So here’s a relatively simple workflow tip I picked up at work. It’s probably something that’s totally obvious to a lot of people out there, but I actually never thought of working this way. Ready? OK here it is: If you’re blocking out your animation in step mode, try using IK arms. Then when you’re ready to spline, just snap the FK arms to the IK arms and switch back to using FK (more on switching in a second).
Why do it this way, especially if you prefer to work with FK arms in the first place? Am I trying to say using IK is better than FK? No, not at all. Both have their uses and everyone has their own preferences for using what they choose. But in simple practical terms, it can be faster to manipulate one controller on an IK arm than three on an FK arm. This can simplify things when you get feedback changes you need to turnaround fast. It also goes well with working in step mode since the focus is usually more on poses and timing and not so much on the inbetweens at this point.
There are obviously some caveats in order to benefit from using this approach. First, you need a way to snap FK to IK (and vice versa) to accurately match what’s been blocked out. Some rigs have this built in or you can check HighEnd3D.com which has some free downloadable tools to do this. The other thing is I’ve primarily used this approach when I’m blocking out the main key poses and breakdowns (not the inbetweens). I like to refine and polish the arms when they’re in FK so I can take advantage of the natural arc abilities that FK affords.
I realize people have different ways of working so animating this way may or may not appeal to everyone. I’m still trying it out myself, but it’s definitely come in handy when dealing with blocking revisions that have to be turned around quickly.
So things are trucking along at Rhythm & Hues. After 2 weeks of training I’m already knee-deep into my first shots. I’m really enjoying the experience so far and it’s every bit as challenging as I had imagined. I feel like I’m swimming in the deep end, but that’s a good thing. There are so many talented people working here and that really pushes me to try and put up my best work possible. It feels like a big jump going from games to film (maybe I can even blog about this later on). But, I think the last several years of working in games and especially the training I received at Animation Mentor helped prepare me for working on features. I still have a long ways to go, but I’m looking forward to seeing how this journey plays out!
Wow life has been crazy busy for me for the past couple months! I’ve moved from San Francisco and am now living in sunny Venice, California. It was definitely tough to leave a city I love so much, but I’m really enjoying the new adventure at Rhythm & Hues. I especially love that I don’t have to get on a freeway to get to work! It’s nice to finally start settling in and am now enjoying some of the things Los Angeles has to offer. One of the first things I did was attend the Milt Kahl event last month which was totally amazing!
Well, things are starting to ramp up at work but I’m hoping I can still post here as regularly as possible. Until next time!
The contest was a really great idea and I hope they do more stuff like this in the future so I can participate! In the end, I only had time to submit my pencil test (which they graciously included on the compilation video) because I’ve been super busy with relocating to Los Angeles. But, I should be settled soon and back in action!
I’m pleased to announce that I accepted an offer from Rhythm & Hues Studios in Los Angeles! I’m going to be animating on the sequel to Alvin & the Chipmunks. I’m really excited for this new opportunity and in some ways feel like I’ve come full circle. I started my career in live action films (in both camera and editorial) and to be returning as an animator is really exciting. It’s also kind of ironic…when I was in grade school the first talent show I ever participated in was doing a little number with 2 other kids as Alvin & the Chipmunks. Funny how things work out. I plan on being a lot better this time around!
So I decided I’d give the Spline Doctors animation challenge a go. I know I still have some work to put the final polish on my “Gettin’ Out” test but this sounded like a fun opportunity (and I intend to finish Gettin’ Out right after that). I came into this late so it will be tough trying to make the April 1st deadline. But, either way it should make for a fun test and a chance to learn something new.
I decided to do something a little different. Instead of having a character doing a performance to Christian Bale’s rant, I thought it might be interesting to focus on the person getting yelled at. In reality it was the Director of Photography, but for my test I decided to make the guy a grip.
This is just a simple (and very rough) pencil test done in Flash…I actually prefer to use Flipbook but my version only holds 300 frames and this clip came in at almost 20 seconds. So even though the drawings are nothing to write home about, I think it at least gives me a good idea of what I want the test to be. See what you think…feedback is always welcome.
Someone at work forwarded this to me so I thought I’d share. Over 6,000 paintings were created to make this 5 minute film. According to the director, they made a really basic 3D animation (mainly for timing) and then painted over the rendered frames. It’s a pretty nice piece of work which took 2 years to make. For you prog-rock fans out there, see if you can spot the King Crimson references.
Every now and then I might post something that has nothing to do with animation. Not to worry though. Diversions are a good thing. Really. For me they help stretch the creative muscles or contribute to “filling the well” of my own creativity. So I guess in that sense it does kind of relate to animation. Especially since so much of this craft is about observing the world around us.
Today’s diversion is a video that’s been floating around for a few months. You’ve probably even seen it. This is the first time I’ve seen it though and it’s TOTALLY amazing! Maybe because as a kid I was really into skateboarding. I used to live in the east bay on top of a pretty steep hill that I was always trying to skateboard down. But it was NOTHING compared to this:
Yesterday I traveled downtown to visit the Cartoon Art Museum which is featuring the exhibit, The Art of Coraline. It’s a great show which has almost 80 different pieces from the film including drawings, storyboards, puppets, sets, costumes, and more! Unfortunately, photography is not allowed so I was unable to capture any pictures.
When you enter the exhibit, the puppets and other 3 dimensional elements are in the center of the room with the surrounding walls featuring all the 2d artwork. I was immediately blown away by the puppets design which are both amazing and beautiful on an artistic and technical level. There’s also a fascinating handwritten journal by one of the people responsible for designing and implementing the armatures for all the characters. Lastly, the walls are covered with some phenomenal 2d artwork (concept art, character designs, storyboards, etc.) from artists like Dan Krall and Shane Prigmore among several others.
The exhibit is only open for 2 more weeks (ending on February 15th) so definitely check it out if you have a chance. Then go check out the film when it opens on Friday, February 6th!
A friend at work forwarded me this video called “Immersion”. It was created by photographer Robbie Cooper. The piece is an entertaining, up-close look at kids faces as they play video games. It also features some great face reference. Check out some of the mouth shapes going on. We tend to focus on the eyes, but in this clip the mouth (along with the tongue) is really expressive. Take a look:
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