequence+04_1.gif" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>The shift key helps you to move keys horizontally (0 degrees) and vertically (90 degrees) from the position of the key. You cannot move keys diagonally. This helps you to preserve the value of the keys that otherwise get changed and can cause a headache.</div><div><br /></div><div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeHpkMgFZEjsmILtriG5fW7lLNf9KMdNhOIkzsGpbnb8bWRMLiMFvwtpRn-vx7yEgTvlJm5NJSzFqRh0gKu8X_QtlwKobXyG-a1hXm7NpgvQC3Myng53lU5KQjfFmfsKP8D8Sjz_NUBiA/s980/GE+keys+without+shift.gif" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="262" data-original-width="980" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeHpkMgFZEjsmILtriG5fW7lLNf9KMdNhOIkzsGpbnb8bWRMLiMFvwtpRn-vx7yEgTvlJm5NJSzFqRh0gKu8X_QtlwKobXyG-a1hXm7NpgvQC3Myng53lU5KQjfFmfsKP8D8Sjz_NUBiA/w640-h172/GE+keys+without+shift.gif" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">See! Values of the keys get changed. Better use <i>Shift.</i></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><h2 style="text-align: left;">Dope Sheet</h2><div>Not many animators use the dope sheet which is a shame because it is pretty dope (get it?). The dope sheet looks like this.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnl61VIrtoF6A2KbzqkvrSRB65oepz5uYlZ_PCU2_flL4gL5SOUNuu11rftZn-AJ55SLSeyT_mfuAmhbhrSXl3Rqdzv_UNTGg6J0WGBJwXHoDvFfu55ryv_IhssPqAinRgMQR5VGUpHus/s1225/dopesheet+still.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="387" data-original-width="1225" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnl61VIrtoF6A2KbzqkvrSRB65oepz5uYlZ_PCU2_flL4gL5SOUNuu11rftZn-AJ55SLSeyT_mfuAmhbhrSXl3Rqdzv_UNTGg6J0WGBJwXHoDvFfu55ryv_IhssPqAinRgMQR5VGUpHus/w640-h202/dopesheet+still.png" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>It shows all the keyed objects on the left side and their keys on the right side. It gives a very clear picture of the whole shot in terms of frames and makes it easy to move those without messing up any value or tangent arrangement of the keys.<br /><div>Look at the following .gif! So neat...</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Left Mouse Button</i> on DopeSheet summary</div><div><i>Middle Mouse Button +Drag</i> to move keys.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdEo4fiNAoQTVzobFDBWO-0MxfzaD69w7BsjxywqSOLZGCYA4JvucJrhgo1rHKoXBKzpxyiQr5KhjB9LQlWtlsZ6D-MDsT1w-IMkktJMi8pfxUTRSM72ryieq27x2iMtJxQtEPKCg_X9o/s1024/dopesheet+whole+seq.gif" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="285" data-original-width="1024" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdEo4fiNAoQTVzobFDBWO-0MxfzaD69w7BsjxywqSOLZGCYA4JvucJrhgo1rHKoXBKzpxyiQr5KhjB9LQlWtlsZ6D-MDsT1w-IMkktJMi8pfxUTRSM72ryieq27x2iMtJxQtEPKCg_X9o/w640-h178/dopesheet+whole+seq.gif" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div>However, the dope thing is that you can move frames of one object on its own as well. Like this...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9L30RNcZTlpS2DGO3gWi3NmGITBifvroSC2dq-6JrFFR9Ak4_PSgt7Ubn5m0w_ijkd99KnJqxwrr0V_GmFIK2lKUEg_f2tvg60Qxb-2MZ_70PDjki21NgGhf8i-jv7iADnfmyGpZGFTY/s1024/DS+moving+one+objects+keys2.gif" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="285" data-original-width="1024" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9L30RNcZTlpS2DGO3gWi3NmGITBifvroSC2dq-6JrFFR9Ak4_PSgt7Ubn5m0w_ijkd99KnJqxwrr0V_GmFIK2lKUEg_f2tvg60Qxb-2MZ_70PDjki21NgGhf8i-jv7iADnfmyGpZGFTY/w640-h178/DS+moving+one+objects+keys2.gif" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>This is not all, you can move selected frames of objects you want, as well.</div><div><br /></div><i>Left Mouse Button + Drag</i> to select keys</div><div><i>Middle Mouse Button</i> to move.<br /><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8F7RLBN00EWntEeosufh7WBZr1lb_8zfmlyZJ9TF-wVf59UxxK2Au_InQyBzDovJNI-4iDo_0xW5lV0daDKfVAooYK93cWTpiEJsB_-XcHghnuQlJKlB8DhHOs4P1BxELdRuDgvb0XPk/s1442/DS+selected+frames+for+objects2.gif" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="402" data-original-width="1442" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8F7RLBN00EWntEeosufh7WBZr1lb_8zfmlyZJ9TF-wVf59UxxK2Au_InQyBzDovJNI-4iDo_0xW5lV0daDKfVAooYK93cWTpiEJsB_-XcHghnuQlJKlB8DhHOs4P1BxELdRuDgvb0XPk/w640-h178/DS+selected+frames+for+objects2.gif" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>You should definitely try using the dope sheet more.</div><div><br /></div><div><h2 style="text-align: left;">Mel Scripts</h2><div>Here are the two most basic scripts for retiming keys:</div><div><br /></div><div><i>timeSliderEditKeys addInbetween;</i></div><div><br /></div><div><i>timeSliderEditKeys removeInbetween;</i></div><div><br /></div><div>If you want to add more frames between your keys, this is the easiest way. </div><div><br /></div><div>Click the Left Mouse Button to add frames to your heart's content, but let's not go overboard alright? </div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTIDLtiAfiZrzjIq2j7NshhfMf2Li8Sdh2Bb27wqryIcRlrhosB_8s6vWHCRcELD59EuyLC327V5xJN40hsoyaZqim5y4RWOg8cdqBf_lFg6vKobWTRAW700JHJvEZXGr3ye7DlHbgXRk/s1282/MEL.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="238" data-original-width="1282" height="118" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTIDLtiAfiZrzjIq2j7NshhfMf2Li8Sdh2Bb27wqryIcRlrhosB_8s6vWHCRcELD59EuyLC327V5xJN40hsoyaZqim5y4RWOg8cdqBf_lFg6vKobWTRAW700JHJvEZXGr3ye7DlHbgXRk/w640-h118/MEL.gif" width="640" /></a></div><br /></div><div>And the same goes for removing the frames from your timeline.</div><div><br /></div><div>Happy Animating!</div><div><br /></div><div>If you want to get started in Maya, check out our class <b><a href="http://animschool.edu/ClassDetails.aspx?programcourseid=131">Introduction to Maya</a> </b>at animschool.edu</div><div>Visit our <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPYQOUnJ3G1-QVUtZg62JNQ">Youtube</a> channel for more animation tips. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span face="-apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;">Join our online community with other 3D artists and animators in our online accredited courses. (ACCSC)</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: inherit;" /><span face="-apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;">Apply today at </span><a data-attribute-index="9" href="http://animschool.edu/" original_target="http://animschool.edu" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; display: inline-block; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 600; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-decoration-line: none; touch-action: manipulation; vertical-align: baseline;" waprocessedanchor="true">animschool.edu</a></div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-530997445842770378.post-64243402485988202021-01-15T12:07:00.000-08:002021-01-15T12:07:39.853-08:0010 Books Every Animator Needs in their Collection<h3 style="text-align: left;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-f64d4a33-7fff-0bb4-8937-e570779835fa"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;"><p dir="ltr" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwbkqR6yW_FhqGZmxkXXDhB67lA1LCxLON54iFoKkDDaDkTgzc0ceWsjIzvBXJlbBpcS2A415rFrZOYr5keHaWC5MNFauhyIiDEhKjYYyRIP0Neuwfx9BeNsf2zhxaJxPK8hsyijI3XB-9/s2667/Book+Resources+Header+copy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="996" data-original-width="2667" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwbkqR6yW_FhqGZmxkXXDhB67lA1LCxLON54iFoKkDDaDkTgzc0ceWsjIzvBXJlbBpcS2A415rFrZOYr5keHaWC5MNFauhyIiDEhKjYYyRIP0Neuwfx9BeNsf2zhxaJxPK8hsyijI3XB-9/w673-h240/Book+Resources+Header+copy.jpg" width="673" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We’ve compiled a legendary list of 10 books that most in the animation industry would agree should be on every animator's shelf.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-weight: normal; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ7HRRacXsS9xjlKtJX54eBtSBZmBFtX58EI2RBUr1UDCqB3q1oUOb-dj7Wd2NCSwW5ChNTXbkHP4DgL3sLaVLuFDonF8RsBF1Fq4vqMPgCU_j3FNlZjZ_AEwiNavJzOTpujnx-uPBNhyphenhypheno/s1000/Animation+Survival+Kit.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="855" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ7HRRacXsS9xjlKtJX54eBtSBZmBFtX58EI2RBUr1UDCqB3q1oUOb-dj7Wd2NCSwW5ChNTXbkHP4DgL3sLaVLuFDonF8RsBF1Fq4vqMPgCU_j3FNlZjZ_AEwiNavJzOTpujnx-uPBNhyphenhypheno/w255-h297/Animation+Survival+Kit.jpg" width="255" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #e69138;">ANIMATING CHARACTERS</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><a href="https://amzn.to/3stjTSK" target="_blank">The Animator’s Survival Kit</a></span> by Richard Williams</div></span></span></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;"><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This is the book that every animator will tell you that you need on your bookshelf. It is essentially the bible to animation. Williams covers all the basic principles of animation -- timing, spacing, overlap, anticipation -- and breaks it all down through hand-drawn animations and timing charts so you can see, frame by frame, how to animate. This comprehensive, easy-to-follow guide covers everything you need to know to get started in animation and serves as a great reference for experienced animators as well. Richard Williams is an Academy Award-winning director best known for </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Who Framed Roger Rabbit.</span></span></p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkcCniuhK7VJB5EFoUoxJWIFlINEdR9YitZTT4tfi0KpkgwwoQg_A1cboeWlm4RvL7ezyg7iIFgeDiGPiUCU0Rjtmi8ZLdd2Dhm-5Ou0dyHMYDmj93cDwVNqizJXQiOn9d6-sEqsnTa3sA/s1494/Cartoon+Animation.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1320" data-original-width="1494" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkcCniuhK7VJB5EFoUoxJWIFlINEdR9YitZTT4tfi0KpkgwwoQg_A1cboeWlm4RvL7ezyg7iIFgeDiGPiUCU0Rjtmi8ZLdd2Dhm-5Ou0dyHMYDmj93cDwVNqizJXQiOn9d6-sEqsnTa3sA/w247-h219/Cartoon+Animation.jpg" width="247" /></span></a></div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;"><br /><span><a href="https://amzn.to/3sp78se" target="_blank">Cartoon Animation</a></span> by Preston Blair</span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;">This 1994 classic by renowned animator, Preston Blair, continues to serve today as an exemplary guide to creating cartoony animation. This book is a compilation of Blair’s many how-to books from over the years. Blair covers all the basics of animation and explains how to utilize these principles to develop a character in addition to animating with dialogue and creating complex movements. </span></span></p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimcmtGx5lquKreo5zU6v2-OBqb18F5B4rOm-wI_HchyQHudiKGiyMeIKv7sil39RuDUHWYDMpfYyQ1ZGzxReMqshQGJQ13oV-skHCUbAlcW-rocXva4AZwhgMkh9JWIrACJgjvMxAWrtin/s499/Acting+for+Animators.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="332" height="363" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimcmtGx5lquKreo5zU6v2-OBqb18F5B4rOm-wI_HchyQHudiKGiyMeIKv7sil39RuDUHWYDMpfYyQ1ZGzxReMqshQGJQ13oV-skHCUbAlcW-rocXva4AZwhgMkh9JWIrACJgjvMxAWrtin/w243-h363/Acting+for+Animators.jpg" width="243" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #e69138; font-family: arial;">ACTING</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #e06666; font-family: arial;"> </span></div></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;"><span><a href="https://amzn.to/38GE1Zq" target="_blank">Acting for Animators</a></span> by Ed Hooks </span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">An industry-leading acting instructor for animators worldwide, Ed Hook’s book </span><span style="font-size: 11.5pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Acting for Animators</span><span style="font-size: 11.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> demonstrates how to utilize basic acting theory to create believable characters with genuine performances in animation. Hook provides a variety of examples and exercises to help animators breathe life into their characters.</span></span></p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVBMEvNAVppjj5OjRIdvoQqQEVU_OkvKFyIj2IbcAWmZigMG1QuXW92R9s3qH8voGBpCAnwr8PcHXCia5mWx605dCVZhq8aKlqSgOfxg9Mgk8Y1eDXaO2ZS2GP05zZkYX8Aj8_j7RNsLDf/s499/Respect+for+Acting.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="331" height="367" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVBMEvNAVppjj5OjRIdvoQqQEVU_OkvKFyIj2IbcAWmZigMG1QuXW92R9s3qH8voGBpCAnwr8PcHXCia5mWx605dCVZhq8aKlqSgOfxg9Mgk8Y1eDXaO2ZS2GP05zZkYX8Aj8_j7RNsLDf/w242-h367/Respect+for+Acting.jpg" width="242" /></span></a></div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;"><br /><span><a href="https://amzn.to/3qjbzD1" target="_blank">Respect for Acting</a></span> by Uta Hagen</span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">One of the most popular books on acting, Uta Hagens </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Respect for Acting</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> introduces a series of questions that an actor must ask themselves in order to define who a character is and how they would most realistically act in that situation. Hagen makes it clear that what you do and say are the most telling characteristics of a character and should be closely considered by the actor, or in this case, the animator when crafting a performance.</span></span></p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;"><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #e06666; font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKpDbcttyLP5DI2aykCMGsStbqs8Jouyoopq61Z2mOG8HxrQTFVLfy4e5Vq0ASLf8ZbwG3rdZo0dPxfX2AEGDRKCTE-7MX1j8XqQ4vu5mVWv4QDdZqM2C4sgzUOiJgbMexnPFTTPkq8y3I/s500/Drawn+to+Life.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="391" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKpDbcttyLP5DI2aykCMGsStbqs8Jouyoopq61Z2mOG8HxrQTFVLfy4e5Vq0ASLf8ZbwG3rdZo0dPxfX2AEGDRKCTE-7MX1j8XqQ4vu5mVWv4QDdZqM2C4sgzUOiJgbMexnPFTTPkq8y3I/w245-h314/Drawn+to+Life.jpg" width="245" /></span></a></div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;"><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span><span style="color: #e69138;">DRAWING</span></span> </div></span></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;"><span><a href="https://amzn.to/35JijCq">Drawn to Life: 20 Golden Years of Disney Master Classes</a></span> by Walk Stanchfield</span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Walt Stanchfield was a long-time Disney animator who worked on hits such as <i>The</i> </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jungle Book</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Aristocats</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. In the 1970s, Stanchfield teamed up with fellow animator, Eric Larson and created a training program for new Disney animators. This 2 volume set of books is a compilation of Stanchfields lecture notes and remains one of the only drawing books around that is aimed specifically at animation. His lectures are in no particular order, so you can begin reading at any part of the book! He emphasizes that drawing is more about thinking rather than drawing technique. </span></span></p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1iPrno1ZOw1GhnausuDKy921yNF2dFWNutmT2jVfO7Nj58S9XCKFgbGsFJgam1TaKvkXfAezkkpY_GX-fFnSitnFkUhOIMLAJQHzMj8z-BULuk445ujltO7QYDteE244A-rD4QOgmzjTQ/s400/Force.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="310" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1iPrno1ZOw1GhnausuDKy921yNF2dFWNutmT2jVfO7Nj58S9XCKFgbGsFJgam1TaKvkXfAezkkpY_GX-fFnSitnFkUhOIMLAJQHzMj8z-BULuk445ujltO7QYDteE244A-rD4QOgmzjTQ/w242-h313/Force.jpg" width="242" /></span></a></div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;"><br /><span><a href="https://amzn.to/2LyHoc7" target="_blank">FORCE: Dynamic Life Drawing</a></span> by Michael Matessi</span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;">AnimSchool art teacher Mike Matessi’s book shows how to use rhythm, shape, and line to bring any subject to life. Filled with detailed, instructive illustrations, Matisse demonstrates how to create dynamic, realistic poses - a key skill when animating.</span></span></p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;"><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></h3><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilBRsC2eJkagX9SDC2xXAawCMbJUGtq0N3mjFYj_N-rgYoZ3NU9puoHgjeISEkiP-vCGavd01Lx5XnaEOlXobazm66HAckA4TiKsiNGey-7W-6ApoYGsEw9cYBxtAs4TgUoi3iD2fT5eFd/s499/The+Nine+Old+Men.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="363" data-original-width="499" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilBRsC2eJkagX9SDC2xXAawCMbJUGtq0N3mjFYj_N-rgYoZ3NU9puoHgjeISEkiP-vCGavd01Lx5XnaEOlXobazm66HAckA4TiKsiNGey-7W-6ApoYGsEw9cYBxtAs4TgUoi3iD2fT5eFd/w241-h175/The+Nine+Old+Men.jpg" width="241" /></span></a></div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #e69138;">HISTORY</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span><a href="https://amzn.to/39v0c44" target="_blank">The Nine Old Men</a></span> by Andreas Dejas</span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;">A master animator himself, Andreas Dejas was mentored by the infamous Nine Old Men during his early days at Disney. In his book, Dejas provides a thoughtful analysis of each of the Nine Old Men’s techniques, work, and thought processes in an effort to shape your approach to character animation. </span></span></p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic54hCVF0fIDY9CxCDZ0KM1yKXxxCE2RdbnRyaHi2aNILXE0m_sOG72fE2nFc78Epi_c1GBoUghWd6Av904d78C6wsIWQjXMcWeCljEp75L2yy6oj6xFQCqVCjPAoHe7zTWJn6y46gXhZc/s500/The+Illusion+of+Life.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="471" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic54hCVF0fIDY9CxCDZ0KM1yKXxxCE2RdbnRyaHi2aNILXE0m_sOG72fE2nFc78Epi_c1GBoUghWd6Av904d78C6wsIWQjXMcWeCljEp75L2yy6oj6xFQCqVCjPAoHe7zTWJn6y46gXhZc/w241-h257/The+Illusion+of+Life.jpg" width="241" /></span></a></div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;"><br /><span><a href="https://amzn.to/3oND47e" target="_blank">The Illusion of Life</a></span> by Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston</span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;">Written by two of Disney’s legendary Nine Old Men, the Illusion of Life began as a guide to the principles of animation but evolved into a thorough history of Disney and the evolution of animation around the world as the medium was first created and explored.</span></span></p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGWOgjqSKwMfLzMvR_rpmQ-7Zo9B5AnUWIURVlL3mHba-4mSxqTz9WWF2t5mnn_hgHTOu6y96rLnUFxiyc2x04yM6cu_-ZY1VwQMd5G7DD5DX4wrTJnnNwR4HonOhrl-0_UEi1GG1gcqrC/s2048/Your+Career+in+Animation.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1280" height="386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGWOgjqSKwMfLzMvR_rpmQ-7Zo9B5AnUWIURVlL3mHba-4mSxqTz9WWF2t5mnn_hgHTOu6y96rLnUFxiyc2x04yM6cu_-ZY1VwQMd5G7DD5DX4wrTJnnNwR4HonOhrl-0_UEi1GG1gcqrC/w241-h386/Your+Career+in+Animation.jpg" width="241" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #e69138;">CAREER</span></div><div style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://amzn.to/3oEJqWB" target="_blank">Your Career in Animation: How to Survive and Thrive</a></span><span style="background-color: white;"> by David Levy</span></span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;">Award-winning, animation director, David Levy, provides an in-depth guide to the inner-workings of the animation industry. Levy interviewed leading names in the industry -- including Steven Hillenburg (creator of SpongeBob SquarePants), Teddy Newton (character designer on The Incredibles), John R. Dilworth (creator of Courage the Cowardly Dog), and many other working professionals -- to get their insight on creating a portfolio, networking and making the leap from working for others to pitching and selling. The <a href=" https://amzn.to/3soEgAg" target="_blank">second edition</a> of Levy’s career guide is set for release this upcoming March filled with interviews from current industry insiders.</span></span></p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTkqHgsgQvcBpEYNVU2TkxVIyYJGaGXY7-sZ8USSpppID8hpKDI1G8uNxeMN6qY5RHdCah3nc_uipvp45-JJnH2Eg6iNovdx_PCFYaWA7Lbwcal_NNcBbO2s5CqTdWUkA8wZw1NP3c_2cn/s1316/Draw+Stronger.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1316" data-original-width="930" height="345" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTkqHgsgQvcBpEYNVU2TkxVIyYJGaGXY7-sZ8USSpppID8hpKDI1G8uNxeMN6qY5RHdCah3nc_uipvp45-JJnH2Eg6iNovdx_PCFYaWA7Lbwcal_NNcBbO2s5CqTdWUkA8wZw1NP3c_2cn/w243-h345/Draw+Stronger.png" width="243" /></span></a></div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;"><br /><span><a href="https://amzn.to/3nJmnIP" target="_blank">Draw Stronger: Self-Care for Cartoonists and Other Visual Artists</a></span> by Kriota Willberg</span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Published in 2018, this book is a newer book in our collection that is fun, simple, and useful for anyone who does art for a living. Written in the form of a comic strip, </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Draw Stronger</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> is a guide to taking care of yourself when working creatively and sitting at a desk eight hours a day. Willberg gives any artist a simple, yet informative guide to take care of their body and mind while ensuring they keep up with their craft.</span></span></p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;"><br /></span></h3><div><span id="docs-internal-guid-75abb66c-7fff-3b56-163e-e9d401531403"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;"><div><span id="docs-internal-guid-42c294bb-7fff-925c-62bf-fae13680db3c"><div><br /></div></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div></span></span><span id="docs-internal-guid-74224edf-7fff-e593-ba3f-b77bf54c412d"><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Did we miss any? If you have any other recommendations, share them with us in the comments below. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Learn more about AnimSchool's online accredited (ACCSC) courses at </span><a href="http://www.animschoool.edu" style="font-family: arial;">www.animschoool.edu</a></div></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-530997445842770378.post-71516891458395144432020-12-17T08:41:00.000-08:002020-12-17T08:41:21.336-08:00Posing Hands for Animation<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><img border="0" data-original-height="239" data-original-width="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzfh7n_ccrXpSY2DB2bkoJQpMPjYuzNH_qN3QNZ_aXJWqdthFkWeXycJbwrAhH10FXyPNbgTQSBdIA2jeRZMD7we1xoS3rzKWIGg3oR5Z0cZhzAkyCcMmI78XCHQxG4Svd-zTnoPLJLhA/s16000/posingHandsbanner.jpg" /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">In this clip AnimSchool instructor Kelly Vawter explains how to make appealing and organic poses for animation using contrast and grouping.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pD_Lf-dryiE" width="640"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">To learn more about our animation program, visit www.animschool.edu.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0