This week focused on understanding body mechanics and the importance of proper planning in animation. We went over how the body moves mechanically – all weight shifts, foot placements, etc that come together to comprise a whole piece.
Rather than just copying movements, we need to understand why they happen – like how weight shifts as someone walks, or how the body prepares before jumping. It’s interesting how much detail you miss until you really break down a movement frame by frame.
I learned about the proxy method too – starting with basic shapes to figure out the main movement and timing before getting into the details. It reminds me a bit of the pendulum exercise, where simplifying things actually helps you understand the core mechanics better.
For our assignment, we need to create a body mechanics shot, choosing from things like:
- Getting up from a chair
- Jumping over something
- Walking up or down stairs
- Basic jumps
There’s a lot of reference material available – from motion study websites to YouTube channels. The trick will be finding good, clear examples that show the mechanics I want to capture. I’ve noticed in my animations that movements can look stiff when you don’t understand the underlying mechanics, so I’ll be spending time studying references before jumping into Maya.
I’ve been paying more attention to smaller details in my animations, and want to learn more about how intricate movements of fingers and subtle shifts before and after a major action can bring a whole piece to life. By looking deeper into references, I want to start to analyse these interactions at a deeper level.
Getting feedback has been crucial for spotting areas that need work. Having someone look at my animation has been a lifesaver, honestly. When you’ve been staring at the same animation forever, your brain kind of stops seeing the rough spots.
This walk cycle is still not to the best standard and needs a lot of attention. I plan on cleaning it up before I submit on the 10th.