Animation Fundamentals

Mr. Kamal gave a brief introduction to the module and gave recommendations of the drawing tablets we could acquire for our future animation endeavors.

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Week 2

We learned about the animation principle of Timing, Spacing (Slow in and Slow Out), and Arc.

Fig 2.1 Spacing and Timing. (Source)

Timing : the number of frames between two poses. It controls the speed of action and gives a sense of weight, emotion, and realism. More frames = slower movement; fewer frames = faster movement.
Spacing (Slow In and Slow Out) : how the position of an object changes over time. "Slow in" means objects start moving slowly, then accelerate. "Slow out" means they decelerate before stopping. This helps create more natural, fluid motion.
Arc : Most natural movements follow curved paths (arcs), not straight lines. Using arcs in animation adds realism and elegance to actions like a swing, jump, or gesture.

To test out our knowledge of the principles, we did an exercise of animating a Bouncing Ball in Exercise 1.

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Week 3

We learned about the animation principle of Squash, Stretch, Drag and Follow-Through.

Fig 2.2 Squash and Stretch. (Source)

Squash and Stretch gives the illusion of :

Elasticity of the material
Flexibility of motion
Life

Fig 2.3 Drag and Follow-Through. (Source)

Drag is the way different parts of a character or object move in relation to each other and the main action.

Follow-Through emphasizes parts of the body or object continuing motion even after the main action has ended.

To have a good use of Drag and Follow-Through, there should be good :

Key poses
Extreme poses
Breakdown poses
In-between poses

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3. EXERCISES

3.1 Bouncing Ball Animation

Task: "Using Adobe Animate, you are required to animate normal weight with moderate timing of bouncing ball (Soccer ball)."

Starting first with a foundation, I placed the floor line as well as the arc. Then, I placed the first few bouncing ball frames based on my knowledge of timing and spacing which included adding slow ins when the ball starts the bounce.

Fig 3.1.1 First arc and bouncing ball frames.

Taking note of that first bounce, I repeated it multiple times, reducing the height of the bounces as it went on. I decided to add for frames to slow down parts of the bounces.

Fig 3.1.2 Onion Skin of first attempt.

Video 3.1.1 First attempt of Bouncing Ball Animation.

However, it felt a bit slow and not realistic to me so I went to try and find a reference video to make the animation flow more nicely.

Fig 3.1.3 Making the first arc steeper to match with the rest.

After referring to the video, I changed up the first arc to make it more steeper of a fall to match with the rest of the steep arcs following it.

As an experimental thing, I also added a slight 'bounce back" to the ball when it hits the wall which I think gives it just slightly more realism.

Final:

Fig 3.1.4 Onion Skin of final attempt.

Video 3.1.2 Final Bouncing Ball Animation (Timing, Spacing and Arc)

Animation File Link : https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1DuRolRfS9qoz5A8-nIPLs-TaGC53hCAZ?usp=sharing

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3.2 Squash and Stretch with Tail

Task: "Using Adobe Animate, you are required to animate a bouncing ball by applying squash and stretch principles that show elasticity of the material and giving it a life as a character through pose to pose animation method. Attached to the squashy and stretchy ball is a tail which you need to show its flexibility of motion by applying the principles of Drag, Follow Through and Overlapping action through a straight ahead animation method."

Fig 3.2.1 Testing out Stretch and Squash on first bounce.

Following Mr. Kamal's instructions, I stretched most of the in-betweens and squashed the extremes of the ball frame that hit the ground. It was a bit tricky at first because it didn't come out as smooth as I wanted but that was because I'd forgotten to changed the width of the ball in some of the stretch frames.

Video 3.2.1 Bouncing Ball with Squash and Stretch.

Fig 3.2.2 Onion Skin of first attempt in tail animation.

I then started to animate the tail. It was actually fun to draw the curves of the tail; where it dragged and where it slightly squashed with the ball. But I would be lying if I said that drawing unique frames of the tail wasn't slightly tedious. Every mistake I made would start to annoy me a bit but seeing the end result aid in making that feeling disappear.

Fig 3.2.2 Tail animation V2.

Lastly, I adjusted slightly the arc of the tail from the first bounce because it started a bit too high.

After feedback to Mr. Kamal, I got rid of the "bounce back from wall" part of the animation since he said it would be a bit hard to do at this level.

Final:

Fig 3.2.3 Tail animation V2.

Video 3.2.2 Final Bouncing Ball Animation - Squash and Stretch with Tail.

Animation File Link : https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1cRk2ltRCCVBzx0IT5fqEZjCUk7YzZBZs?usp=sharing

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4. REFLECTION

Overall, I had a fun time during these two exercises since it introduced me more into the hands-on experience of animating with the animation principles in mind. Before this, I'd done multiple animations on my own but never really properly took into consideration of animation principles so they were slightly stiff in some areas. But now learning about the arcs and squashing and stretching, I've gained a new process for my brain to go through for my future animations!

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🐚

Qistina Nuralya Maria Binti Azly (0354180)

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