Animation Fundamentals - Exercises

23.4.2024 -  / Week 1 - Week 
Chan Wan Qing / 0350928 / BA of Design (HONS) in Creative Media
Animation Fundamentals
Exercises

---

INDEX:

1. Lectures
2. Exercises
    Exercise 1: Bouncing Ball
    Exercise 2: Ball With Tail
3. Feedbacks
4. Reflection

---

LECTURES

Week 1 / 23.4.2024

In the first week, we were briefed about the Module Information Booklet (MIB). First, we went through weekly module content outline to understand how will us proceed each week with each topic. We were also introduced on the exercises and assignments. Mr Kamal showed us some examples from past year students to let us know the expectations for each exercise and assignment.

Further Readings:

1. The Animator's Survival Kits by Richard Williams
2. The Illusion of Life: Disney Animation by Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston

Week 2 / 30.4.2024

In week 2, we were going to learn about animation principles including timing, spacing (slow in, slow out, arcs). 

Timing & Spacing (Slides Notes)

https://miro.com/app/board/uXjVKNoWQjI=/

Frame Rate

24: Film - big screen (cinema: projector / digital)
25: Video (PAL - Malaysia)
30: Video (NTSC)

1. Size (Academy / Cinemascope / 2K >2000 px / 4K)
2. Aspect Ratio (Height : Width)

720p (Height) - Standard HD - 1280x720
1080p (Height) - Full HD - 1920x1080 (Almost 2K)

Frame Rate (Miro Notes)

Timing (= Duration of Action, including pause or "hold")

Timing (Miro Notes)

Spacing (Slow in and Slow Out)

*Timing Chart
- Constant Speed (accelerate - move; decelerate - stop)

On 2 (1 drawing in 2 frames - commonly used in 2D)

Spacing (Miro Notes)

Arcs

Breakdown > Arcs/ Divider > SI/SO (In between) 
EX - Extreme 
BD - Breakdown
IB - In between

Arcs (Miro Notes)

Week 3 / 7.5.2024

In week 3, sir started with reviewing our work from last week, which is exercise 1. He gives us feedbacks so that we can improve our work. After that, we continue with topic 3, squash and stretch (elastic), drag, follow through and overlapping (flexibility). 

Animation Flexibility (Slides Notes)

https://miro.com/app/board/uXjVKLQQEew=/ 

Squash & Stretch

Rules: - Preserve VOLUME

Squash & Stretch (Miro Notes)

---

INSTRUCTIONS

Exercises 1: Bouncing Ball

In week 2's class, we learnt how to use Adobe Animate after the lecture. 

F5: Inset Frame
Shift + F5: Delete Frame

First, we inserted 25 frames and drew a line using line tool to create a floor. Then, in a new layer, we drew a circle as a ball in the first frame. We then created a new layer for the arcs for the bouncing ball. The arcs should be smaller after the first one subsequently as the height of the ball will decrease after each bounce.

Colour > Alpha > Reduce opacity (for arcs layer)

Floor

Arcs

After creating the arcs, we started to insert the ball into each frame by copying (Ctrl + Alt + C) and pasting (Ctrl + Alt + V) into the next frame. We first placed the ball on the extreme and add a blank frame after each frame so that the animation is on twos. 

Ball on Extremes (On 1)

After creating the blank frame after each frame, we copy and paste the ball and placed it in between the extreme following the arcs. 

Ball in Between (On 2s)

Then, we added the ball in between to create slow in and slow out. Blank frames are added so that the animation is consistent as it should be on twos. The last frame should stay longer, so we added a few more blank frames. 

Bouncing Ball (Onion Skin)

Bouncing Ball (Video)

After week 2's tutorial, I created a new file and tried to add more bounces. I followed the steps we learnt in the tutorial class and created the arc. Similarly, I created spacing between the ball in different frames on the arcs. I kept the frames of animation on 2s. Below shown the onion skin for my attempt on exercise 1. 

Exercise 1: Bouncing Ball (Process)

Final Exercise 1: Bouncing Ball

Final Exercise 1: Bouncing Ball

Exercise 2: Ball With Tail

For the second exercise, we are going to animate a ball with tail. In the class, we started the exercise with squashing and stretching the ball. First, we transform the shape of the ball. 

Stretch

Squash

Squash and Stretch

Bouncing Ball with Stretch and Squash

After adding stretch and squash to the bouncing ball, we used brush tool to draw the tail. We can also use pen tool to draw the tail if we did not have a drawing tablet. 

Tail (Tutorial)

I used drawing tablet to draw the tail. It was ok in the beginning for the first, second and third arcs. However, in the fourth arc, I found it difficult to adjust the tail and its shape as the arc is lower and and the bounce of the ball is low. I used quite some time to modify that part. 

Tail (1st attempt)

Tail (2nd attempt)

Final Exercise 2: Ball With Tail

Final Exercise 2: Ball With Tail

---

FEEDBACKS

Week 3 / Exercise 1

General Feedbacks:

It is important to understand the timing chart for these exercises. 

Specific Feedbacks:

Motion-wise, it's fine. The only thing is that the colour of the ball is too dark. 

Week 4 / Exercise 2

General Feedbacks:

Remain consistency of drawing throughout the animation. The ball needs to touch the ground. Try to minimise the overlapping. Remain the volume of the ball. 

Specific Feedbacks:

The squash and stretch of the ball is good. Flexibility is great, the ball stretches before contacting the floor and squashing right after. The tail can be improve, adjust the tail to a higher position before contacting the floor. 

---

REFLECTION

Exercise 1: Bouncing Ball

Exercise 1: Bouncing Ball allows me to understand the practical knowledge of animation principles including timing, spacing, arcs and so on we learned in week 2. In this exercise, we have to followed the procedure step by step, from placing the ball on the extremes, in between and creating spacing between the balls. This exercise allows me to understand the concept of spacing to make the ball slow in and slow out on the arcs and control the acceleration and deceleration of the bouncing ball. In the classes, we also learned about the basics of using Adobe Animate. Overall, the exercise of animating a bouncing ball provided me with a solid foundation in animation fundamentals and allowed me to learn new skills in timing, spacing, and movement. Although there are room of improvements especially on animating the end of the bouncing ball, I felt quite satisfied about the final result of exercise 1. 

Exercise 2: Ball With Tail

I am able to understand other animation principles through this exercise including squash and stretch, and also drag, follow through and overlapping. This exercise allows me to apply my knowledge I learnt from lecture classes into practical exercises. For me, the squash and stretch part is still okay as I understand the movement of the ball when it stretches or squashes. However, the tricky part is adding the tail as I have to imagine how the tail move when the ball is bouncing and getting lower and lower each bounce. The movement of the tail is not that smooth initially, and I have to amend and improve it through my imagination. I would not say that the final outcome is perfect but I tried my best to make the tail to look smooth when bouncing while applying the principles.