Month: November 2024

Categories
1.1 Unreal Engine

Week 9 Character Rigging

Rigging Paragon characters in Unreal Engine 5 proved difficult, especially when using the Mannequin rig on such complex models. The Paragon characters’ skeletal structures and different elements caused compatibility concerns, resulting in misaligned bone hierarchies and erroneous deformations during animation.

Joint misalignments, unnatural movement, extra meshes, and parts showing technical differences between the Mannequin rig and Paragon character models made attempting to retarget animations and align the rigs difficult. These problems highlight the complexity of working with advanced assets and the need to maintain rig and model compatibility during the animation process.

Categories
1.2 Animation, Narrative Structures & Film Language

Week 5 Introduction and Outline

The critical research opens with an important and thought-provoking question: How are race and ethnicity depicted in mainstream animated films, and what are the implications for diverse audiences? The introduction lays the groundwork for this investigation by contextualising how animation, as a medium, has historically tackled the representation of race and ethnicity. From early tokenised depictions to more contemporary efforts at inclusivity, the subject provides a diverse field of study that reflects cultural attitudes and issues in the animation business.

The study tries to understand the complexity of race and ethnicity in animation and their broader cultural impact by framing the subject with an outline of historical context and contemporary ramifications. This foundation sets the setting for a critical analysis of the industry’s progress and the work that remains to be done in developing honest and equitable storytelling.

Categories
1.1 Maya

Week 8 Walk Cycle Final

Re-doing the walk cycle provides an important opportunity to hone fundamental animation techniques. While the first iteration caught basic motion, redoing the process allowed for more attention to detail, including weight distribution, timing, and hip movement. These changes helped to create a more realistic and fluid picture of walking, making the character’s movements feel natural and grounded.

One of the most important problems faced while developing the walk cycle was the occurrence of knee pops during the up frame. A knee pop occurs when a character’s knee snaps or hyperextends unexpectedly, disrupting the animation’s flow. This issue is most obvious during the up phase when the leg extends completely.

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1.1 Unreal Engine Uncategorised

Week 8 Dynamic Lighting

Testing camera angles and arranging sequences with multiple actors proved to be a technically and creatively challenging task. The main challenge was to balance the visual composition to achieve clarity and coherence while keeping the narrative focus. The coordination of many cameras increased complexity, as each angle required precise positioning to capture character interactions without disturbing spatial continuity or affecting the scene’s flow.

Dynamic lighting was essential in improving the project’s visual storytelling, notably in creating a sunset aspect. By altering the light source, colour temperature, and atmospheric effects, the image was given warm hues and extended shadows, creating the feel of a setting sun. The process involved experimenting with directional lights and volumetric fog to simulate natural light diffusion later, once the render was done, fine-tuning post-processing effects for colour grading.

Integrating animations with Paragon characters posed several unforeseen technological challenges. While the high-quality character models gave depth and authenticity to the project, their intricate rigging and skeleton systems made animating them tough. Many preexisting animations, including those from Mixamo, required retargeting, and mismatched bone hierarchies frequently resulted in distorted or unnatural movements.

Categories
1.2 Animation, Narrative Structures & Film Language

Week 4 Begining Paper

The analysis of race and ethnicity in mainstream animation focuses on how representation has evolved and how it affects different audiences. Historically, animation frequently treated racial and ethnic identities as secondary or tokenised, resulting in stereotypes rather than authentic portrayals. This method reduced the depth and complexity of many cultures, establishing a precedent still influencing animated media today.

Beginning with the abstract to set the tone of the research paper, as well as exploring the historical background of racial representation, focussing on early depictions and their effects. The goal is to examine how these depictions influenced public opinion and to assess progress towards more meaningful, inclusive storytelling. By examining shifts in representation throughout time, the study will shed light on the crucial importance of diversity in animation and its impact on audiences from various backgrounds.

Categories
1.1 Unreal Engine

Week 7 Concept Proof

Adding additional animations and experimenting with different camera views creates a richer, more dynamic appearance. Using Maya abilities, animators may import and apply new animation sequences to the UE5 mannequin, using keyframing, timing, and movement knowledge to achieve smooth transitions. While the UE5 interface differs from Maya’s, the sequencer and animation tools provide exact control over the mannequin’s actions, allowing for complex movements and interactions.

A couple more tweaks and extra shots will finish the animation, allowing us to start populating the environment with foliage, while also improving the horizon and general beauty of the animation. Introducing paragon characters could be a step forward. While preserving the essential part of the animation, the challenge is ensuring that the audience understands what is going on.

Categories
1.1 Unreal Engine

Week 6 Character Rigging

Character rigging is an essential process in animation, involving the creation of a skeletal structure that allows for controlled movement and poses.

However, when initially applying rigs to characters, the animation can often appear choppy, with abrupt transitions between keyframes or poses. This lack of fluidity usually results from insufficient smoothing of motion between frames or misaligned keyframe timing.

The graph editor is difficult to use, which can disrupt the intended natural flow. Fine-tuning the rigging and refining keyframes with careful easing adjustments is crucial to achieving smooth, lifelike transitions, ensuring that the character’s movements feel continuous and immersive within the animated sequence. This will make the rigging of new characters for the animation difficult.

Categories
1.1 Maya

Week 6 Walk Cycle and Cleanup Process

Learning the walk cycle and engaging in the cleanup process for each step was a significant milestone in developing efficient and polished animation workflows. The cleanup phase provided a valuable opportunity to refine the Step cycle by addressing inconsistencies and aligning keyframes for smoother motion. This process perfected the Step cycle and reinforced the importance of reviewing and polishing work before submission. Building a habit of consistent cleanup fosters a meticulous approach, laying the foundation for creating high-quality, professional-level animations.

The walk cycle highlighted essential elements like timing, weight distribution, and hip movement, each playing a role in capturing a natural, life-like gait. Adjusting these details in Maya required careful attention to foot placement and timing, ensuring the character’s movements felt both fluid and grounded. gaining more insight

Categories
1.1 Maya

Week 5 Weight Shift and Full-Body Posing in Maya

This week’s focus on weight shift and posing a full-body rig with a line of action was a particularly engaging step in understanding character animation in Maya. Working with the line of action helped capture the dynamic flow and posture of each pose, creating a foundation that allowed the character’s weight and balance to be naturally conveyed.

This lesson has been the most enjoyable in Maya so far, offering a genuine leap forward in animation skills. It bridged the gap between technical execution and the art of conveying life-like movement, making character actions more believable and expressive. The experience underscored how crucial it is to capture weight and energy correctly and opened up new perspectives on posing as a powerful tool for storytelling in animation.

Categories
1.1 Unreal Engine

Week 5 Physics material & Practice shots

Introducing physics materials into Unreal Engine 5 introduced new dimensions to the project but also unexpected challenges. Working with breakable objects and experimenting with weights allowed for more interactive and realistic scenes, enhancing the visual storytelling with elements like destructible walls or falling debris.

However, setting these physics simulations caused performance concerns on the home computer, resulting in delays and crashes. The computational demands of rendering breakable items taxed the hardware.

slowing progress and making it harder to evaluate changes in real-time. Believing that the project does not require this feature, which could improve performance/focus in different areas.

When creating the animation, care is taken to test several camera angles and select crucial images that best convey the required tone and storytelling aspects. Testing various camera angles and framing strategies, such as the rule of thirds, is critical for achieving a cinematic atmosphere. The sequencer can be difficult to understand because of its tiered timeline and numerous parameters, which can appear daunting to individuals unfamiliar with controlling complicated animations.