Advanced Animation/Exercises

28/04/2025 - 25/05/2024 (Week 02 – Week 05)

Shao Han / 0369187

Advanced Animation / Bachelor of Design (Honours) in Creative Media / Taylors University

Exercises

CONCENT

  • INTRODUCTION
  • LECTURE
  • EXERCISES
  • SUBMISSION
  • FEEDBACK
  • REFLECTION

INTRODUCTION

LECTURE

WEEK 2

Animation Principles

  • Frame rate

The frequency (rate) at which consecutive images (frames) are captured or displayed.

  • Timing
Fig1.1 Timing and Meaning，Week 2 (30/04/2025)
  • Spacing Slow in and Slow Out
  • Timing Chart
    Fig1.2 Timing Chart，Week 2 (30/04/2025)

    • Arcs
      Fig1.3 Arcs，Week 2 (30/04/2025)

      The visual path of an object or action is called an “arc”. This could be the projectile of a bouncing ball, the path of a moving arm, and even the movements of mouth corners during a dialogue scene.


    WEEK 3

    Animation Principles

    • The Animation Style

    Fig1.4 The Animation Style，Week 3 (07/05/2025)

    • Squash and Stretch

    Squash and Stretch gives the illusion of ：

    1. Elasticity of the material

    2. Flexibility of motion

    3. Life

    • Flexibility: Drag, Follow Through and Overlapping

    • Animation Methods

    Pose to Pose vs Straight Ahead

    TYPE OF POSES:

    • KEY
    • EXTREME
    • BREAKDOWN
    • INBETWEEN


    WEEK 4

    Animation Clarity

    • What is Clarity in Animation

    Clarity is keeping your shot clean and precise; for instance, it could mean simplify the movements of your character so it's easier for the audience to keep up. No matter what animation you're doing, the most important concept you must strive for is clarity.

    • Clarity in Staging

    Fig1.4 Clarity in Staging，Week 4 (14/05/2025)

    • Clarity in Secondary Action
    • Clarity in Exaggeration
    • Clarity in Anticipation & Follow Through
    • Clarity in Solid Drawing


    EXERCISES

    Exercise 1 - Bouncing Ball Animation

    Objective:
    You are tasked with creating a smooth and realistic bouncing ball animation using provided ball rigs. The goal is to explore timing, spacing, arcs, and physical properties to showcase the unique characteristics of each type of ball.

    The teacher arranged five bouncing ball animations, which are:

    In class, we learned the basics of Blender, focusing on how to adjust keyframe motion using the curve editor. By moving the handles, we could change the shape of the animation curves, which allowed us to control the ball’s motion path more precisely. We also updated the motion path in real time to observe how the ball’s movement changed. Before starting, I revisited some fundamental animation principles—timing, spacing, and arcs—to help me better understand and apply what we were doing.

    Soccer Ball

    • Multiple bounce points plotted along the Bézier path

    • Maintained near-constant shape with minimal deformation

    • Used offset keyframes to reduce speed over time

    • Slight rotation added for realism

    Starting with the soccer ball, I observed the reference video provided by Mr. Kamal and found that the overall weight, bounce and volume of the soccer ball are relatively balanced, so when making the jumping animation of the soccer ball, I can basically follow the standard ball jumping example.

    Fig2.1 animation production,Week 2 (29/04/2025)

    For the deformation effect of the football, I tried to make it visible but not too exaggerated.
    Fig2.2 animation production,Week 2 (29/04/2025)

    Ping Pong Ball

    • Tight Bézier curve with steep arcs and short intervals

    • No squash and stretch to reflect hard surface

    • High-frequency keyframes to simulate fast rebounds

    • Minimal rotation, focusing on vertical movement

    The ping-pong ball is small and light, with a hard texture, and basically does not deform. Therefore, when making a ping-pong ball jumping animation, the deformation step can be omitted. However, it should be noted that the ping-pong ball rebounds quickly and at a high height because it is light overall.
    Fig2.3 animation production,Week 2 (29/04/2025)

    During the production process, I found that the movement path of the ping-pong ball was not smooth. In order to ensure the coherence and natural bouncing effect of the ball, I needed to adjust the arc of the ball's movement trajectory.
    Fig2.4 animation production,Week 2 (29/04/2025)

    Bowling Ball

    • Smooth Bézier curve with short arcs and heavy spacing

    • Barely visible squash to express weight

    • Slow timing with extended contact moments

    • Subtle rolling after each bounce

    Bowling balls are the hardest of the four types of balls. The squeezing caused by hitting the ground can be ignored, and the rebound height is very low due to the excessive weight, so the number of bounces is small.
    Fig2.5 animation production,Week 2 (02/05/2025)

    Beach Ball

    • Wide Bézier arcs with slow keyframe spacing

    • Gentle squash and stretch during contact

    • Slower descent to simulate air resistance

    • Slight rotation and offset movement for playfulness

    The overall weight and size of a beach ball are similar to a soccer ball, but it is more elastic than a soccer ball, so it deforms more obviously when it touches the ground, but it is still far from the level of a bouncy ball. However, because it is slightly more elastic and has a certain weight, it has a cushioning effect when rising or falling, and the landing distance is slightly larger
    Fig2.6 animation production,Week 2 (02/05/2025)

    Squash and Stretch

    • Large squash and stretch keyframes at contact and lift-off

    • Fast, energetic rebounds with offset spacing

    • Dramatic motion arcs for visual appeal

    • Strong timing contrast between stretch and squash

    The bouncy ball is the most elastic of all the balls required. The key lies in the deformation of the ball when it rises and falls. This is the key and symbol of the bouncy ball's jump.

    Fig2.7 animation production,Week 3 (06/05/2025)

    SUBMISSION

    Exercise 2 - Pendulum Animation

    Objective:
    You are tasked with creating a smooth and realistic pendulum swing animation using the provided pendulum rig. The goal is to explore drag, overlapping, follow-through, timing, and spacing to bring out the natural motion of the pendulum. You will focus on creating a believable and fluid animation that accurately represents the physical properties and movement of the pendulum.

    I started by checking out how the pendulum rig works in Blender and planned the swing movement frame by frame. I noticed that the ball at the bottom always swings a bit behind the top part, and the whole motion slowly comes to a stop over time.

    Fig3.1 Set up,Week 4 (08/05/2025)

    Make sure every curve is smooth and has a reasonable curvature.

    Fig3.2 animation production,Week 4 (10/05/2025)

    SUBMISSION

    Exercise 3 - Emotion Pose

    Objective:
    You are tasked with creating a series of expressive character poses that effectively depict different emotions. This exercise will help develop your understanding of body language, facial expressions, and dynamic posing to convey storytelling through animation.

    HAPPY

    Reference

    Fig4.1 Reference,Week 5 (14/05/2025)

    Sketch

    Fig4.2 Sketch,Week 5 (14/05/2025)

    Execution

    • The figure jumps in the air, twisting its body in a slightly "S" shape, with light and dynamic movements.
    • The arms are raised high, with fingers naturally spread, showing a happy or excited mood.
    • The legs are raised backwards, with a bright smile, full of energy and joy.

    Fig4.3 Process,Week 5 (16/05/2025)

    Fig4.4 Process,Week 5 (16/05/2025)

    Fig4.5 Process,Week 5 (16/05/2025)


    SAD

    Reference

    Fig4.6 Reference,Week 5 (14/05/2025)

    Sketch

    Fig4.7 Sketch,Week 5 (14/05/2025)


    Execution

    • The figure sits on the ground, legs spread apart, one hand supporting the ground, the other resting on her forehead.
    • The figure leans slightly forward, head lowered, and expresses a sorrowful expression.
    • The overall posture conveys a sense of fatigue and loss.

    Fig4.8 Process,Week 5 (17/05/2025)

    Fig4.9 Process,Week 5 (17/05/2025)

    Fig4.10 Process,Week 5 (17/05/2025)

    Mr. Kamal reminded me that the person's hand is on the forehead and the toes are not raised in the photo. I need to modify it according to the picture.
    Fig4.11 Process,Week 5 (17/05/2025)


    SCARED

    Reference

    Fig4.12 Reference,Week 5 (14/05/2025)


    Sketch

    Fig4.13 Sketch,Week 5 (14/05/2025)

    Execution

    • The figure leans back, their weight shifted to one side, demonstrating a clear reaction of fear or shock.
    • The arms are raised, palms facing outward, in a defensive or blocking gesture.
    • The head is also tilted back, eyes looking upward, and the mouth open, conveying fear or surprise.

    Fig4.14 Process,Week 5 (17/05/2025)

    Fig4.15 Process,Week 5 (17/05/2025)


    ANGRY

    Reference

    Fig4.16 Reference,Week 5 (14/05/2025)

    Sketch

    Fig4.17 Sketch,Week 5 (14/05/2025)


    Execution

    • The figure is leaning forward, with legs bent and spread apart, and the center of gravity pressed down.
    • The fists are clenched, the arms are bent, and they are thrown forward with force, and the limbs are tense.

    • The facial expression is angry, the mouth is open and roaring, and the overall posture shows strong anger and explosiveness.

    Fig4.18 Process,Week 5 (18/05/2025)

    Fig4.19 Process,Week 5 (18/05/2025)

    Fig4.20 Process,Week 5 (18/05/2025)

    As with the previous question, Mr. Kamal reminded me that the focus of this exercise is observation, so I don’t need to create the movements myself, I just need to follow the posture and make the same movements.

    Fig4.21 Process,Week 5 (18/05/2025)


    Regarding the color of the background, I decided based on different emotions.

    SUBMISSION

    Fig5.1 Happy,Week 5（18/05/2025）


    Fig5.2 Sad,Week 5（18/05/2025）


    Fig5.3 Scared,Week 5（18/05/2025）


    Fig5.4 Angry,Week 5（18/05/2025）


    FEEDBACK
    EXERCISE 1
    I need to pay attention to the speed of the ball's rotation and slightly adjust the direction of the ball's rotation. The exported video has errors and is missing the part with the bouncy ball.

    EXERCISE 2
    Overall not bad

    EXERCISE 3
    The action needs to be made strictly according to the picture, and the picture angle should be able to let people see the action clearly. Combined with the background color and lighting, the final effect will be better.

    REFLECTION
    Experiences
    In these three exercises, I worked on basic animation ideas like timing, spacing, curves, stretching and squashing, and how to pose characters.
    I used different setups (like Multiball, Pendulum, and Snow) to understand how to animate objects and characters separately.

    Observations
    The weight and bounce of each ball changed how high and how fast the animation went. Using squash and stretch made the animation look more alive and real.

    Moving together and keeping on moving are important to show how a pendulum swings.     The bending should be even and constant, starting and ending softly. Moving the tail more slowly makes it look more real. It's important to demonstrate how things move and slow down because of friction in a realistic way.

    When we are not moving, the way we hold our bodies often shows how we feel more clearly than our faces do.     Big poses make emotions stronger and make the shapes easier to see. Strong leading lines make poses more dynamic and easier to see. Not using twinning poses makes characters look more real and natural.

    Findings
    Drawing motion paths, quick sketches, and bounce lines can help reduce the time needed for changes after production.
    Watching real-life examples is a good way to copy physical traits.
    Keeping timing and movement even is important for great animation.
    Facial expressions should match body movements, especially in animated characters.

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