Bowling Ball and Pins

Using Dynamics we were to simulate a bowling ball hitting some pins.

Project 4: Skinning and Animation with Motion Capture Data due Monday, 11-19-2012

Description of Assignment:
For this project we used motion capture data to animate a character. We combined at least three motions. Once the motions look good on the character, use the resulting clip as a basis for our animation, we were to then create a movie to show our results.

Concept:
Due to some hiccups in the beginning of this project my animation was all about getting down the basics as best I could in the limited amount of time I had to work.

My Process:
I began by importing each motion file and constraining it to a skeleton. Then, I created clips for each motion and exported them so I could use them all on one figure. I then found three clips, the standing idle clip, the jog forward clip, and the jog left clip, which hooked-up together with the littlest amount of manipulation and created a new clip using all three clips. I then used Activate Keys to transfer the frames of the clips onto the timeline.
 
Clips

Unfortunately, my original clip of idle-jog-turn left proved unusable when bound to the model so I created a new clip using the idle-jog forward-and jumping clips to create a new animation.

 Skeleton Run and Jump

With my skeleton and basic animation I then imported my model and began binding the model to the skeleton. I used a smooth bind and tried to connect the joints to the areas of the model they corresponded with as accurately as possible. Once I created the bind I tested out the animation to see what areas were working well and what areas needed polishing. 

Figure

Initial binding

In order to make the model move without any bizarre transformations I used paint weights. This way each area would stick to its joint and areas that shouldn't move with the joints didn't. This helped for some areas like the armpits and chest, but other problems had to be fixed using other techniques. For one of the legs and another arm I had to actually go into each frame and move the joint into place so that no deformities were present. With these techniques I was able to create a basic animation and managed to include a simple setting.

Painting Weights

Rendered animation

link to animation:https://www.dropbox.com/s/ijmhqcjcqa29t4o/New%20Movie.mov

Download Maya:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/xqz4lvk4ybfvag5/MarieJarrell_Project4.ma 

Blockman Step

 Here is a couple of steps of a walk cycle.

Project 3: Shading, Lighting, Texturing, Rendering, and Animation due Monday, 11-05-2012

Description of Assignment:

For this assignment, we were supposed to create an animation lasting 10-20 seconds that shows
an object following a path. Using a A motor scooter or unicycle to animate we were to create a final movie comprised of rendered frames. The scene needed to have must contain at least three different shaders or textures, adequate lighting, and try to incorporate as many of the Disney 12 animation principles as possible.

Concept:
I wanted my animation to tell a story, for it to have a clear beginning, middle, and end, and for my unicycle to have a certain amount of humanity. So I came up with the idea that my animation would be about a unicycle struggling to achieve something, initially failing, and then succeeding, but going a bit too far and getting hurt. 

My Process:

I began by creating groupings for various levels of animation, the path the scooter would follow, the swaying of the scooter as it moved, the rotations of the wheels etc. Here are some playblasts of the scooter after each animation was added.

 

PATH ANIMATION:

 

 

SWAYING ANIMATION: 

 

 

WHEEL ROTATION ANIMATION:

 

 

SEAT SQUASH AND STRETCH ANIMATION:

 

 

LATTICE ANIMATION:

 

 

SEAT SWAY ANIMATION: 

Animation Principles:

Squash and Stretch:
There are several obvious examples during the unicyicles initial failed attemps and during the end of its success. But the head and neck of the unicycle are constantly making small squashes and stretches throughout the animation.

Anticipation:
The unicycle will constantly pull back from the direction it intends to run off to before moving forward. During its first try it makes several back and forth motions to make it appear as though it was building up momentum.

Straight ahead action and pose to pose: 
My project utilized pose to pose animation, I mapped out the key places and orientations I knew the unicycle had to be in and then made minor corrections to clean up the in-between action. For example, to animate the super fast pull back and final leap I first put key frames at the beginning and end of the action, then in order to make sure the seat head was quickly snapping down due to the force of the motion I added an in-between frame.

Follow through and overlapping:
The head and wheel of the unicycle will arrive at areas at different times; see the initial swings back and forth as an example.

Slow in and Slow out: 
When the unicycle makes it's initial forward and backward movements it will slowly fall forward at the beginning of its movement and then slowly recover at the end.

Arcs:
There is a big one during the final jump, but whenever the unicycle moves forward or backward it dips down and comes back up in an arc.

Secondary action:
There are several smaller actions that occur as the unicycle moves beyond the structure going back and forth, the petals and wheel rotate, the neck moves up and down, the seat swings back-n-forth, all these actions combine to create the illusion of movement grounded in physics. 

Timing:
In order to make certain actions appear to take more or less time to occur a shorter or longer amount of frames were spaced between actions. When the unicycle appears to move very fast there are only a few frames (2-5) used with it moving a great distance inbetween. To make the unicycle appear to fly across in slow motion it was moved only a few places over a great number of frames (10-20).
 
Exaggeration:
Seen anytime the unicycle behaves in a way a true unicycle would not, the way the seat moves during a it's passes, the stretching of the neck, the fact that the unicycle smashes into the wall instead of bouncing off of it.
 
Appeal:  
I made my unicycle red because I thought it was a more engaging color and because most people equate red and red objects with speed.

Rendered Video:

Download:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/sof7i5y4f9pyjke/Final%20Render.mov

Hierarchy:

Download Maya:
https://sites.google.com/site/jarrellfiles/JarrellMarie_Project3-Unicycle.mb.zip?attredirects=0&d=1