ANI202 – Body Mechanics And Shot Building Fundamentals Part 2

On June 20, 2020

Release date:2020, April 8

Author:TOBY WINDER

Skill level:Beginner

Language:English

Exercise files:Yes

This course, taught by Toby Winder, is the second part of an extensive two-part offering. It focuses on continuing the work on a short sequence that was started in ANI201. Participants will have the opportunity to finish the remaining shots in the sequence and spend time working on the cameras and editing of the sequence.During the classes, Toby shows the animation process in real-time so you can see first-hand what it entails instead of cutting out various parts of the process. This is very much on purpose for the course. Using the fxphd player, you may tailor the speed to your liking and focus on the areas which are most important to you.

Table of Contents

CLASS 1: INTRODUCTION & SHOT TWO
We start working on the second shot of our sequence But first, we work on improving the blend from the new camera position. We also do some tweaks to the run cycle to make it work a little better in the shot.
CLASS 2: SHOT TWO – CAMERA ANIMATION
Building camera animation for the second shot in the sequence.
CLASS 3: SHOT THREE – REFERENCE
We begin shot three by analyzing reference…looking at what works, what doesn’t, and how we can use this as a jumping-off point. Also, a discussion about blending between different references for different parts of the motion.
CLASS 4: SHOT THREE – BLOCKING KEY POSES, PART 1
We begin to block the key poses of the shot with the help of our reference for posing and timing. We discuss some deficiencies in our reference and how to overcome these.
CLASS 5: SHOT THREE – BLOCKING KEY POSES, PART 2
Refining the animation of the limbs and torso of the character.
CLASS 6: SHOT 3 – REFINING THE SPINE
A focus on cleaning and refining the mechanics of the spine and main centre of mass of the character.
CLASS 7: SHOT 3 – REFINING THE ARMS, PART 1
Finishing our work on the spine and moving onto cleaning up the arms of the character, working to improve arcs and spacing.
CLASS 8: SHOT 3 – REFINING THE ARMS, PART 2
Continuing work on the arms, aiming to refine the overall performance.
CLASS 9: SHOT 3 (CAMERA REFINEMENT)
We adjust the camera to work better in our sequence. We also make the necessary tweaks to our animation to work better with the new camera animation.
CLASS 10: SEQUENCE WORK
A look at the whole sequence from a camera/editing point of view, and working to improve the motion of the cameras to better tell the story of our sequence.
CLASS 11: FINAL CLEANUP
Fixing small issues in all of our shots and a general pass of clean-up and adjustment. We discuss what changes could be made to push the shots further as well as possible options for relocks/large changes to the idea that could be even cooler.