Till I Reach the End

Just one more week. One more week and I can move on with my life.

This week is pre-finals in more or less every class. That means this one too. For those few of you reading this blog that aren’t actually in my class that means that you get to see the almost done version. Unfortunately since some shows require the video not available online I will not be giving public access to the actual final.

Without further ado here is the pre-final video.

https://youtu.be/3qpjUGYeobU

Now several things still need to happen:

—Opening title next re-vamp

—Fix the transition from FW to EW

—Finish coloring Pepper (EW) <I have been working on this, just takes for ever>

—Re-export Evil without boarder (EW)

—Add texture to Evil (CW)

—Add Pepper’s face (CW)

—Add corruption (CW)

—Add particles (CW)

—Add particles (MW2)

—Ending credits need re-vamp

There are probably a bunch of other little things that I just can’t think of at the moment too.

On another note I found a cool app this week that lets me turn my iPad Pro into a little mini cintiqu (aka a tablet that shows what is happening on the screen). Its an app called “Astropad” and it’s a bit pricy for an app ($25) but still way cheeper than a tablet. I was able to get all of Evil in MW2 drawn this way since the other computers where full.

Very much worth it.

(*I’m not advertising this thing, I just think its really cool*)

Since next week is the final week which also means that I will be adding onto the post the list of where the blog titles came from this semester. If you're thinking about it each week, the ‘game’ is coming to a close real soon.

Now I just have to survive until then……

Let's get Down to Business

Yeah, I didn’t get this up last night when I normally do. But by the time I realized that it was 2am (wasn’t up doing this class for once) and I didn’t feel like spending the hour I normally do to type words that only a handful of people in my class, and a few international lookers, actually read.

So I’m updating it now.

Things went really well from where I’m sitting. Yeah, I only got Pepper in CW mostly animated - but considering that I had to first learn how to rig a figure, then actually rig and animate - lot done. (Sure I’ve rigged before but that was a fish and they have completely different structures.)

And I’m quite happy with it right now. Actually I’m really happy. Animating a rigged character makes it so easy - and when I finally got it cut to the music I was so surprised how good it was looking that I forgot everything else for a bit.

Still though, a lot of things have to happen. Clean up animation for CW Pepper, color compositing, getting Evil in, getting his particles in, the environment has to get corrupt… lots to do and no time to do it.

Next week is pre-finals. That means that everything is suppose to be as close to finished as possible. ….That means that I most likely wont be sleeping.

Fun.

Miracle of Miracles

This week really is a miracle I feel simply by the amount of work I was actually able to do.

Not only did I get WW done I also got Evil drawn for it. I had planned to get the models done for CW and I did that, pulse got them all with basic texture and the cameras in with blocked animation.

That is a lot of stuff.

So here is the video of what I have so far-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8F4dTLTiHQ

There is a lot that still needs to happen:

Opening
--needs to be re-done
Main World
--background needs to be re-considered
Fantasy World
--opening wide shot camera needs something
Charcoal World
--Pepper needs to be colored
--leaf needs to be colored
--more anticipation with Evil's main entrance
Water World
--I want to add bubbles to her motions
--Evil needs his partial dust
Cliff World

--rigg Pepper

--animation needs to get done
--Evil needs to be added
--Evil needs his partials
--backgrounds need to be added
--shots need to be composited
Main World 2
--Pepper on the floor needs more shadow
--Evil needs to be added
--Evil needs his partials
Credits
--need to be re-done
General
--audio needs to be more smoothly transitioned between 2+3
--flashes need to be re-done

Total there are 3 weeks left with is one week left before pre-final. The list is long, but its do-able. Here's to hopefully surviving till then.

Under the Sea

This week has been the beginnings of Water World….and I’m wondering if it’s possible for a world that I made up to hate me.

The idea was that WW would be stop motion animation - but that isn’t going to happen exactly like I planned.

I had brought everything with me to the labs: the paper model of Pepper that took over a day to create, the tissue paper and paint for the background, tin foil and tape to make it so there was no way of the paint leaking onto the stop motion table. I got to the labs, set things up so I would do the background first and started to film the ‘water’ moving.

I was in a groove when the camera went out on me. It started flashing me several weird errors at once. I couldn’t even read what they where saying.

I tried turning off the camera and turning it back on. 

Zip.

I tried un-plugging the camera from the computer and plugging it back in.

Nada.

I tried shutting down the computer and re-starting it.

Nothing.

…

I was not impressed.

It was late at night. I didn’t have time to wait for someone and go a different day. So I went to plan B.

Basically plan B is where I take a stop motioned background and put a “stop motion” Pepper over top. In actuality Pepper is scanned paper masked into the different shapes then animated to look more hand made. The process is a bit annoying, but I was able to get something done after the - what turned out to be - 2 day set back.

For now I have 2 clips to show you.

First up the the water background. I looped the frames I was able to save and make something decent. I might re-shoot it later on it I have time.

Second we have a bit of Paper Pepper. This is NOT done. There is a lot left to do with her basic motion to make it look jittery. I also need to animate everything else that is, at the moment, not yet moving.

The plan form here is this: there are 3 weeks until the pre-final. By Saturday Paper Pepper has to be done and Water Evil put in. By next class (-1) the models of Cliff World need to be done and ready.

By -2 Cliff World needs to be fully animated and rendered.

By -3 major animation issues from the past needs to be fixed.

Then there is one more week for final final edits. Last composite stuff will be added for this week.

Any planned changes due to time? Clif World might change styles - but only if I am backed into a corner and I’m not there yet. If by Sunday I am corner - then on Sunday I’ll change the style.

No Time to Stay, Hello, Good-Bye

Yeah, I’m posting this a bit later than normal - but it’s still before class.

So this has been a very long week. As I said before I have a lot of stuff for my other classes (see other blogs for details) and I was going home for the weekend to celebrate my Grandma’s birthday.

Now originally the idea for this ‘week 2’ was that all of Pepper would get done. I then said that because I would be away I would most likely change that due to lack of time - and thankfully my calendar allows for that.

Surprisingly, I got done more than I thought I would.

So far I have shot 1 + 2 blocked out — shot 1 is even cleaned! I actually really like shot 1 too and almost want it to be longer……

I also, just for my teacher, put together a mock frame. It isn’t what I want it to look like in the end: wasn’t composed in after effects, not set up in a 2.5D space, not sure if Pepper’s outline is going to be the dominate color of that section or the ‘black’ as if it was a coloring book…

Well, that’s about all I have to say. I know I usually write more, but too bad. 

Circus of Your Mind

Here we are again. On my site for a class you aren’t taking. Looking at what I did for homework. 

Don’t you have anything better to do?

Well anyway, let’s get to it.

This week most of the stuff that has been happening you can’t really see and even though I’ll try showing it to you, you most likely won’t appreciate it as much as I do.

Most of the time was spent making this beauty - a calendar of the rest of semester. On it I have/will have: school dates (days off, registertion days….), work hours, holidays, internship deadlines, family related stuff (people visiting, family functions…), class deadlines/homework, personal deadlines for this class, personal deadlines for seminar class.

Most is stuff to be filled out as it gets assigned, but I find it extremely helpful to see everything together with the final deadline on the same page. Not a lot for this class has been written down yet, but I do know that I want MW2 nearly done in 2 weeks and all the animation done a week before pre-finals. I also know that I want 2-3 days to work exclusively on the opening and closing titles.

What else….what else…..

Right.

I also made these nifty lists for each world on the basic assets needed for each. Some need a lot of pre-stuff. Others have a longer list of difficult stuff to do in the animation itself.

Okay, okay. I’ll show you some actual stuff.

So because I could us some of the assets from MW1 in MW2 (the floor, wall……that’s about it) I decided to start doing some work there….at least up to the point where Evil appears - I’ll do that around the time I start making Evil.

If anyone bothered to look at the sketches made last week (talking to you classmates since we didn't have a crit last week) you would have seen some designs for Pepper when laying down. I took that scene and ran with it. (I even captured some process video but wont post it….planing on making a video of it at the end)

So this is what it shot looked in the storyboard……

….and now with the proper assets - minus shadows……

….and now……with the rack focus!

You have no idea how excited I was when this worked.

Now there you go you vultures. Another post that most of you most likely don’t actually read, but oh well.

Till next week’s feeding.

Drip, Drip, Drop

So, while it mat not show it, a LOT of work was done this week.

Mainly it was getting done painting all of the frames needed for the squirrel character.

Unfortunately, the shot didn’t make it into the animatic yet. Not that it means I'm behind. I had planned to just be painting until Saturday/Sunday so anything in this is what I had last week.

They still need to be cut out so even the things that are in the new borad-o-matic have to be revised. Regardless, the passing is working out well I think.

You will get to se it next week, well, in 2 weeks since we meet during Thanksgiving.

Tops are Made Out of Rubber, Bottoms are Made Out of Springs

Today I'll let you peek at what has been going on in Fantasy World. 

Right now I'm in the middle of painting the different key frames for Pepper and the animal that she finds while there. My inspiration of this guy is a squirrel and pipe worm cartoon. He moves like a ball, kind of, so the first thing was to figure out its walk cycle. 

I drew it out, over lapping and everything, one day in a class. Since then I have digitally changed it so only one frame is shown at a time to make sure that I drew it out right. 

Now I've been working on a shot that is actually seen. This is where the animal (who needs a name) jumps from off a branch out of frame. 

Now painting the key frames....

So that is starting to come together. 

I also did a few frames for the opening shot of the world. It might need a few more looks. 

There you have it. A real reason why doing all those bounce cycles freshman year was helpful, and a taste of the hardships to come. 

Everything is Satisfactual

A lot of what has happened this week can’t be seen yet.

What you can see though is the progress of the “Reach” animation - the first shot people will see in the entire thing.

So what is different?

The hand on the ground finally moves more like I wanted. Turns out that I had pivot points on the wrong ends, they shouldn’t have had a parent, and they had to rotate in z-space.

All the fingers on the other hand is there. They have some motion, but most of their action will be in the next shot - a close up of them touching the puzzle piece.

The face is a slightly different shape. Every time I step back to it I find it annoying me, but I’m hopeful that this one is the final face shape (for Main World).

About 85% of the shadows have been added in. It allows for depth, more of a 3D illusion, and more detail in shape without adding too much.

A floor plane was created and angled properly. It sits in z-space to help give the accurate look.

Finally, Pepper’s hair and skin tone where warmed up. This past week in a different class (Graduate Seminar) we started talking about the importance of color in a shot and how color help to dictate the character. Basically cool colors= bad guy. Warm colors= good guy. Pepper’s shirt and pants are still a bit cool, but I still like it the best over the other choices. 

So what else is going on?

Mainly asset building, thus nothing to show you. I think that my plan for the animation in Fantasy World will be to paint a TON of different angles and moments. Then fade between each one to give a painted/flip book feel. The plan is to have most of the assets build by next week so I can start composing the shots.

We shall see, for now I'm on schedule and that is satisfactual.

Just a Matter of Time Before We Learn How to Fly

There isn’t a long post for this week, because there was only one thing that happened.

Over the last few days I’ve been working on a final design for Pepper in the Main World at the beginning since the first part is what I’ll be working on for the rest of semester. 

After that I started blocking out the animation for the only shot her whole body is in.

You can see what I have here:

As I said, this is just blocked out. Not everything is in yet. Changes that will be happening/added-

>Cleaner motion

>More secondary motion

>Shadows

>Hand on ground has odd movement

>More exaderatgion?

There are also some files parts that need tweaking-

>Fingers on second hand needs to be added

> Second leg pose is odd

>Hair layers need to be remade to had proper motion

It's only the first shot, only blocked out, but I've learned more for just this little bit then I could have without it. Layer files that I thought where fine need to be fixed, animation styles that I thought would be the way to go turns out to be wrong... But after all, blocking it out is the first step in any good animation. It's only a matter of time.

If Your Happy and You Know It

This last week was kind of light in regards to what I created. We are now moving more toward production of the animation part that will be made first. 

Because I was having some issues with Cinema 4D on my laptop is the question became if I should do part 3 or 1 first. It really is leaning more toward 1 since I don’t like the designs I’ve made so far in C4D. (I was able to get it to work finally by can’t save since it’s a demo version. I also really don't like the way it came out so I’m going to try zBrush then lower the polygons after I model it.)

One of the major notes from the midterm crit was to explore more emotion. (Even the blob figures I had before weren't expressive enough.)

In response I made a facial sheet. The idea is that this is what she “really” looks like but her features change a bit when in each word.

I did a quick mock-up for when in Main World…. 

I might play with this for a little bit more
to round out the face more.

…and also Evil World (Pencil World).

This design is both different from the facial sheet and the previous color pencil designs. Note that I had said I was going to be changing that design a bit to have more of a cartoon/animated look. The previous design was very realistic.

So, um, yeah. There isn’t much else this week.

10% Luck, 20% Skill

Hello again.

So this past week I focused on the main world as it will be my bookend location. I’ve nearly finished Pepper’s design, though I might change the features on her face a tad.

It was decided that the first part that I will work to create will be the third part - Cliff World and Main World (pt2). That animation will therefore be due at the end of semester.

Why start with part 3?

Part 1 has Fantasy World in it. While I’m 85% sure on how the pipeline should work for the water color, I’m not 100%.

Part 2 has Evil World (and Water World) and that has a LOT of charcoal. I have only a small idea how the part will be animated, be it photoshop brushes, scanned in textures, or a bit of both. Either way I wan’t Christmas Break to figure it out.

That leaves me with part 3 to start with.

It also means that I have Cliff World which will be in computer 3D. Since I need to create a rigged character, and have only ever rigged a fish, I’m going to be finding a cheap version of Cinema4D instead of Maya. Though I want to learn the program, I have only a few weeks so I don’t really have time for learning how to model and animate from scratch. Thankfully my classmates from Ringling came through and gave me some suggestions where to find a cheap version -THANKS GUYS!!

Moving on.

One last thing I did, as prep for the up coming work, is a small - simple motion test.

The idea was to get an idea of how I’m actually going to animate Pepper. What angles will I need assets for? How much range can this arm give me? Should it be drawn differently? What would be easier to build in After Effects instead of Illustrator? 

The test helped answer a few things. Some more tests will be needed.

Until then!