Character Animation: 2D Skills for Better 3D Book

Foreword     xi
Preface     xiii
Acknowledgements     xv
Introduction to 2D-animation working practice     1
How animation works the     2
Basics     2
Frames per second     2
What you need for your studio     3
Animation paper     3
Peg bar     3
Light box     4
X-sheets     4
Line tester     9
Pencils     11
Let's get animating     11
Key to key animation     11
Animating straight ahead     13
Flipping, flicking and rolling     13
Flipping     13
Flicking     14
Rolling     17
How to use a line tester to help your animation     18
How this book works     19
Matter and the animation of inanimate objects     28
Inanimate objects     29
Weight     29
Environment     30
Solidity     30
Force     30
Construction     30
How to animate inanimate objects     30
The animation of solids     31
A bowling ball     31
A soccer ball     32
A balloon     33
A water-filled balloon     33
The animation of liquids     35
A drip     35
A splash     36
Object falling into water     36
The construction of a simple character, its articulation and balance     48
Basic human anatomy     49
The spine     50
The rib cage     50
The pelvic girdle     51
The skull     51
The shoulders     51
Joints     52
Plane joints     52
Pivot joints     53
Hinge joints     53
Ball-and-socket joints     53
Saddle joints     53
Condyloid joints     54
Moving in arcs     54
How to design a basic human character     55
Complexity     56
The graphic nature of characters     56
Strong silhouettes     57
Weight and balance     57
How to design a 3D character     59
Planning a scene     61
Animating your characters     62
How to build and rig a simple 3D character      80
Skin and bones     81
Child of the joint     81
First get your body parts     83
Putting bones in your man     83
Setting up eye controls     85
Setting up the legs     85
Timing, anticipation, overshoot, follow-through and overlapping action with an animated character     87
Timing     88
Anticipation     90
How much anticipation     91
Force     92
Acting and anticipation     93
Double takes!     93
Speed and surprise     94
Anticipation during a move     94
Varying the amount of anticipation     95
Other ways of using anticipation     96
Follow-through     96
Follow-through of inanimate objects     97
Follow-through of animate (living) objects     98
Overlapping action or overshoot     101
Vibration     103
Human walks and runs     113
Walk cycles!     114
Walking     115
Pace     115
Walking mechanics     116
The four basic positions of a walk     116
The stride positions     116
The cross over positions     117
Shoulder movement     118
Arm movement     120
Up and down movement of the body     120
Walk cycles displaying different moods     121
External influences     128
Two people walking together     129
Running     129
Animal walks and runs     136
The four types of animal locomotion     137
Construction of an animal     137
Pantomime horse     137
Cartoon four-legged walks     139
Correct four-legged animal construction     140
Animal leg and foot construction     140
Animals with paws     140
A dog walk     141
A cat walk     145
Animals with cloven feet     146
Animals with hooves     146
Flat feet     147
Animal runs     148
Trotting     148
Cantering     149
Galloping     150
Transverse or rotary gallops and canters     151
Animation of fish and snakes     158
Fish     158
How they swim     159
Drag     159
Two swimming types of fish      160
Schooling (shoaling)     160
Swimming mammals and flatfish     161
Rays     161
Fins     161
Snakes     162
Basic movement     162
Concertina movement     163
Crotaline (sidewinder) movement     163
Animation of birds     170
Flying     170
Wings - insects and humming bird     172
Animation of acting - body language     178
Acting     179
Method acting     180
Theatrical acting     180
Consequence     180
Emotions     181
Introduction to Laban Movement theory     182
Kinesphere     182
Space, time, weight and flow continuums     183
Eight basic efforts     183
Pressing     183
Flicking     183
Wringing     184
Dabbing     184
Slashing     184
Gliding     184
Thrusting     184
Floating     184
General body language     185
Basic body postures     186
Open body postures     186
Closed body postures      187
Forward body postures     187
Back body postures     187
Responsive     187
Reflective     189
Fugitive     190
Combative     191
Palm, hand, arm and leg gestures     192
Palm gestures     192
Hand gestures     192
Arm crossing     193
Leg crossing     194
Acting out a scene in animation     195
The use of video footage to help your animation     198
The seven questions of character     199
The different sorts of animation acting     200
Animated radio     200
Pose-to-pose animation acting     201
Full animation acting     201
Mime     202
Analysis of a character     203
Building a more sophisticated character     208
Animation of acting - facial expressions     214
Emotions     215
The eyes     217
Facial expressions     219
Happiness     219
A smile     219
Sadness     220
Surprise     221
Fear     222
Anger      222
Disgust and contempt     223
Interest     223
Pain and distress     224
Combination of facial expressions     225
Head angle     226
Hand-to-face gestures     226
Evaluation     227
Deceit     227
Stress     228
Extreme close-ups     228
How to animate a piece of facial acting     228
How to add a simple mouth and eyebrows to your basic 3D character     238
The eyebrows     239
The mouth     239
Animation of acting - two or more characters     241
Two characters on screen together     241
The use of 'beats' to break up a scene     242
Objective     242
Obstacle     242
Action     242
Personal space     243
Mirroring     244
How characters look at each other     245
Two characters acting with each other while talking     246
Two characters alternating from one shot to another     247
A large group of characters on screen at the same time     248
Lip-sync     255
Recording and breaking down a dialogue track     256
How we speak     257
Acting with dialogue     259
Quick from pose to pose     260
Slow from pose to pose     260
Erratically from pose to pose     260
Mouth shapes     261
Mouth shut consonants     261
The vowels     263
The quieter vowels and consonants     264
Teeth     264
Animating the mouth shapes early     265
Creating a more sophisticated character's face and expressions     269
Eyebrow movements     270
Mouth and jaw movements     271
Cheek movements     273
Nose movements     273
Index     275