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Week 11 : Final Critique / Demo Reels / Turning Off IK Handles
This week, we learned about the importance of demo reels, and knowing your audience. Before taking the walk cycle test, we covered the process and we went over how to switch off IK handles.

Be sure you are familiar with the Walk Cycle rubric handed out before class so you know how you are going to be graded. For 100 points you need to show the following:

4 basic key poses. Review them here.
Heel / Toe Relationships
A smooth cycle (last and beginning frame are connected)
Root movement
Head movement
Hip rotation
Shoulder rotation
Overlapping action and secondary motion in the arms and wrists.
NO Hitches

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Week 10 : Moving Holds & Referencing
This week, we learned about moving holds. These are added on to your animation from the previous week (Week 9). Also discussed was referencing in Maya.

HOMEWORK:
Complete your moving hold assignment.
Submit your final rendered logo.
Study for your walk cycle final exam.

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Week 9 : 6 Emotions
This week, we posed our characters in 6 emotions or situations. Hold each pose for 36 frames using the bookend technique. Be sure his emotion or situation is clear.

Pre - Planning:
Research and draw out your emotions first, before posing your subject.

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Week 8 : Walk Cycle
This week, we reviewed the process of creating a walk cycle, an important and esssential skill for any animator. Below are a list of steps to complete your assignment, followed by what you have to turn in next week.

Animate a character walk cycle.

PROCESS:

LEGS FIRST
Establish Essential Walk Poses (heel  toe positioning - see image below)



Key these poses for two steps (48 frames total).
Test by viewing it “stepped” mode
= = = = = = = = = =

REST OF BODY
Tilt & Rotate Hips

Tilt Shoulders (Contrapasto) Upper spine control
Animate Upper Arms
Animate Lower Arms for Secondary Motion
Animate Wrist

Animate middle spine control

Animate  head  bob.

While still in “stepped” mode, put in th inbetweens at halfway points.

Keep doing this until you are satisfied.

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

REFINEMENT

Go back into your animation and watch your arcs.
Go back into your graph editor and be sure you have nice flowing arcs throughout your animation (we'll do this next week). Your playblast will be due an hour after clas begins.

Turn in your playblast, and in include the current frame count. A good example of what we're looking for is below, you'll see a great example of those poses in action. Be sure to add follow through and overlapping action in the arms and you'll be "good to go".

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Week 7 : Character Jump
This week, we reviewed controls for the lowman rig. Continue to work on your Midterm logo animation on a weekly basis. This will be turned in and recorded on the final day.

HOMEWORK
Animate the lowman rig jumping. You will be graded on smooth realistic movement, sense of weight, overlapping and follow through (in the limbs of your charcter). The example below demonstrates what we're looking for.

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Week 5 : No School

HOMEWORK
Animate your logo and have quicktime playblast ready before class. When we meet, we will watch them and will critique them. For the remainder of class, you will make these changes and will create a final render of your logo.

In - Class Assignment - Animate a Ball travelling through an obstacle course that you create.

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Week 4 : Animating a Car & Camera Move
Its nice to meet all of you. Please use this week to catch up on assignments that you may have been missing. This week, you will be animating a car and a simple camera. The goal of the week is familiarize yourself with the animation process in Maya.

Topics of the Week:
• Keyframing (S hotekey) or Autokey feature.
• Animation preferences
• Animation Process: Blockin Positioning > Secondary Motion > Refinement
• Stepping
• Creating Playblasts

HOMEWORK:
• Animate a car and have it pass the camera.
• Include: 3 turns and a camera shake.
• We are looking for realistic movement. Include diminshing inertia or friction as the car turns.
• You may want to include simple buildings and an environment
• Animate the camera in the scene
• Submit a clear playplast.

• SIDENOTE: You may submit your other animations for full credit week 5 only.

NEXT WEEK:
• Animating a personal logo.

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Weeks 1 - 3 :
• Week 1: Animate a ball bounce
Demonstrate squash and stretch, ease in and ease out, realistic movement

• Week 2: Animate a 2 balls bouncing
Demonstrate different weights, and timing.

• Week 3: Flour Sac Drop
Demonstrate followthrough and overlapping action.