Motion Cycles

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MotionCycles_Animation_AssignmentBrief.pdf

Motion Cycles in Animation

For this assignment we have been asked to first Write a definition of what animation is and explain the different kinds of animation. Then we are to find examples of for each of the 12 principles of animation in video games, movies or animation etc. and to explain in detail what each of the twelve principles mean. We have also been tasked with creating three animations, two of which should be a five second run and walk cycle, and the third being an animation cycle of our choice for 15-20 seconds. We will be marked on our theoretical knowledge of the twelve principles, the practical knowledge of using 3D software and our reflection practices in OBS recordings.

What is Animation?

The simple definition of animation is, the simulation/illusion of movement created by using multiple images shown one after the other. This is broken down further, as things like movies use a similar process but are not considered animations by themselves. Animation is a process where multiple photographs are taken of drawings, models or puppets to create this illusion of movement. This is all possible because the eyes only retain an image for one tenth of a second and so the brain blends them together as one single moving image. Animation today is used in multiple entertainment forms, games, traditional animation, in movies and also for science and various other jobs. Movies use visual effects to create explosions and other effects and these are all animated/simulated. Animations can also be used to visually represent houses for real-estate and have other various marketing purposes.

The different types of animation

There are many types of animation but generally it is considered that their are five main types of animation. Those are, traditional animation, 2D animation, 3D animation, Stop motion and motion graphics.

Traditional animation is where you create each frame manually using a pencil and paper, it is vary time consuming and not commonly used outside of hobbyists, as it is simply to inefficient to create full animations using this method. Old Disney animated movies and anime used to use this method and would take photographs of each frame and put them together to create the animated movies. Traditional animation does not always imply the use of pencil and paper some people used transparent pieces of plastic to draw on and others painted their animations.

2D animation, also known as vector animation, is creating movement in two dimensions of space. With recent developments of technology and software 2D animation has become a more viable option for artists to choose with software like adobe affects and adobe animate allowing the manipulation of images to speed up the process of animation. Some popular 2D animations include The Simpsons, Family Guy, Rick and Morty and most anime.

3D animation, also known as computer animation, is the process of creating movement in three dimensions of space. The technology of 3D animation has been improving drastically over the past few decades allowing for games and animation to become more realistic and also artistic. Some examples of software used for 3D animation are Blender, Maya, 3D moviemaker and in general game engines like unreal engine and unity have their own in built rigging and animation systems. Rigging is the process of providing fake joints and bones in a 3D mesh to manipulate it and simulate movement. Keyframes can be added as the main frames and then the computer fills in the rest.

Stop motion is a technique by capturing a single frame at a time and using props/real objects by moving them from frame to frame. Popular stop motion materials includes clay, puppets with movable joints and Lego. Clay and plasticene are ideal materials for stop motion animation as they're flexible and can be moulded into any shape you want, if you're skilled enough.

Motion graphics is a form of animation that uses text as its main component to communicate a message. The focus of this animation type is to add motion to specific graphic design elements that would otherwise be static. Often used in social media, digital marketing and logos motion graphics are very useful for outside the entertainment industry.

The twelve principles of animation

Squash and Stretch

This is the principle that gives the illusion of gravity, weight, mass and flexibility. It is important that volume must remain the same for all shapes when stretched or squashed. When Alexios from Assassins Creed Odyssey falls to the ground his body bounces back up a fraction as the impact with the ground causes his body to squash and then stretch back into normal proportions. This gives a sense of realism as in real life when a body falls to the ground it doesn't just stop in place it bounces and moves in reaction to the impact. In the context of the story it also shows emotion as in this scene Alexios has just killed his own father, he probably feels many emotions like sadness and regret.

Anticipation

Anticipation is the exaggeration of actions, this is used to give the viewer a chance to see what comes next. The purpose of this can be for various reasons. For example, in Tom and Jerry, Jerry, Tom and Spike are all exaggerating their swings far beyond what is necessary to hit each other, this is done for comedic purposes.

Staging

This is the action of guiding the viewers attention to where you want them to look, making the main focus as clear as possible. This can apply to different sectors such as the camera angle/position, timing, acting and setting. The main action should always take place in the centre or middle third of the screen. In this scene, in the Tower of God, the character Baam diverts our gaze using his gaze from the red object to the right of the screen, down to a hand on his shoulder and then to his right towards Khun.

Straight ahead and Pose to pose

The two types of animation describe how the animation is made. Pose to pose is where you create/draw the key poses first and then fill in the gap. This is done so that the overall shape of the object or character isn't changed and if a mistake appears you won't have to erase all of the animation just to fix it. Straight ahead animation is the opposite of pose to pose, as you create the animation frame to frame which is beneficial for unpredictable movements such as water or clothes moving in the wind. In this scene with Naruto running both pose to pose and straight ahead have been used, pose to pose for the main action of Naruto running and straight ahead for the hair and clothes swaying in the wind. The heavy influence of wind on his clothes is done to show that he is running fast.

Follow through and Overlapping action

Follow through refers to the action where parts of the moving object/character continues to move when the main body of the object/character has stopped, such as hair. Overlapping action describes the offset between the main body and the other parts, drag falls within this sector and describes the delaying of the offset between parts. In this scene Kratos uses his axe to kill an ogre, in doing so his axe doesn't just stop as soon as he's sliced the ogre, it follows through. This follow through of the axe and how the ogre was sent flying shows how powerful the swing is.

Slow in Slow out

This refers to how most actions start and stop slowly. Having the animation start slow and end slow makes the animation seem smoother and more realistic. Without slow in and slow out the animation can feel mechanical which may be useful in certain circumstances but generally its better to have slow in slow out. Racing games are a clear way to see slow in and slow out, as to simulate cars realistically this is necessary as cars use slow in slow out.

Arcs

Most animals, including humans, move in a circular path, these paths are called arcs. Arcs are generally used for most animation except from if you want a mechanical feeling or movement, such as a car heading in a straight line. Arcs can also be used to give character to otherwise lifeless animations, a dogs head turning in a straight line towards the camera isn't as affective as if it bobs down then back up in an arc towards the camera. In this example, Malenia brings her sword back slowly then loops around he back to imply a powerful attack as she runs towards Radan.

Secondary Action

These are gestures which support the main action and can add more dimension to a character. In the anime above the main action is the swinging of the Nichirin sword whilst the secondary actions are the clothes swaying as Tanjiro moves through the air, his facial expressions changing and his hair and body moving as he rotates.

Timing

The nature of an animation is greatly affected by the number of frames between each main action, more frames makes the action slower less frames makes it faster. Depending on the number of frames between each action can portray the animation very differently. Because the number of frames in this fighting scene are low and spread apart the actions look quick and powerful, but when he cartwheels to dodge it slows down for a brief moment implying a break between the fighting.

Exaggeration

Exaggerating an animation beyond realistic actions can make it seem more realistic and conveys the action to the viewer more clearly. If a character is looking angry make him look even more angry. In the example cartoon above road runner and Yosemite Sam are being chased along the road by a rocket propelled vehicle yet instead of being caught up in an instant they continue to accelerate with only their feet showing as they spin in a circular motion to exaggerate the speed which they're running at.

Solid Drawing

This is about making sure forms feel like they're in three dimensional space and keeping objects proportions and looks throughout the entire animation even when the angles change. This includes overlap, as without overlapping, the body appears to be two dimensional. Whereas adding a line or two to transition between clothes and the skin or one body part and another can help sell the realism. In this scene Floch is using ODM gear to escape from Hange and the cart titan, whilst moving he turns and faces Hange and then continues to run until he gets blown away by his own rocket causing him to summersault in the air. This erratic movement provides a sense of urgency and shows that Floch is desperate to escape this dangerous situation.

Appeal

Appeal is making characters and animation pleasing to look at. This can be done by using unique shapes and adding some appealing features. If you make a monster with horns you can exaggerate the size of the horns so that it looks abnormal and appealing to the viewer etc. At the same time certain characters should be less appealing such as background characters or unimportant characters so the attention isn't taken away from the appealing characters. Appeal can also apply to VFX such as the flaming staff which provides a trail, it gets peoples attention this is appealing as controlling fire is a fantasy for people.

Walk and Run Cycle Reference:

Walk cycles have a longer number of frames than run cycles as the movement is slower and smoother. Squash and stretch applies here as each step forward stretches the still leg straight as the moving leg bends and moves forwards, then the body comes down and squashes on the impact of the step.

Run cycles have a shorter number of frames than walk cycles and has more dramatic movements. Squash and stretch is used when taking impact from moving at faster paces and when stepping (jumping) forward. The opposite arm to leg still applies here but there is a significant change in the position of the body as there is higher air resistance, in order to run faster the body needs to lean forward to balance that resistance.

Walk Cycle.mkv

Walk Cycle

Run cycle.mkv

Run Cycle

WalkRunTimelapse.mp4

Walk/Run cycle Timelapse

Here I made a simple walk and run cycle using the leg and balls model and the reference shown above. The walk cycle clearly shows a more slow and methodical way of moving whereas the running animation is quicker and more dramatic. I used blender's timeline to keyframe the animations and they were made using pose to pose animation, with some minor adjustments in-between each pose. I also keyframed the environment (wall and floor) to move with the character, which worked well at slower speeds, but for the run cycle it didn't line up as well.

RUN FLIP ANIMATION.mkv

Run Flip Animation

RunFlipAnimationV2.mkv

Run Flip Animation V2

Here I made a flip animation where the character runs towards a block performs a parkour move called Kong vault on top of the block then a front flip another Kong vault to another flip. After feedback I changed the animation to better animate the flip as the flip was happening when the character was moving downwards which didn't make sense as a flip requires the most time possible to take place. I then changed it to a Kong vault to on top of the block and a front flip pre (a precision move where the character flips and lands on another block/object that is not the ground). Then after to loop back to the beginning I made the character do a backflip and his hand falls through the ground where he then readjusts himself to land on his feet and start running again (not supposed to be realistic).

TimelapseFLipAnimationV2.mp4

Run/Flip cycle Timelapse/Analysis Video

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