The Art of Animation Master Part I: Animation

ANYONE CAN ANIMATE
1 - You're the Director
2 - A Chorus Line
3 - Move It
4 - It's a Pitch
5 - Take a Walk
6 - The Door's Stuck
7 - Can You Say That?

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The Art of Animation:Master
Exercise 3: Move It
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Approx. time to complete: 20 Minutes

Web/Online ( 7.55MB )
or
Download Zip ( 7.3MB )

Update: in post #391 of this thread is a video with notes on alternate ways to pose Rabbit's arms, which you may find useful if you have difficulty with the method demonstrated in the TAoA:M book/video.

#3 Complete ... I posed him differntly ... plus Ive been using the betas abit and the pose sliders dont show up alot when I run the betas. I know how to use em though

I've done exercoses 1, 2 and 3. Are we supposed to post a picture of everything?

I can't seem to let go of ex 3 lol. It finally dawned on me that I could click a bone, hit the R key and rotate that thing with sooo much less effort LOL. I forget that A:M is one of those KISS things. I keep trying to make it harder than what it really is, DUUUUUHHHHHHH

Nice pose. He's got a look like he has something on his mind.
I'm a big fan of grayscale images and it looks good on him. Almost looks like you added film grain too.

Good job!
-Rodney

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Follow D's example... Try out Exercise 3: Move it
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Exercise 3

Exercise 3. I didn't follow it exactly, I tried to give rabbit some attitude and ended up doing some muscle deformation on his eyes then ended up tweaking some other bits here and there.

Okay, I finally finished my version of exercise 3. This is taking a while, but I'm having fun going way too far. I have real good ideas for the next two, and then the flower one, but other than that, I may have to settle with just doing it by the book.
I've got a summary here too, listing all the ones I've completed. I did fix Ex. 2's texture problem BTW if you wanna look at it again.

please comment away!

Ex 1 KeeKat
Ex 2 "I am the Director"
Ex 3 MoveIt


eric

Thanks for the kind words, guys

I definitely could improve Ex3 with some timing fixes. I had a non-animating friend say that as well, "too fast".

I couldn't figure out how to get a more pensive introspective look when he's leaning up against the barrel, he looks stiff and emotionless and the rabbit doesn't do too good at conveying action in the jumpshot, but I tell you when I was going back and rendering it, the singing into the coat rack picture was cracking me up.

I also realized in the course of making some of those poses that the rabbit model leaves a bit to be desired. I don't want to sound all complainy, but maybe I'll grumble about them later for Rodney for new user feedback

Ex 4 is gonna be fun, but I wish I had more voice talent besides me......

eric

Hey Eric, great exercises!

Ex 3 is brilliant!! A great idea to carry a simple exercise to an ultimate conclusion.

BTW How did you sort out the texture problem in the end?

Mark, nice work on the FW it's the cat's whiskers......groan.

The info you gave me in your previous posts has really helped..Thanks.

Are you going to animate it before the next ex???

Look forward to more postings from both of you.

BTW check ot the Anzovin site at http://www.rafhashvideotapes.com/ they're having a sale I've ordered a newbie package for $60 (Down from $110)

See you later!

I echo the praise for #3 Eric.
Sound, imagery. story... it's all there!

Bravo!

Name:  Den Dotson

Exercises Completed:  Three "I think I can, I think I can...
Date Completed:  Saturday March 12, 2005

Instructor:  Rodney (Certificate Master) and that guy on the web tutorials

Remarks/Suggestions for Improvement: Hope you are enjoying this as much as I am!

Here is a link to the third completed exercise:

http://homepage.mac.com/animateden/hash/move_it0.jpg

Thanks Rodney,
-Den

You are really moving along Den. Keep it up!

Name: Chris Thom

Exercises Completed: 3 of 19

Date Completed: April 9, 2005

Instructor: Rodney

Remarks/Suggestions for Improvement: I took a little liberty and gave him some more attitude.

Name: Tom Jansen
Exercise: Here's my #3.
Comments: I was imagining the second rabbit saying "You are one good looking rabbit" to the first :-)

Date Completed: April 16, 2005

Thanks for offering this chance for us to learn together!
-Tom

Tom,
Apologies for answering your exercises out of order... trying to catch up!

Done with #3!

2 Rabbits for me also, 1 happy, 1 bored. Fun stuff!

Good job Steve!

You are right... this is fun stuff.

Name: Tenez Waggoner

Exercises Completed: 3 Move it

Date Completed: May 12, 2005

Remarks/Suggestions for Improvement: I decided to do all of them. The sitting down one is probably the hardest to pull off. For me anyways. It's still not exact but I think it looks good.

Tenez,
This exercise is rapidly becoming one of my favorites.
Effort put into this exericse really shows what a little (or in this case a lot) of attention to detail can do in character animation.

It gives everyone a chance to really get characters expressing emotion, balance and weight.

The still images of these poses really lets us know if we are getting it right and helps prepare us for some serious character animation down the road. It teaches us to find the best shot in each shot of an animation.

Well done!

I had to do them all four too - this is so much fun. Hope you like them.

Greetings,
Ulrika

Great job. Love the different shirt colors.

Ulrika,
I echo Tenez's praise for a job well done.
The change in shirt color is such a simple addition but highly effective.

One of those 'now why didn't I think of that' moments.

Bravo!

Thanks for the comments...... fun isn't it to see how a simple picture gets its own life?

I lack in routine, so here it comes as a .jpg instead.
Ulrika

Three down several to go. I plan on going back and doing the other poses, but for right now I want to keep moving forward

Name: Leo Mitchell

Exercise 03

Completed: 25 May 2005

Instructor: Web tuts and manual.


[attachmentid=14586]

Good job. You got him Leo... keep moving.

Name: Paula Waslen

Exercise: 3

Instructor: Rodney

This one was quick and easy....now to get to the hard stuff!

Check! The rabbit is posed.
It has been said that attitude is everything. Mr. Rabbit has it thanks to you.

Exercise 3

Completed: 31/05/2005

Name: Robert Harris

Exercise: Move It

Date Completed: May 31th, 2005
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Neil and Robert,
Good job. They look like they have something on their minds.

I like that camera tilt DL.

Name: Doug Fall

Exercises Completed: #3

Date Completed: May 30th, 2005

Instructor: Rodney

Remarks/Suggestions for Improvement: I tried the 4th pose in the book, but not sure the rabbit can bend that far...

Yup... this has definitely become my favorite exercise.

I never tire of seeing these characters showing their attitudes via changes to their basic poses. Kudos to the creators of the characters for making it such a joy for people to experiment and animate with them.

Concerning the fourth pose... I'll have to investigate that one.

Well, I see others managed to get him to squat for the fourth pose and look good doing it, I guess it's just me... Maybe I'll go back and try again later...

Name: Jacob R.

Excersises completed: #1, #2, #3

Date: 6/08/05


I wanted to give Rabbit that back-alley life look Had some fun w/ this one!

Hey... rabbit is throwin' gang signs! Get him!

<insert sound of sirens and yelling>

Drat! He got away again...

Haha!


(really, what do you think of it)

I tried to create that gangster tilt, but I couldn't fit it on his stupid head!

Name: Paul Mcgrade


Exercises Completed: Exercise 3: Move It

Date Completed: June 10th, 2005

Instructor: None

You seem fond of the toon renderer. Hope you are experimenting with the settings as you go.

Name: Zev Eisenberg
Exercise Completed: Exercise 3 "Move it"
Date Competed: 21 June 2005
Remarks/Suggestions: This one was weird. I made the pose from the book fine. then I tried the ones on page.. 43 was it? There are some sketches of Rabbit in other poses. I did the first two fine. Then, when I got to the third one, the pose went all weird. One of the bones in his leg got squashed and turned around. I deleted the relationship but couldn't delete the pose. I created a new one, but now his eyes are sunken into his skull, on the original model too! Not quite sure what happened. I'll post the prj so you can look at it. Still, this is fun!
-Zev

Here's the 10.5 (gotta upgrade!) prj with Rabbit embedded

Name: John Bauer

Exercises Completed: Exercise 3: Move It
Date Completed: June 21

Instructor: Den Dotson

Linda Bridges
Move It!
Completed: June 28, 2005
Instructor: Den Dotson

Good job Linda.

I'm a bit confused now though...
Has Den Dotson secretly taken on teaching all you guys?
I can only hope as the assistance would be appreciated.

I'd like to eventually find someone to champion each of the exercises so everyone has someone that is well versed in every aspect of the exericise.

Any takers?

Hey Rodney,

Yes, it's Den the teacher. The student has become the master. My "real" job is as a software instructor for CompUSA. In that capacity I am teaching Animation Master at the Granite City Steel Learning Center.

As I teach through the exercises in The Art of Animation Master I am having my students post their work here for all to see and to eventually get them all certified.

Rodney, I couldn't do it without you. I am passing on the great things I learned here. Thanks to you!

-Den

Congratulations Den!
One can hope that word of your efforts will spread like wildfire and CompUSA's across America will all have such a course.

...and in Granite City too! Woo Hoo! I've been through Granite city so much its almost home for little ole me.

To Linda and John I want to express my admiration and say you've found a great instructor in Den Dotson. Inside or outside of 3D Animation he is a talent. I wish I could be with you in Granite City to take his course too.

I've heard from a few other instructors that plan to send their students into the New Users Forum. Some have already recieved their certificates for efforts not seen by the public. I applaud you Den as the first instructor to have them post 'live'. I hope this becomes a more popular way of having students experience 3D as it helps them experience the distribution of digital art in ways they otherwise could not.

I always yield to the instructor when it comes to the learning experience as communicating directly with a teacher always provides the absolute best learning experience possible. If either you or your students need anything just say the word. While I have no official capacity from which to say it, I'm confident that Hash Inc is fully committed to supporting your efforts as well.

To John and Linda I say, "Animate On!"

Exercize 3 Move it
Finished 7/7/05
Based on Manual and Video

Bugs' gotta boogie

(The things we do when our children ask us!?!)

One a day. That's my motto!