How can you refine your computer animations through iteration?

1 Plan your animations

Before you start animating, you need to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve, and how it fits into your game design and narrative. You should define the purpose, style, mood, and context of your animations, and sketch out the key poses, transitions, and timings. You can use storyboards, mood boards, reference videos, or other visual aids to help you plan your animations. Planning will help you avoid unnecessary work, and ensure that your animations are consistent and coherent with your game vision.

2 Prototype your animations

Once you have a plan, you can start prototyping your animations using simple shapes, rigs, or assets. Prototyping will help you test your ideas, and see how they work in your game engine and environment. You can use tools like Unity's Animation Window, Unreal Engine's Sequencer, or Blender's Grease Pencil to quickly create and edit your animations. You don't need to worry about the details or quality at this stage, as long as you can convey the basic motion and functionality of your animations.

3 Test your animations

After you have a prototype, you need to test your animations in your game, and see how they look and feel from different perspectives and scenarios. You can use tools like Unity's Timeline, Unreal Engine's Level Sequence, or Blender's Video Editor to create and play different scenes and events with your animations. You should test your animations for functionality, performance, and aesthetics, and check for any errors, glitches, or inconsistencies. You should also get feedback from other people, such as your teammates, testers, or users, and listen to their opinions and suggestions.

4 Polish your animations

Based on your testing and feedback, you can polish your animations and make them more realistic, expressive, and appealing. You can use tools like Unity's Animator Controller, Unreal Engine's Animation Blueprint, or Blender's Graph Editor to fine-tune and adjust your animations. You should pay attention to the details and nuances of your animations, such as the timing, spacing, easing, weight, balance, and anticipation. You should also add secondary motions, such as overlapping, follow-through, drag, and squash and stretch, to enhance the dynamism and fluidity of your animations.

6 Learn from your animations

The final step of refining your animations is to learn from your experience, and apply the lessons and insights to your future projects. You should document and evaluate your animation process, and identify what worked well and what didn't. You should also celebrate your achievements, and share your animations with your audience and peers. You can use platforms like YouTube, Vimeo, ArtStation, or Sketchfab to showcase your animations, and get more feedback and exposure. You can also join online communities, forums, or courses to learn more about animation techniques, trends, and best practices.