3D Animation in Hollywood.

Here some examples of what 3D animators do in the industry. You can see that their process is similar to your own 3D animation project. They thought of a story, made the characters and scenes and then rigged and animated them.  

Toy Story 3

Rango

Beginning your 3D animation

Intro to Project

1. Get into groups. Choose well.
2. Your animated shorts must tell a story yet can have a simple concept. The story/characters/visuals are there to evoke emotion. Do you want your viewers to laugh, cry, feel angry, feel afraid, etc.
3. Research other animated shorts:

• Who are the characters?
• What is the conflict?
• Describe the scene, mood, atmosphere, style?
• What camera perspectives are used? Why?
• Is the conflict resolved at the end? How?

Planning

4. Collaborate to generate many ideas about your own animated short (sketch, talk, act out your ideas).
5. Agree as a group on the best idea for your animated short.
6. Sketch out a rough storyboard.
7. Come up with a plan for production: Split up tasks (who works on effects, characters and the scene)

Also, if you want to animate a character with limbs or smalle moving parts, you will need to use bones.

For simple characters that have limbs, watch this:

Skin modifier

If you already have a model that needs to be rigged, watch this:

Rigging a model

Particles in Blender

Adding a particle system to an object is really awesome if you want to animate hundreds or even thousands of smaller objects or particles. This could be smoke, fire, water, mud, snow, sparks, bees, rocks, trees, ANYTHING! You could use particles in the scene of your animation or even as part of the characters.

Intro to particle systems. 

If you understand this and want to do more with particles, watch these tutorials below. Also check out BlenderGuru.com  because he also uses particle systems in complex ways. 

Dissolving an object

Making a galaxy.

Animating Objects

Today we began to animate objects. This is where we moved/rotated objects and then took a "snapshot" of the object's location/rotation by inserting a keyframe. To recap what we looked at today, you can watch this this quick tutorial by Blendercookie below.

Blendercookie's intro to keyframing

Remember, the more you experimentation you do and tutorials you watch, the more fun you can have with your final animation project. Again, feel free to email me at alexander.honeywell@gmail.com if you have any blender questions.

Textures and more

If you know that you are behind, please watch some of the tutorials above or below to get caught up. If you have a problem in blender, there is a very good chance there is a tutorial to fix it.

Downloading blender would allow you to have the flexibility to improve at home as well.

Today (tuesday) we looked at how to add textures to the objects we have created.
Textures can be found at cgtextures.com. By using textures on a mesh, you can help it look more "realistic" or stylized. Remember, any image can be placed on top of the mesh.

If you have been keeping up, you already have the skills to do a lot.

I also mentioned about Sculpting and Blender's Game Engine. I don't think there is time to go into these, but you can do some amazing things with them.

Sculpting

Game Engine

Art History Animation

First select an famous painting, photograph, musical score, play, writing... to inspire your animation. Here are a few to get you started. Choose carefully... Then brainstorm a story that you are going to derive from the art historical piece either to start it all off, to meet it in the middle or to conclude your animation. Draw out a story board, establish character(s), your background, a conflict and resolution.

Leonardo DaVinci- Mona Lisa

Vincent VanGogh- Starry Night

Pablo Picasso- The Old Guitarist

Jan Vermeer- The Love Letter

Salvador Dali- Persistance of Memory

Edgar Degas- The Viscount Lepic and his Daughters

Mark Rothko

Flash Tutorials

Here are a few tutorials to get you started.
Basic Flash Tutorial
Another Basic Tutorial
Bone Tool
Blur Tool
Glitzy Text Effect

Claymation- Wallace & Gromit

Wallace&Gromit

Today we are going to watch Nick Park's classic Claymation animation called "The Wrong Trousers". Notice the thought and detail that went into each scene, characters, and props. Also, consider the use of lighting, camera angles, and framing.

After watching the film, check out the Wallace & Gromit web site: http://www.wallaceandgromit.com/
Read the over views of the characters.

After watching the animation, start brainstorming your own stop motion animation. You can watch some more online animations, or play with the materials at the back of the class to inspire ideas.

Finally, type out in list form 5+ basic ideas- character, scenario, conflict, resolution

Flip Book Share

Today we are going to share our DOTs.
and self-evaluate based on the criteria:

• Your flipbook is 50+ frames that include a day in the life of a dot.
• The frames are arranged in a sequential series that change slightly to convey movement.
• The character is created from a dot.
• The story is simple with a conflict and resolution.
• Front page should have a title and name.
• Overall- story, animation, character(s), background/setting (if any) works well together.

Share your ideas

When you have your animation story figured out, I would like you to share your pitch with the class.

Remember- A pitch is a concise verbal (and sometimes visual) presentation of an idea.
Your pitch is to be a "one liner", quick description of what happens to your DOT.

http://typewith.me/p/Animation_Ideas

Storyboards

 

. D.O.T. Flipbook

. D.O.T .
You are to animate a . not a dash - in a flipbook:
First develop your idea based on your main character- DOT:You can be creative with your dot. It can be something more than just a dot, give it a character (keep it simple though).Establish a simple setting.There should be a narrative plot with a conflict and resolution- sounds complex, but doesn't have to be.

Step #1- Generate your idea
Finish the following narrative prompts to generate ideas for your dot-

Once apon a time there was a_____________ dot. Everyday the dot ________________. Because of that, the dot ____________________. And then ____________________. Until finally the dot _____________________________. And so ____________________________________.

Step #2 Write a one or two line "pitch" for your dot animation:
A pitch is a concise verbal (and sometimes visual) presentation of an idea for a film or TV series generally made by a screenwriter or director to a producer or studio executive in the hope of attracting development finance to pay for the writing of a screenplay.

Your pitch is to  be a "one liner", quick description of what happens to your DOT.

Step #3 Make a simple storyboard for DOT-Do not draw out all frames, just where your movement changes and the idea changes. 

Step#4- Draw your flipbook

First plan out your idea in a storyboard.

Draw out 50+ frames that include a day in the life of a dot.

The frames should be arranged in a sequential series that change slightly to convey movement.

Create a character from a dot.

Incorporate a simple story with a conflict and resolution.

Front page should have a title and name.

6 Parts of the Narrative

Plot: the sequence of events that take place in a story.

 

Setting: the time and place in which the events of a story take place.

 

Characterization: the methods used to present the personality of a character in a narrative. 

• Direct--the author describes the character. Example--She was a large woman with a large purse. 
• Indirect--the reader judges what the character is like based on what they say or do, or what other characters say about them. Example--We believe the narrator of "The Tell-Tale Heart" is crazy because he talks nervously and frequently repeats himself. 

Atmosphere: the general mood or feeling established in a piece of literature. Atmosphere is created through word choice and pacing. 

• Word Choice--the author uses words that make the reader feel a certain way. A spooky atmosphere is created in "The Tell-Tale Heart" through the use of words like "hideous," "marrow," "chilled," and "nervous."
• Pacing--the author controls the speed at which we read through sentence length, punctuation, repetition of words and other techniques. 

Point of View: who is narrating the story (2 main types: First Person, Third Person) 

• First person: the narrator uses "I" to tell the action, and is involved in the story. 
• Third person: the story is told from a perspective outside the story. The characters are referred to by name, or as he, she or they. 

Conflict: the central problem that drives the action of a story. (two main types) 

• Internal: The conflict happens in a character's mind. A character with a guilty conscience is an example of internal conflict. 
• External: The conflict happens between characters, or between a character and some outside force, like nature. Sherlock Holmes pursuing a criminal is an example of external conflict. 

An article about WALL-E exploring the plot, characters and style. The Stop Button

Watching Wall-e today

Today we are watching Wall-e. While you are watching, try to pay attention to conventions used in creating the animation magic:

1. Scene,
2. Characters,
3. The interaction between the characters,
4. How does the music affect you?
5. What is the story?
6. Try to recognize the sub-plots.