The Block, Pass 1

So, following on from my last post I've been working on the actual animation over the last few weeks. I've finished my first pass of the animation now, blocking out the poses for Pandora and the other character rigs in my scene, which you can watch below:

I had originally intended to animate the intro, with her stealing the key, which you can see at the start of the animatic, but as the above block worked out as 1 minute 50 I've decided to leave it as 2D or it'll be too much to do in the time I have. Also it's not really the most important sequence so I think I should focus on the main, defining part of the story.

Since working on the block I've encountered a few problems here and there, mainly with the skinning, which I've been fixing as I go along.

I've also encountered two other problems which have led me to making changes within the animation in order to make the relevant actions work. This has meant deviating slightly from the animatic and adding in some additional actions, which hopefully still work.

The first one of these occurred at the part where the Dark Arm is pulling Pandora into the box. In the animatic the hand pulls her into the box in it's grip. This didn't go quite as smoothly in the 3D version. With Pandora in it's grasp the hand would not fit into the box. If I'd just pulled it through anyway the Dark Arm mesh intersects the box and is visible outside of it which is not something I want in the animation. 

There were two possible solutions to this problem: 

1. resize the box 
2. come up with an alternative action to make this work

I decided on option two. The results of which are shown in the above block video. I decided to have the hand stop at the top of the box and push Pandora down into the box using the thumb/finger. When she's in the box it then straightens and withdraws. I think this action worked quite well despite not being part of the original plan.

The next problem is something I've come across today while working my way through the second pass of the animation. At the start of this pass I added in the box key and linked it to Pandora's hand at the start. Everything was find until I reached the point in the animation where she goes to unlock the box, only to find the key was the wrong way round:

The easy solution would be to just rotate the key the other way (with autokey turned off) in order for this action to work in the animation with the key facing the right way. However by doing this the key would then not be in the right position for the action prior to this when Pandora is holding the key put towards the box comparing the shape at the top of the key to the box lock, which you can see below.

So the only option left was the key would have to be rotated in the animation. This wasn't something I'd planned for. Maybe this is something I should have given more consideration too during the filming stage... If I'd been using a more suitable prop other than a hairbrush maybe it would have O_O

Either way I've not incorporated the rotate into the animation, which hopefully looks ok. I repositioned some of my pose keys to adjust the timing and added in some additional poses and extended others to try and make this new action look believable and fit into the sequence. The results of this will be seen when I upload the second pass. For now I'm just making note of this problem so I can incorporate it into my report.

I've also began blocking out the face in this pass so I've got to make use of my facial rig for the first time. Could be better, but for a first attempt at building one, not bad! Definately something to learn from and build upon in the future!

Let the Animation Begin

The Pandora model is now finished and in use! 

Here's a picture of the final model:

I finished the facial rig, which was quite a fun process. As I've mentioned previously I've never made a proper one before so I had to do a bit of research. I've used Morpher before to create expressions but this time I wanted to control the expression changes without having to go into the modifier panel each time. Also this is the first animatable model I've created with a jaw bone so I wanted to link that up to my control panel too. I had no idea how to do this mind so research had to be done!

I found these tutorials:

http://www.bakaneko.com/howto/computer/3d/rigging/
http://www.3dtotal.com/team/Tutorials_3/video_facecontrol/facecontrol.php

I did also have a read at the book 'Stop Staring' I have on facial animation, but the actual section on setting up the controls for it is for MAYA so didn't make much sense to me. After reading/watching the above links I felt comfortable enough to take what I'd learned and apply it to what I wanted to achieve with my own rig. I created my control panel first, making control panels for all the actions I wanted to be able to control and then set these up with IK and limits so they could be wired up to the relevant expressions later using reaction manager.

In total I ended up having 40 morph targets, quite a variety.

These should be enough there for what I want but if not I can always create more as I go along. I wired all of these up to my control panel then using Reaction Manager, as well as the jaw bone and that all seems to be working just fine. The real test will come when I start animating her facial expressions in the animation, so fingers crossed!

With that done I then decided to test the rig itself by creating a quick walk cycle for Pandora to fix any obvious problems. I didn't want to spend too long on the walk (as tempting as it was) with it only being a test but I tried to give it a bit of character then I rendered it out. Couldn't see any problems with the skinning so I decided it was time to begin the actual animation work. I did see a few things on the model and texture I'd like to have refined but at this stage I don't want to be editing and re-doing stages. I'd rather move forward unless the issues really call for me to go back.

Yesterday I filmed some footage and began the opening animation where Pandora steals the key from the drawer. I figured this would be the best sequence to begin with to give the rig its first proper testing... and encountered problems with the skinning. This was to be expected after have smooth most things have gone so far :P The problem occured with the shoulder and elbow joints with some strange distortion. I played around with envelopes and vertex weights to some extent but this didn't to much. Then I had an idea that maybe its the shape of the rig at these joints so I edited the CAT rig at the elbows and shoulders so when the joints bend theres a curved section. This seems to have worked pretty good :) Here's a screen shot to show what I mean:

I did also test on a copy of the file if adding more edges would have fixed the problem but it didn't which is kind of good really becasue that would have meant re unwrapping the body, whereas altering the rig itself doesn't really affect anything not even the animation on the various parts as long as you're not in animation mode. Another bonus of the CAT system!

All the problems I've encountered and fixed with the rig I've applied to a 'Final' version of my rig so if I need to bring it into a new scene its up to date with all issues corrected. When I begin work on the main sequence I'll need this.

I also opened up the Attic scene file yesterday and added in my main camera to make sure the angle I'd envisioned in my animatic worked with the 3D version. It did. I also added some lights and checked the scale of the models with the scene just to make sure. All good!

Today I plan on filming some footage for this section, ready to begin blocking it out on the weekend. I've also got some DVDs to watch for relevant research for my report. So far I'm on track with my schedule :)

Character Modelling & Rigging

Since my last post I've spent most of my time working Pandora and also looking more into rigging.

One of my friends from class recommended I use MAX's CAT system to rig my main character, which he'd recently been experimenting with for his models. So after spending an hour or so with him one morning checking it out I decided it was the best thing to use. You can build a highly customisable rig, shape the bones to suit your mesh, animate on layers and switch between IK and FK. Beats the hell out of biped and bones. Well done Autodesk!

So I came home, deleted the original bone rig I'd created for my creature and made a new one with the CAT system to experiment. I skinned and tested it too and it seems to work just fine! Should make animating a lot easier too with the layers.

I then moved back onto working on the Pandora model. This is the first time I've modelled a full human character in quite awhile so I didn't get it done as fast as I'd hoped but I think I did a pretty good job in the end.

Got some feedback on it too and was told the topology was sound, especially in the face. Awesome!

After making some slight adjustments to the final model, I've spent the last few days building and shaping the rig, which you can see below:

 

The rig actually looks like the character now after some editing which I think is cooool. I've also found today that this makes the skinning process a lot easier! I've also unwrapped the model, currently I've just applied some simple colours to match my concepts, not too concerned with that at the moment and this evening I've been skinning her. So far so good! I also got told it looks like my drawings :D which means I haven't done a bad job!

I'm attempting something new with project too by making a facial rig. Previously, I've created characters with some facial expressions using morph targets, and I've used other rigs with a facial set up but I've never attempted building my own.I added an extra bone to the head when I was building the rig for the Jaw, and so far I've skinned it to work.

My next plan is to create my morph targets then create a control system for the face with Reaction Manager so I don't have to keep going into Morpher and rotating the jaw bone. Never tried this before so I hope it goes as smoothly as possible.

I also need to texture her eyes... she looks pretty freaky with them being all white!

Animatic & Project Progress

I've done quite a bit of work on the project since my last post so this is likely going to be a long entry. First off I completed and final draft of my storyboard and then further developed it to produce the animatic for my piece which you can watch below.

It's longer than I expected it to be, luckily around 40 seconds of this is made up of narration or sections which don't include animation. I intend to keep the section I have text and illustrations in, and maybe get someone to read the narration for the final version. Aside from that this pretty much shows what I want the animation to look like.

After giving it some consideration, I've also decided to produce the animation in black and white. It seems to suit the piece well in the animatic, and as its got a creepy, dark element to it I think it'll work. 

This is the moodboard I produced at the start of my research, which gathers together stills from my favourite animations, all of them with that dark edge... guess that shows my personal taste :P 

So my short is likely going to resemble Tim Burton's short Vincent, in the fact that it will be done in these tones, hopefully with some good lighting, but I'm also aiming for it to be cute and appealing too, with the style of the characters and set. Think it's well on its way!

Here's the model of my creature, which is now being rigged:

And also some more designs for Pandora:

I'm currently in the process of modelling her, which I'd like to have done asap so I can get her rigged ready to animate

Speaking of Time Burton earlier, I'm also going to look into compositing at a later stage and experiment with some techniques to give the animation a 'stop motion' feel to see how that works. I think it could potentially work quite well so we shall see. I'm also going to need to use After Effects to make the creature's morph into Pandora work. So I'll need to do some research while I'm in the production stage.

I've also set up a basic model for my Dark Arm which I've successfully rigged and tested:

Originally I had intended to have this to be a tentacle of darkness but after doing numerous tests trying to make it work as a tentacle, which proved to be rather complicated, I decided why not make it just a simple giant arm? So that's what I did! I rigged it with IK, set up the controls and Voila! It seems to work just fine for what I require of it and it's a lot easier to control than a tentacle so it was definately a good call!

So this is where I am at the moment. My priority at the moment is to get Pandora modelled and rigged and finish the creature rig then test them both and go from there!

Final Project Story & Design

I mentioned in my previous post that my idea was to create a piece based on the myth of Pandora's box, and do my own take on it. I intend to create a cute yet creepy stylised piece, featuring one main character and one room. It's going to include some 2D illustrated/narrated elements to open as well as the animated section. I'll be producing all my own character models and rigs.

So here's a brief summary of my story:

Pandora is going to be a young child, what wants to know everything. She has a burning curiosity and loves exploring places, seeking out hidden treasure or hidden passageways. One days she discovers an old mysterious looking chest which she tries to open, but she gets caught by her furious father who takes the chest to the attic and forbids her to ever go up there again. He also hides the key.

The short will open with Pandora stealing the key then venturing to the attic to open it.. As she is about to open the chest she starts to have second thoughts because she’s been forbidden to touch it and doesn’t want to get in trouble with her father. Sensing her doubt, the box shakes and curiosity gets the better of her so she unlocks it.

Not sure what to expect after the box moved Pandora is quite scared of what may come out, but is pleasantly surprised when a cute little dark creature swoops out past her. Laughing she attempts to catch it, turning her back on the box.

A large, dark form begins to grow from the box and the room gets darker. Alarmed by the change in light, Pandora turns around, but she is too late. The darkness is already upon her. Swooping down the dark form seizes Pandora and pulls her into the box, slamming it shut behind her.

The room returns to its original light and state, looking as though nothing had ever disturbed it. Frantic tapping sounds come from within the box with an occasional shake and a dark little creature is seen slinking away into the shadows.

After working on my storyboard I have since added an extra twist to the ending with the evil creature becoming Pandora. I really like this addition and I feel it resolves the story much better. There's also room for me to maybe make a 'Part 2' in the future answering the question of 'What happened to Pandora?

-----------

Here are some of the initial sketches of Pandora with the key and creature!

I've also produced modelling templates from my designs for Pandora, the box, the creature and the key. So far I've completed the box and key, may need a bit of tweaking later but not much.

Only thing left is texturing but I intend to tackle that when all the models are complete. I'll post some more design work soon along with my completed storyboard!

Project Pre-Production

Since my last post we have now began work on our Final Projects. This module is Pre-Production and basically includes doing all the work except for the animating for our final piece i.e. story development, concept art, modelling, rigging, research, reference shooting, storyboarding and animatics etc.

After brainstorming some ideas for a possible project idea I've decided to create a piece based on my own original retelling of 'Pandora's Box'. I aim to create a stylised, dark, cute piece around a minute and a half in length featuring one main character, one scene and some simpler creature designs.

I'm going to attempt to build my own rig for this module as there are no female rigs for max, especially not children which is what I'm after. This should be pretty challenging. I've modelled, skinned and rigged before using biped, but it's not really something I've done much of so it should some additional learning, especially building a facial rig. I have some videos on the process so I'll get round to watching them when I've finished the model.

So far I have planned out all aspects of the story and development, wrote a character profile for my protagonist Pandora,created all the concept art for my characters, props and the scene as well as additional sketches of various story aspects to get a feel for the piece. 

I'm now in the process of modelling from the templates I've drawn up of my final designs, writing up an an animation script and drawing the storyboard to see how it reads.

I'll start posting some of my work in following posts.

-------------------------

This is a ringling thesis short I watched recently. Nice story concept, great character models and animation! If I can get my character models looking as good as this I'll be very pleased, haha!

Task 2: Mime Final

I also finished up the Mime on Friday so I could spend the weekend with my family. This is probably my favourite piece from the module. 

From my last pose, I tweaked the timing further to make some areas a bit more snappier. Then I worked on the curves and made some offsets and added in the pupil movement.

I think some areas could probably be made faster still, but when it reached the stage it was at this point, theres so many keys for the body that it gets difficult to shift them. Also as the face also has a whole load of keys which have been done to suit the body these also have to be moved to match and it's near impossible to do. But all in all the timing is ok. I think the piece could probably do with a bit more polishing, mainly on the last 400 frames but I'm pleased with the start of it. 

I'm looking forward to making a start on something new now, particularly as it will be my own personal project :D wooo! Going to attempt some new things, do some research into lighting and rendering, attempt building some rigs and as this next module is pre-production... this means ideas and concepts sooo I GET TO DRAW!! Hopefully my idea will be approved and I can get started soon!

And just to finish, a cool short I seen last week which I thought was really cool! Must have been fun animating all the different types of animals.

Lab by Esma-Movie

Oh,I went to see Rio this weekend which I really enjoyed. It's a fun movie, with cool music which made me want to get up and dance and it also made me want to go on holiday, haha! It defintely looks like it would have been a fun movie to have been a part of, theres some pretty interesting characters which have been animated well. I also like the character designs, which is something I always look at! I really like the designs for the monkeys and also for all the different birds. Some of the designs for the small birds are so cute!

The animation for some ofthe birds when they're rapping is sharp and snappy as well as being smooth and fluid for the dancing. I'd like to learn more about animating animals and creatures... it would be good to explore more possibilities and open up more types of characters to animate. Maybe after the course is done this could be something for me to look into.