Animation Workflow

Every art has a process of "Creating A Workflow". A good workflow; will make it easy, fun, and a cut above while doing the animations. This blog is on 5 stages of animations.

The 5 Stages of Animation:

(1) Planning

?The animation process starts when you are in the concept phase of any project. Everything must be planned in time, so when you open your preferred software, you know exactly what to do, what to expect, and how to combine the objects you will be animating.

Find your Ideas, Story, Character, and Movements

It is essential to gather various references to have a clear notion of the concepts and the characters you'll be creating. Have a thorough understanding of the character's personality before you begin.

Sketching (thumbnails), Video references, and Storyboarding.

A thumbnail is very effective for quick ideas e.g., poses, actions and expressions. It's so much faster to scribble some stick figures than to animate it directly in 3D. This will save you a lot of time in animations.

(2) Blocking

As you’ve planned your shot thoroughly, it becomes interesting now to add your “Storytelling Poses/Key Poses” in 3D space. Just keep it minimum to sell the idea. Focus only on storytelling, not on the details. We keep adding the poses until the movement looks good while staying in “Stepped Mode”.

By the end of this step,

1. The intention of the shot should be clear

2. Good timing

3. Appealing poses.??

(3) Blocking Plus

It’s the process where we convert the interpolation of keys from “Stepped to Spline”. In other words, we make the computer connect the movement between each of your poses, which makes the movement look fluid.

The problem is computers don’t do a very good job at interpolating.?We have to break down how to move from one storytelling pose to the next one, by adding In-between poses and controlling how the character moves from one pose to another. The animation really starts taking shape in this pass, by adjusting the timing within the poses.

?(4) Refining

Now all of the poses are in ‘Spline Mode’, we need to clean up all the curves and make sure movement looks more fluid. In this pass, we offset the timing of the poses and some body parts to create interesting actions, by adding variations in accents, different timing, anticipations, and exaggerations.

It's incredibly satisfying to see a pile of polygons or clay come to life and express emotions, but it doesn't mean you should rush through each pose and refine it before moving on to the next one. You should focus on one body part at a time. By the end of this pass, your shot should look solid and almost finished.

(5) Polish

This is the most interesting and fun step. We already finished a lot of work, it’s time to add the fun element. It’s important to be patient and not rush during this step. The finer you polish, the more believable your shot will be.

To make the character feel more real we need to create a world where physics and acting are realistic and convincing to make it look more organic.

Note: Start Polishing from Root ctrl, followed by COG, spine, chest, neck, head, face, then arms and legs. It's important to double-check arcs, spacing, fingers, toes, drapes, ears, knee pops, jaw arcs, and lip-sync modifications.

?Well, include these steps in your workflow, and you can see your character come alive. We hope this helps to plan and make your shots better.

Until next time, happy animating and don’t forget to have fun ;)

To attend our workshops or to interact with us you can stay tuned to:?https://www.dhirubhai.net/groups/9208099/

For more updates, you can follow us on LinkedIn:?https://www.dhirubhai.net/company/primecraft-games

Blog Credits: Nikhil Dussa, Animator Primecraft Games.