Example "Golf shoe animation"

Brief: a one minute animation showing off the "pod" technology of the golf sole. with a Xray or Wire frame look.

Step 1 Story Boards

The project started with me doing three sets of storyboards to help the client refine their goals. This is the cheapest point to make changes, throwing away a pencil drawing is better then discarding a fully rendered shot.

Step 2 The model building phase of the shoe. The client gave some feed back and a few adjustments were made. client signed off on the model. Its impotent to have formal places for the client to give feed back.

Computers like doing tasks in sequences. Can things be done out of order ? Yes, but that eats up time and some work must be repeated.

Step 3 Textures.

I did about 6 different variations on wire frame and ex ray that the client first requested and then client change their mind for something solid with color but not "photoreal" with a subtle wire frame overlay.

Step 4 Rigging

This is a critical step that separates the pros from the amateurs. Setting up the rig correctly not only allows the clients item to move correctly it allow the animator to iterate and make changes quickly.

Step 5 Motion

The most important thing to this client was the motion and showing their shoe in action in ways that can't be achieved with photography.

Quick motion test let the client give feed back on the motion. I think its over animated but they asked for the motion to be exaggerated.

Step 6

Approvals on lighting for each shot, I sent the client two images.

The client changed the product name from "Foot Joy" to Dry Joy" and the colors. Both of these were 5 minute changes because of how the files were structured for flexibility,

Step 7

Final steps sending it off to render. Most people thing that the computer dose all the work here but the animator still must check in look for technical glitches and fix anything, re render and composite the shots so they are prefect before delivery to the client.