Creating realistic weight and gravity in traditional animation software can be challenging, but also rewarding. It can make your characters and objects more believable, expressive, and dynamic. In this article, you will learn some basic principles and techniques to achieve this effect in any 2D or 3D animation software.
The first step is to understand how weight and gravity affect the movement and shape of your elements. Weight is the force that pulls them down, while gravity is the acceleration of that force. The more weight an element has, the more gravity it will experience, and the slower it will move. The less weight, the less gravity, and the faster it will move. You can use the formula W = mg, where W is weight, m is mass, and g is gravity, to calculate the weight of any element.
The second step is to apply the squash and stretch technique, which is a fundamental principle of animation. Squash and stretch means that when an element moves, it changes its shape according to its speed and direction. For example, when an element falls, it squashes at the top and stretches at the bottom, and when it bounces, it does the opposite. This creates a sense of elasticity, flexibility, and weight. You can use the scale tool in your software to adjust the shape of your elements.
The squash and stretch method is an indispensable form of adding weight and gravity. Not only can you use it to give depth to your vector illustrations, but can also be used to your realistic product images. Pro Tip: When applying the squash and stretch method in After Effects, make sure you uncheck the scale's link icon (AKA. constrain proportions box) This will allow you to scale the width and height individually
The third step is to adjust the timing and spacing of your animation, which are also essential principles of animation. Timing refers to the duration of each movement, while spacing refers to the distance between each frame. For example, when an element falls, it starts slowly, then accelerates, then slows down again. This creates a sense of gravity, speed, and impact. You can use the graph editor or the timeline in your software to control the timing and spacing of your animation.
Pro Tip: 1. Before using the graph editor on After Effects make sure you 'Easy ease' your keyframes. This will change the graph to a waveform that's easily editable, instead of a straight line 2. When editing the graph for Position, Scale, Rotation or Opacity, make sure you're editing the 'Speed Graph' (not 'Value Graph')
The fourth step is to add secondary actions to your animation, which are smaller movements that follow the main action. For example, when an element falls, it may have some parts that lag behind, such as hair, clothes, or accessories. This creates a sense of realism, detail, and weight distribution. You can use the layers or the parenting features in your software to add secondary actions to your elements.
The fifth step is to use exaggeration and anticipation to enhance your animation, which are artistic techniques that amplify the emotion and expression of your elements. For example, when an element falls, you can exaggerate its shape, speed, or impact to make it more dramatic, humorous, or surprising. You can also use anticipation to prepare the audience for the action, such as a pause, a pose, or a sound. This creates a sense of contrast, tension, and weight variation. You can use the transform or the keyframe tools in your software to manipulate your elements.
The sixth step is to experiment and refine your animation, which is the process of testing, reviewing, and improving your work. For example, you can play back your animation, watch it from different angles, or compare it with reference videos or images. You can also ask for feedback from others, or use the onion skinning or the ghosting features in your software to see the changes between frames. This helps you to spot any errors, inconsistencies, or areas for improvement, and to create a more polished and convincing animation.