Author: Kewin Marcin Skrzekut

Critique body mechanics in blocking.

The initial pose must be exaggerated, to depict that the character is relaxed, and sitting in a laid-back pose, leaning backwards in a way that the head is left behind. This is actually crucial in delivering that dragging of the head movement, as the body shifts towards the front, provided with the pelvis rotation translation X. Taking this into comparison with my initial blocking, the character in this pose looks rather stiff, and there is no much of distance allocated for that dragging of the head movement.

As per the pendulum exercise, the upper part of the body leads the movement, and the head follows. In order to deliver this dragging of the head, crucial to ensure that the head is kept more-less at the same coordinate space, as body moves forward.

As the dragging continues, the head is catching up. The upper body of the character takes an “S” shape. This describes the mid-way point, just seconds before, the tail here body is going to snap in the opposite direction, consequently transitioning from a “C” shape through an “S” shape toa reverse “C” shape.

The body snapped in the opposite direction, taking the shape of reverse “C” (flipped horizontally). Consequently, the head is now, ahead of the body, within the coordinate space and from now on forward the head will be leading this part of the motion, of the character standing up.

The sitting to standing, body mechanics animation, can be breakdown into 2 main parts:

1. LEAN TORSO FORWARD & BODY SHIFT ONTO THE FEET

Anticipation part, which gives a viewer a visual queue that the character is preparing to stand up, as the body moves towards the end of the chair, away from its back, while the character remains sitted.

The analogy of pendulum animation, where the body moves and the head follows, snapping from C, through S to reverse C shape.

2. LIFITING BODY UPWARDS

The actual action is of the character getting up of the chair.

The shift in body weight from the bottom onto the knees occurs while the head stays ahead of the body. In this movement, the body actually leads, and the head follows. This is because the centre of gravity is located in the pelvis. The head, being at the top of the body, essentially functions as the “end” of the pelvis. If we imagine this as a ball with a tail, the body represents the ball, and the head serves as the tail.

3. Reaction, stabilize the body after reaching the full upright position.

As the bottom moves up, the head tilts down to shift the weight from the lower body onto the legs for sitting and standing positions, respectively. Although the position in my blocking is technically possible, it is not typical for human posture. An average person would likely bend their body more naturally, as outlined in red (as critiqued by George).

Once again, I ended up with this position because I blindly followed the reference. I’m not saying referencing is bad—far from it. However, referencing can be counterproductive if it is recorded incorrectly. In this case, my issue stems from not being natural in front of the camera. Acting, itself, is a skill and an art that I don’t possess. I became so self-conscious about the camera that I often stared directly at it, which caused my head movements to differ from how I would naturally perform the same motion without thinking about it.

Taking good reference footage is a skill in itself. It takes experience to understand why there is such an emphasis on the importance of good references. This is also why we had a designated week to cover this topic and practice it thoroughly. I get it now!

Body weight is transferred onto the knees, character is standing up. The movement is provided with an extension of knees and hips (there are groups of human muscles working in a coordinated fashion that allow for that).

Reaches a full upright body position, the head follows the body and catches up to calling with the line of the action.

Time for the reaction, which is that the upper part of the torso, chest and head are ever so slightly offset towards the over direction, while the pelvis remains in the same coordinate space.

Next: Body mechanics in spline exercise.

Critique body mechanics planning & body mechanics in blocking exercise

My first reference was created in the Motion Capture room, where I set up two cameras to capture my movement. However, I had to redo the process with an amateur home setup because I made the mistake of walking away after standing, instead of staying still in one place. This change altered the dynamics, turning it into a guessing game to figure out how the body would react. To avoid this, I redid the action, ensuring I had a tangible reference that accurately captured how the body came to a stop after standing up.

The sketch below reflects the changes made to the initial planning after the revision, forming a new reference. Attempting to capture the shapes of the spine, as per analogy to pendulum movement.

Video Reference Tips for Animation

When creating a video reference for your animation, it’s important to consider several key factors that will make your reference more effective and your animation process smoother.

Don’t:

• Wear black clothes: Avoid wearing dark-coloured clothes, as they can blend into the background or make it difficult to see your body movements clearly.
• Look at the camera: If you constantly look at the camera, your head will always be facing it. This can limit the variety of movement and be distracting. However, if you’re aiming for a particular effect (e.g., a dancer constantly eyeing the camera to track their body movement), then it could be intentional.

Do:

• Keep your room uncluttered: A cluttered space can distract from your movements. Make sure there’s nothing in the background that could divert attention away from the reference video.
• Wear clothes with visual guides: Opt for clothing that shows the body’s key parts (e.g., tight-fitting clothes, or clothes with visible markers) to clearly define the silhouette and the key areas of movement.
• Ensure you’re entirely in the frame: Make sure you’re fully visible within the camera frame throughout the entire shot. This ensures that all your body movements are captured for reference.

Key Principles to Keep in Mind:

Your video reference should serve as a guideline for building body movement, especially when you’re dealing with complex body mechanics. Your animation skills will then take that reference to the next level, exaggerating and enhancing the movement for a more dynamic result.

1. Confirm Your Extremes:

Identifying and confirming the extremes in your movement is essential because they define the key poses of your animation. These extreme positions will guide you when you start creating your in-between poses.

2. Decide on the In-Betweens:

When filling in the in-betweens, avoid favouring one key pose over the other. A common rule of thumb is that animators avoid even poses—they prefer asymmetry to make movements feel more natural and dynamic.

3. Focus on the Head:

The head often leads the movement in animation. For example, if the character is about to dive into water, the head will move forward first, guiding the rest of the body. This movement can be exaggerated for effect, like a “Mexican wave” effect. When animating, focus on making the head’s movement stronger to emphasize the action and add more character. This approach helps convey personality and adds weight to the movement

Critique walk cycle in spline & video making for animation reference exercise.


Using reference plane video in Maya (Class notes)

Introduction to Animation Workflow

When animating in Maya, it’s essential to understand how to manipulate reference planes and frame rates to achieve the desired animation effects. You can adjust the frame rate within the Graph Editor to make movements appear more abrupt or snappy. However, slowing down the animation may not work if there are no additional PNG frames available.

Blocking the Animation with Primitives

The initial step in character animation is blocking using basic primitives that represent the main parts of the character: the root, head, pelvis, and torso. Match the movement of these blocks with the reference footage to establish the general motion.

Constrain Blocks to the Rig

Once the blocking is complete, constrain these blocks to the character’s bony rig. This step transfers the movement data from the blocks to the rig, allowing the final animation to be created.

Maintaining Proper Foot Contact

It’s crucial to ensure that both of the character’s legs remain in contact with the ground, even if the reference footage suggests otherwise due to the angle it was shot from. Proper foot contact prevents floating or unrealistic poses.

Animation reference and planning: first attempt

FK and IK: Understanding the Two-Rig Systems

What is FK (Forward Kinematics)?
Forward Kinematics (FK) is a rigging system where the movement of one joint affects the others in a chain, moving “forward.” The higher joints influence the lower ones, but the last joint in the chain only influences itself.

For example, think of the FK system as a chain, where moving the root joint will move the whole chain, with each joint following the next.

What is IK (Inverse Kinematics)?
Inverse Kinematics (IK) works in the opposite way: the last joint in the chain has the most influence. When you move the end joint, the system automatically adjusts the rest of the joints in the hierarchy.

An example of this is when grabbing a mug. In IK, the hand will take priority, allowing for the accurate movement of the fingers, while the rest of the arm follows the hand’s movement.

Switching Between FK and IK
Most rigs come with a switch between FK and IK systems, which makes animating characters easier and more intuitive. For instance, if you’re animating a character grabbing an object, you’ll use IK to control the hand. Once the object is released, you can switch to FK to animate the arm’s movement more naturally.

Using IK for Sitting Positions
For actions like sitting where the hands touch the knees, it’s best to use IK. This ensures that the hands stay properly placed on the knees, while the rest of the body adjusts accordingly.

Critique walk cycle & ideas for body mechanics exercise.

Walk Cyckle Spline critique

The main objective of a walk cycle is to ensure that the body moves forward naturally. This means the body must lean forward during the consecutive stages of each step. Below are the key adjustments and considerations for refining the walk cycle:

1. Translation Z (Forward Movement)

• Ensure that Translation Z is represented by linear interpolation to maintain a constant speed as the character moves forward.
• Delete any unnecessary in-between frames. Move the graph (up or down) to approximate the correct forward movement. Add new keys where necessary to refine the body’s shifting forward.
• After readjusting (e.g., by adding new keys at poses where the forward lean should be exaggerated), select all the keys and apply linear interpolation to maintain a smooth and consistent speed between frames.

2. Translation X (Side-to-Side Movement of the Body)

• For Translation X, aim for a sine wave-like pattern in the graph editor to simulate the natural side-to-side motion of the body.
• Adjust the amplitude of the sine wave to exaggerate the figure-eight motion of the body.
• Use the motion trail as a reference to ensure smooth and accurate movement.

3. Adjusting Leg Pivoting

• Focus on the leg that is pivoting off the ground.
• Apply foot roll to the other foot as it makes contact with the ground after the step.
• In the graph editor, check the foot roll curve to ensure there is continuous motion without flat lines. Flat lines indicate unnatural pauses in the foot’s roll motion.

4. Refining Knee Movement and Body Translation

• Adjust the knee in coordination with:
  • Foot roll
  • Translation Y (up-and-down movement of the body)
  • Rotation Y (rotation of the body for balance)

5. Pivoting the Foot Between Poses

• The pivoting of the foot from the ground should occur between the down pose and the passing pose.
• Allocate additional frames if needed to ensure the pivoting is smooth and realistic. This will enhance the overall quality of the walk cycle.
  
  
  

Body mechanics

Planning

Planning is essential not only for the upcoming assessment next week but also for work in the industry. It is important to present the general idea in a way that others can easily grasp what you are doing, including references, storyboarding, notes, and other planning materials.

Overview

Body mechanics focuses on the functionality of body movement, such as body weight shifts, foot placement, and overall physicality. Only after the functional part is well executed can acting and emotional expression be effectively added to the animation.

Shooting your own reference

• Maintain the same angle you’re animating to. Record at eye level for consistency.
• If using a single camera, record in a 3/4 perspective view. Alternatively, use multiple cameras to capture movement from several orthographic views.
• Lock the camera to prevent unintended movement.
• Use mirror reflections if working with a single camera setup.
• Test movements in 2D first, using drawn blocking before animating.

Planning Details

• Animation duration: 5 seconds.
• Include references, sketches, planning materials, and video footage.
• Use the bony rig, focusing on body movement and avoiding hand details at this stage.
  
  

List of Activities:

Easiest:

• Jumping on the spot.
• Getting up from a chair to standing.

Advanced:

• Going downstairs.
• Walking upstairs.
• Jumping down from a ledge.
  
  

Getting Up from a Chair to a Standing Position

When sitting, the center of gravity (COG) is distributed across the spine and buttocks, with the body weight resting on the chair. To stand up, the body weight must shift forward and upward.

1. Initial Movement:
   • The pelvis rotates on the X-axis, allowing the upper body to move forward.
   • The chest also rotates on the X-axis, bending the character forward into position.
   • This movement is pelvis-driven, although the head moves first due to the shift initiated by the pelvis. Avoid misunderstanding this as head-driven movement.
2. Weight Transition:
   • The body weight shifts forward onto the legs before moving upward.
   • The movement transitions from a “C” shape (sitting) to an inverted C shape (standing), with an intermediate S shape to ensure smooth, natural movement.
3. Spine Action:
   • The spine stretches and then compresses slightly as the character stands, creating a dynamic squash-and-stretch effect.

Approach:

• Use a pose-to-pose animation method, beginning with key poses and refining them with in-betweens.
• Blocking should focus on capturing major transitions first, then addressing smaller details.

Timing and Spacing:

• Allocate sufficient time to the initial sitting position so the audience clearly understands the character’s action.
• Ensure smooth and believable transitions between key poses with appropriate spacing.