All images from Inspired 3D: 3D Character Animation by Kyle Clark, series edited by Kyle Clark and Michael Ford. Reprinted with permission.

Read Part 1 of Inspired 3D: Blocking Your Animation.

This is the next in a number of adaptations from the new Inspired series published by Premier Press. Comprised of four titles and edited by Kyle Clark and Michael Ford, these books are designed to provide animators and curious moviegoers with tips and tricks from Hollywood veterans.

Adding More Information
The next part of this process incorporates a more refined level of animation. It’s going to build on the quick pass and create animation that clearly defines the intentions of the scene.

To get the desired quality of animation, I’ll need to add details to the gestures of this scene. The first pass generally concentrated on a small number of controllers. For the most part, I left the arms, head and chest in the default position. This stage requires setting keys on most major skeletal attributes. These additional keys will not only refine the level of poses, but will also allow me to precisely delineate the timings of the scene. These polished timings should bring a sense of weight, emotion and intent to the 3D character.

Although I am adding a large amount of detail to the previous pass, it is import ant to remember that this is the blocking phase of animation. The scene is still in its infancy and changes are going to happen. Staying away from the intricate details of poses will ensure that modifications can be made easily. Items such as fingers, facial features and clothing shouldn’t be introduced until the base layer of motion is established. (Unless these items are crucial to the shot.) In addition, keeping a certain degree of tidiness to your scene is important. By keeping the data organized, making timing adjustments will be much easier.

I’m going to start by working on the initial 18 frames of the shot. The quick pass consisted of only two frames and some additional info is necessary. The character is in mid-stretch during this time. I m going to have him complete the end of a stretch and then hold that pose for six frames. He’ll move a short distance between frames 1 and 12 and then drift slightly to frame 18. The small difference between the poses at frames 12 and 18 (the drift area) will keep the character alive. Figure 7 shows the three frames.

[Figure 7] Frames 1 (left) through 12 finish the stretch while frames 12 (center) through 18 keep the character slightly moving. The small change between 12 and 18 (right) provides a nice drift for the character.

On a quick side note, some extra consideration was necessary for this first shot. The geometry of the set was moved around. This required the beginning position of my character to change slightly. It also forced me to pay attention to the bookcase in the scene. I’ll have to watch my poses as the character begins his next set of actions.

The next beat from the blocking is frame 74 the ending point for our characters turn. Looking through my thumbnails and video reference, I notice the character needs to make a 100-degree rotation. This requires small steps from both the left and right leg, so the majority of my initial effort s will be spent getting this action correct. I’ll add upper-body poses at a later stage. I don’t want to spend too much time working on the shoulders and head when the hips and feet haven’t been addressed. Those lower-body sections drive the animation for this scene.