Senior Portfolio Fall Week 12

Senior Portfolio Post 12

12/6/2018

For this week I have done another experimental project. I have started a new project going back to working with the individual character.  This animation features a "suit up" of the character.  The animation features two models, but one is simply pieces replacing another.  I think using the tricks learned previously to play to the camera come in handy the most for these types of situations.  This is also another project that will hopefully give me a better understanding as I branch out into more advanced models later on.  This animation in particular took longer to prepare due to keeping track of two models at once.  For now, the pieces simple appear and disappear simultaneously in order to insinuate a switching of sorts.  Further down the line of progression, this will change into separate pieces flying in and replacing one another, with more movement to show force and weight.

https://youtu.be/ouAuiqmUrB0

Senior Portfolio Fall Week 11

Senior Portfolio Post 11

11/29/2018

For this week I have a new set of test projects that cater more towards my plans for the next semester of portfolio work.  I have imported new objects and characters to test out in animations.  There are a couple of mechs I am only using for very simple movements.  I may further explore the capabilities later down the line.  A lot of the projects to come in the following weeks will be much shorter than previous animations because they will eventually be strung  together as a series in the future.  For now, each scene will be separate.

For this week, I have begun exploring other Lego builds beyond the standard characters.  Now I am experimenting with actual builds such as vehicles and creatures.  First off is a mechanical robot suit.  I have gone through demonstrating the most basic points of movement.  This is a build with minimal moving parts for the most part as a bridge between characters and larger builds.  I am considering creating more animations with builds of similar type.  Another future project spinning off of this one combined with previous projects is animating from a first person point of view.  I think that this is a good starting point and I am quickly realizing the capabilities of not just this project, but others I have planned for the next few weeks.

Uplink Mech Test

https://youtu.be/Mu_Mk1Kqg_0


First Person POV Test

https://youtu.be/7c-XG8ixWyg

Senior Portfolio Fall Week 10

Senior Portfolio Post 10

11/8/2018

This week, I have moved forward with the two previous projects.  I have applied the suggested changes from the last critique, and have further progressed in smoothing out each scene.

The wall flip scene has been further smoothed out in animation, and the timing has been altered for better reading.  Of the two animation projects, this one has had more work emphasis on the smaller details.  Things like the distance from the wall during the jump, and the impact of landing were taken into account from critiques.  The main character is becoming more and more spontaneous in actions, never staying in one position or another for too long.

https://youtu.be/-uLab7xVRGg




The dive scene has seen significant change with splining and holds on animation.  Now, the Lego character moves more fluid, and depending on which segment, they move faster or slower in accordance to the dive motion referenced.  One aspect I am focused on making read clearly to the audience is the flip in mid-air.  In order to show dynamic movement while also maintaining realistic physics, there are a few frames of animation where the character speeds up or slows in order to emphasize the motions.  This hopefully does not detract from neither the realism or simplicity of the project overall.  With that said, I may proceed to make multiple variations of this scene practicing other dive motions in the future, depending on how this one turns out.

https://youtu.be/9KkNojJPLiM

Senior Portfolio Fall Week 9

Senior Portfolio Post 9

11/1/2018

This week I have begun work on a couple new animation projects.  The first one is a wall jump and flip, and the second is a dive sequence.  Both of these scenes take notes from previous projects and will be utilizing the Lego character models.  The wall jump will take priority, and will be the main focus of work for the next couple of weeks.  The dive animation will serve as a buffer in between periods of work.

So far, the wall jump has been blocked out and splined as per usual.  The main points I want to practice with this animation are contact poses, lateral movement of a character, and fluidity of motion.  I am taking a couple of pointers from references, and ultimately I want to adapt the scene to the style of my previous projects.  The toughest challenges I foresee for this animation are the speed and overlap, which could go many ways in trying to get the best reading by the audience.  I would prefer to keep this scene short and simple for the sake of consistency.  I certainly do not want this to drag on for too long.  The following is my progress for this week.

https://youtu.be/YpGFHil9-wI



The dive animation has only been blocked out at this point.  The key poses have been laid out, with more reference on the way.  I think this animation will be helpful to my practice because it calls for more dynamic poses which may prove difficult with the characters I am using.  I may come up with some creative shortcuts to translate the type of motion over into animation.


https://youtu.be/H8b-VwYEbpE

Senior Portfolio Fall Week 8

Senior Portfolio Post 8

10/25/2018

This week brought a couple of hiccups for my workflow.  A couple major setbacks with my computer had prevented me from getting much work done for a majority of the week.  However, a couple of fixes have at least allowed me to do a little tweaking.  As a result, I have only done a few edits to the previous few weeks' animation of Lego characters.  Luckily, I am putting this particular project to rest for now, as it has been the center of focus for a considerable amount of time now.  

https://youtu.be/nD584pVvSLM

In the meantime, I put what time I had with Maya (while in class) to work on corresponding class work.  In this case character animation.  Starting off a new scene, I set up a few potential scenes without reference to go with different dialogue pieces.  Here are a few screen captures.  While not a main contribution meant for Senior Portfolio, this project will run alongside and I may or may not post updates in posts as well.

Next week, I will begin work on new animations.  I am not sure what exactly, but I do have a list of potential short term and long term projects to try.

Senior Portfolio Preface and Previous Works

Senior Portfolio

Preface

My name is Nicholas Ng, and for this semester of CAGD 493 - Senior Portfolio I will be exploring and experimenting 3D computer animation.  My main focus for these next few months will be practicing and expanding my knowledge of animation concepts, new and old.  The first and primary range of animation involves LEGO models, figures, and other related assets.  The style of animation I aim to achieve with these is akin to projects such as stop-motion, LEGO video games, and the cinematic LEGO movies from the past few years.  The second, supplemental range of animations I want to play with are basic movements and game-type short animations.  For this I will be practicing and hopefully improving my skills with the basics of animation.  Overall, this will provide a nice balance between animation styles, and I can switch over if one area becomes too stressful or uninspired.  For the models and rigs I am using, the LEGO models are semi-custom and based upon real-life bricks and pieces.  For the other animations, I will mainly be using rigs from the BodyMech rig pack, such as the Jack and Herc rigs.  This semester, my goal is to improve my knowledge and understanding of computer animation, as well as learn where I am most comfortable putting my skills to use.

Previous Works

A box weight lift
https://youtu.be/NbM9z-tDVrQ



Quick Game Animation Compilation
https://youtu.be/ILbfovN2Wmk





Scenes from Group Animation Projects
https://youtu.be/dJ1OVghDm3g



https://youtu.be/YP9lJx9D77U

My aim for this semester is to explore and improve upon skills I have developed and feel comfortable doing more of.

Senior Portfolio Fall Week 7

Senior Portfolio Post 7

10/18/2018

For this week, I have once more continued work on the fight sequence.  More holds and time overall have been added to the scene.  Once again, the impact of interactions between the two characters have been a point of challenge.  However, I think the extra time added has helped me gain a better understanding.  There is now more emphasis on action and reaction, and the ending sequence has been updated.

https://youtu.be/G1y9xgbqABo






A new project I have begun planning out is a showcase for messages made out of Lego pieces.  These animations are being created to be shown off at a convention in a few months.  The goal is to really push the use of Lego characters and objects and get closer to official marketing material.  This will eventually become multiple scenarios with different messages, but the concept overall is the same.  Characters will build or interact with a large-scale message in the scene.  More objects may be brought in as further progress is made.  So far, I have only set up the scene, bringing in the objects to be primarily featured (as far as I have planned) and given the most attention.  More and more objects will be brought in to make the scene more final, that will come when necessary.  This project won't be the main focus of my work for quite some time, but I wanted to get started early so development is not rushed.