Senior Portfolio Spring Week 2

Senior Portfolio Post 2

1/31/19

For the first week of work this semester, I decided to spend my time tweaking and preparing the characters and other assets I plan to use for my animations throughout this semester.  As I mentioned in the previous post, I want to use a mix of characters I had on hand last semester, and also add in some new stuff for variety.  The first things I did was update the "rigs" I put together, applying some new skills I have learned since making earlier animations.  The following are displays of the character rigs I have put together for the first few animations I planned to work on over the next few weeks.

With these assets now up to date with the latest improvements, I can move forward with the animation projects, which will hopefully be easier to manage and develop over weeks than projects before.

Senior Portfolio Spring Week 1

Senior Portfolio Post 1

1/25/19

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.  I will be continuing my work on animation involving 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.  I want to do another set of projects that may take 1 to 4 weeks of focused work, much like the previous semester.  Some projects will take longer than others, depending on the inspiration and direction I want to take them.  In some instances I might want more of a narrative, while others will be short and to the point.  For the models and rigs I am using, the LEGO models are semi-custom and based upon real-life bricks and pieces.  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.

Assets

These are the types of models I worked with for the previous semester.  I plan to still use most of them for upcoming projects as well.  The range will likely grow to include more for this semester.  Specifically, more complex models are what I have in mind, such as vehicles and larger characters.

Project Concepts

• Run/Walk Cycle
• - Normal (1 week)
• - Floating (1 week)
• Iron Man Suit Up (continuation) (1-2 weeks)
• Logo Build-Up (2 weeks)
• First Person Fight Scene (4+ weeks)

Senior Portfolio Fall Week 13

Senior Portfolio Post 13

12/13/2018

For this final week of work, I have decided to go back to refine and improve every past animation from this semester.  The goal is to polish up my work for compilation into a proper demo reel.  I think having gone through this semester of work has greatly helped my knowledge and understanding of animation, and also my work ethic and drive for showcasing both personal and formal work.  A lot of these animations I have worked on focus on a different area of interest I set out to practice.  Now, I have brought all of my work together in a single video to show off.  Here is my Fall semester Senior Portfolio.

https://youtu.be/KW6d1uMCby8



Overall, going back to refine everything with everything I have learned throughout has given me a lot to consider for the future.  It also gives me much more confidence and ambition to practice, develop and experiment with more projects to come.  I hope to carry this all over into the next semester of work.

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