What? Some of you people are in school all summer?
Oh, hehe.. sorry to be so callous..
But I have the whole summer off, so ... See ya in the Fall!
 |
Hey, these people look just like you guys! |
Friday, September 2, 2011
Monday, April 18, 2011
EXAM TIME!! DESN2022-A, Rigging 101 with Phil Bonner
This exam is now closed. Your marks will be available shortly.
_____________________________________
Welcome to your Final Exam.
You may use any reference material to complete this exam but it should be entirely your own work. Please guess if you're not sure. No marks will be deducted for wrong answers.
The form can only be submitted once. You may want to construct your answers outside the form and paste them in.
If you have any questions, let me know: tDonovan@georgebrown.ca
This exam is due FRIDAY, APRIL 22 at midnight.
Good luck! :o)
Click here to go to the exam:
https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dDJXZlNucjZXSmg3TTZ2LS1HTVhZQ0E6MQ
EXAM TIME!! DESN1119-C, 2D Animation Principles
This exam is now closed. Your marks will be available shortly.
_____________________________________
Welcome to your Final Exam.
You may use any reference material to complete this exam but it should be entirely your own work. Please guess if you're not sure. No marks will be deducted for wrong answers.
You are welcome to add images to help explain your answer. Upload your drawing or images through Blogger, your DropBox Public folder or an online photo album (Picasa, Flikr, Photobucket...) and include the link in your answer.
The form can only be submitted once. You may want to construct your answers outside the form and paste them in.
If you have any questions, let me know: tDonovan@georgebrown.ca
This exam is due FRIDAY, APRIL 22 at midnight.
Good luck! :o)
Click here to go to the exam:
https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dDRPNGN3WWpsTUh6U2NnOHdUWXZfa2c6MQ
Sunday, April 17, 2011
WEEK 14: Rigging, Part 4
Review - Creating an IK/FK blend behaviour using a 3-joint chain.
We'll use the Connection Editor to use a change on one object to drive a change on another object.
(similar to a set driven key)
-Demo of one method of setting up limb arcing
_________________________
Creating complex CTRL objects with nodes hidden on the Outliner using MEL
_________________________
Setting up spines suitable for broadcast:
-Animators want independent hips & shoulders and stretchiness
-Spline IK spines have some limitations
-We'll talk about the problems with the joint-scaling method used in some tutorials to stretch the spine.
-Using Up Vectors & Aim Constraints to avoid shearing.
_____________________________________
Further study:
Try out various spline IK tutorials to see if they’re stretchy, if they have geo pushing back, or other problems.
We'll use the Connection Editor to use a change on one object to drive a change on another object.
(similar to a set driven key)
-Demo of one method of setting up limb arcing
_________________________
Creating complex CTRL objects with nodes hidden on the Outliner using MEL
_________________________
Setting up spines suitable for broadcast:
-Animators want independent hips & shoulders and stretchiness
-Spline IK spines have some limitations
-We'll talk about the problems with the joint-scaling method used in some tutorials to stretch the spine.
-Using Up Vectors & Aim Constraints to avoid shearing.
_____________________________________
Further study:
Try out various spline IK tutorials to see if they’re stretchy, if they have geo pushing back, or other problems.
 | |
| Everything stretches in Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs |
Friday, April 15, 2011
WEEK 14: WIP Critique and Work period
We'll continue our discussion about 2D walks and have a look at how everyone's work is going so far.
You will have some time to work in class on the final assignment
which is due April 22nd.
What else is happening April 22nd... hmm... oh ya! YOUR FINAL EXAM IS DUE!!
This will be written remotely -- there are no classes at the school on that holiday Friday.
I will send you a link to the exam and post it here on Monday.
It's been an absolute pleasure working with you all. Have a great summer and I hope to see you back here next term!
You will have some time to work in class on the final assignment
which is due April 22nd.
What else is happening April 22nd... hmm... oh ya! YOUR FINAL EXAM IS DUE!!
This will be written remotely -- there are no classes at the school on that holiday Friday.
I will send you a link to the exam and post it here on Monday.
It's been an absolute pleasure working with you all. Have a great summer and I hope to see you back here next term!
See ya!!
WEEK 13: Rigging Part 3
We'll review the leg -- you should be able to rig it from scratch in about 15 min, including setting up CTRL objects for the Heel, Tip, Toe, Ball, Ankle
Keep practicing this until you have it down in 15 min
____________________________________________________
Let's get into skinning, starting with some notes about constraints.
Next: painting weights.
Practice skinning and be very comfortable with it by next week.
____________________________________
*Note - this method is quickly becoming obselete -- nowadays it’s increasingly common to use influence objects to add corrective blend shapes to the geo instead of skinning and painting weights
____________________________________
New topic: SPLINE IK
Homework Challenge -- Create an IK/FK blend behaviour (without using the Maya automatic blending) using a 3-joint chain (looks like an arm with a bend in the elbow)
Your Final Exam will be posted on MONDAY, April 18, due FRIDAY, April 22nd.
Thanks for being such a great class!
Enjoy your break!
Keep practicing this until you have it down in 15 min
____________________________________________________
Let's get into skinning, starting with some notes about constraints.
Next: painting weights.
Practice skinning and be very comfortable with it by next week.
____________________________________
*Note - this method is quickly becoming obselete -- nowadays it’s increasingly common to use influence objects to add corrective blend shapes to the geo instead of skinning and painting weights
____________________________________
New topic: SPLINE IK
Homework Challenge -- Create an IK/FK blend behaviour (without using the Maya automatic blending) using a 3-joint chain (looks like an arm with a bend in the elbow)
Your Final Exam will be posted on MONDAY, April 18, due FRIDAY, April 22nd.
Thanks for being such a great class!
Enjoy your break!
Friday, April 8, 2011
WEEK 13: Pitch Critique & Walk Cycle basics
Pitch critique --
We'll have a look at everyone's ideas and suggest ways to simplify or enhance the scenes.
Importing video to Flash: there's more than one way to do this. I've found image sequences work best. Use QT, Premiere or another program to create an image sequence and load it into Flash. We'll practice this in class.
Next .. Walk Cycles:
The walk cycle is a tricky but basic part of every animation curriculum. You're going to learn the nuts-and-bolts of bipedal locomotion, and try to apply them to your character. (There's also walk cycle info in the posts for DESN 2022.)
We'll get a start on our walk cycles in class and also have a look at some beautiful 2D reference from some of the masters of animation who really pushed the medium to the limit.
Pencil Test Depot
http://www.penciltestdepot.com/
Living Lines Library
http://livlily.blogspot.com/
Walk Cycle Depot
http://walk-cycle-depot.blogspot.com/
Homework:
Continue to work on your final project and finish up the walk cycle for your character. Don't use tweening or symbols -- draw all the frames (at 12 fps) and see what tricks you can use to keep things consistent. If your character is not bipedal, come up with a creative way to show locomotion, demonstrating gravity's effects as a traditional walk would.
We'll have a look at everyone's ideas and suggest ways to simplify or enhance the scenes.
 |
| nothing is as weird as reality |
Next .. Walk Cycles:
The walk cycle is a tricky but basic part of every animation curriculum. You're going to learn the nuts-and-bolts of bipedal locomotion, and try to apply them to your character. (There's also walk cycle info in the posts for DESN 2022.)
We'll get a start on our walk cycles in class and also have a look at some beautiful 2D reference from some of the masters of animation who really pushed the medium to the limit.
Pencil Test Depot
http://www.penciltestdepot.com/
Living Lines Library
http://livlily.blogspot.com/
Walk Cycle Depot
http://walk-cycle-depot.blogspot.com/
Homework:
Continue to work on your final project and finish up the walk cycle for your character. Don't use tweening or symbols -- draw all the frames (at 12 fps) and see what tricks you can use to keep things consistent. If your character is not bipedal, come up with a creative way to show locomotion, demonstrating gravity's effects as a traditional walk would.
WEEK 12: Rigging, Part 2
Continuing with Rigging the Luxo,
We'll parent the Geo to the rig & test everthing to make sure it's all working.
Next step: Renaming using a standard protocol
A few housekeeping tasks and your Luxo is done.
Get the rig all ready for animation being sure to lock and hide non-keyable channels and set up display layers.
________________________________________________
On to our next challenge -- The Leg
A leg is a lot like an upside-down Luxo.
How do we create the correct behaviour in the leg so moving the hip doesn’t move the foot?
We need the foot to be able to move in many ways - ball roll, toe roll, ankle rotation, etc..
Once this is set up, we'll add CTRL objects. This can be trickier than you might expect
Homework -- come back next week with
A fully rigged foot
Add another attribute to Luxo
If you are finding this all really easy, add a challenge by adding a look-at control or other fancy control.
We'll parent the Geo to the rig & test everthing to make sure it's all working.
Next step: Renaming using a standard protocol
A few housekeeping tasks and your Luxo is done.
Get the rig all ready for animation being sure to lock and hide non-keyable channels and set up display layers.
________________________________________________
On to our next challenge -- The Leg
A leg is a lot like an upside-down Luxo.
How do we create the correct behaviour in the leg so moving the hip doesn’t move the foot?
We need the foot to be able to move in many ways - ball roll, toe roll, ankle rotation, etc..
Once this is set up, we'll add CTRL objects. This can be trickier than you might expect
Homework -- come back next week with
A fully rigged foot
Add another attribute to Luxo
If you are finding this all really easy, add a challenge by adding a look-at control or other fancy control.
Friday, April 1, 2011
WEEK 12: Character Design Critique, Planning the Final Project
We'll have a look at everyone's final designs and make some suggestions.
It's time for your final assignment!
Your mission is to create a little world of Flash-animated characters in a live-action environment. You have a lot of creative freedom with this assignment. You can work by yourself or as a small group.
It can be linework or colour, it can be serious, cartoony, depressing, or rude. This is a chance to let your creativity shine. Your character needs to be able to move around and ideally walk around.
We'll do some brainstorming in class so you can get started. For inspiration we'll be looking at a brilliantly whacko piece of Flash animation from the video "Animals
by Minilogue. Anything goes in Flash -- have some fun with it.
Final Assignment:
Due April 22nd:
In small groups or individually, create and animate a walking character on top of a locked live action background plate.
Homework:
Due April 8th
Create a pitch for your idea. Your pitch should include a description of your scenario, as well as drawings to show how your work will all fit with your live action plate.
If you don't have an original idea, you can use one of these:
It's time for your final assignment!
Your mission is to create a little world of Flash-animated characters in a live-action environment. You have a lot of creative freedom with this assignment. You can work by yourself or as a small group.
It can be linework or colour, it can be serious, cartoony, depressing, or rude. This is a chance to let your creativity shine. Your character needs to be able to move around and ideally walk around.
We'll do some brainstorming in class so you can get started. For inspiration we'll be looking at a brilliantly whacko piece of Flash animation from the video "Animals
by Minilogue. Anything goes in Flash -- have some fun with it.
Final Assignment:
Due April 22nd:
In small groups or individually, create and animate a walking character on top of a locked live action background plate.
Homework:
Due April 8th
Create a pitch for your idea. Your pitch should include a description of your scenario, as well as drawings to show how your work will all fit with your live action plate.
If you don't have an original idea, you can use one of these:
- Busking for bugs
- Everybody in the salad
- 5" UFO
- Leaps tall buildings in a single bound
- Other uses for the toilet
- Badly disguised
- Things on my foot
- Urban Emissions
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
WEEK 11: Rigging Low Poly Models, Part 1
This is the first of 4 classes on low-poly rigging.You have a guest instructor:
Phil Bonner, CG supervisor, TD, animator, modeller, rigger, etc. -- and an amazing teacher.
pbonner@georgebrown.ca philfix.com
We'll compare the differences in the 3 main levels of rigs: bare bones, decent, and triple-A (and beyond!).
The focus for all levels of production rigs should be SPEED -- rigs must be fast. One key is reducing details like unecessary automation (or at least allowing it to be switched off.)
We'll start with a basic Luxo lamp rig -- review for some and a simple intro for others.
By the end of this class you should be familiar with joint placement, setting up IK, and adding CTRL objects properly so all controls are at "0", ready for animation. We'll learn some tricks for aligning CTRL objects, learn how to avoid some common mistakes, and work on getting faster at simple set-ups like this.
Ideally, you should be comfortable rigging this simple Luxo in under 5 minutes.
To get there, you should practice a dozen or so to be sure you've got it down.
HOMEWORK :
Phil Bonner, CG supervisor, TD, animator, modeller, rigger, etc. -- and an amazing teacher.pbonner@georgebrown.ca philfix.com
- If you're stuck, remember -- there are resources all around you -- your classmates, Google, Digital Tutors, email Phil your questions, etc.
- If you're advanced, just ask and a challenge will be granted to you. Also consider helping bring others up to speed so we can get into some more advanced concepts quicker.
 |
| Rigging of a different feather |
The focus for all levels of production rigs should be SPEED -- rigs must be fast. One key is reducing details like unecessary automation (or at least allowing it to be switched off.)
We'll start with a basic Luxo lamp rig -- review for some and a simple intro for others.
By the end of this class you should be familiar with joint placement, setting up IK, and adding CTRL objects properly so all controls are at "0", ready for animation. We'll learn some tricks for aligning CTRL objects, learn how to avoid some common mistakes, and work on getting faster at simple set-ups like this.
 |
Ideally, you should be comfortable rigging this simple Luxo in under 5 minutes.
To get there, you should practice a dozen or so to be sure you've got it down.
HOMEWORK :
- be able to rig the Luxo in under 15 minutes with IK and CTRLs
- try to figure out how to add a pole vector to orient the butt.
- come up with a list of new behaviours you could add to this rig
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