Animation Fundamentals: Lecture and Exercises

04.04.2023 - 18.04.2023 ( week 01 - week 03 )
Len Hoi Yee / 0353430
Animation Fundamentals / Bachelor of Design in Creative Media
Exercises

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Instruction 

Week 2: Animation Principle 1 - Timing, Slow in and Out, Arcs

Tutorial 

Today in class, we were introduced to Adobe Animate and learnt how to animate a bouncing ball which is also our first exercise of the module. 

Week 3: Animation Principle 2 - Squash and Stretch, Drag, Follow Through and Overlapping

Lecture

Tutorial 

In this class, we were taught how to animate elasticity and plasticity to a bouncing ball to make the object less stiff and more realistic. By adding 'squash' and 'stretch' to the bouncing ball, it will appear a realistic effect. 

Week 4 :Animation Principles 3 -Appeal, Solid Drawing & Character Construction

Week 5 :Animation Principles 3 -Appeal, Solid Drawing & Character Construction

Week 6 :Pose-to-pose Animation

down position 

body has to move downwards abit 

down ,up, contact 

Week 7 : Jumping Animation

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Exercise 01

For this exercise, we are to animate a bouncing ball smoothly on 2s by using the knowledge we have for timing and spacing while animating an object. 

Figure 2.1 Bouncing ball with onion skin view 

At first, I was very confused with animation concepts, such as slow in and out, timing, and spacing, which is why the result of my bouncing ball looks very jerky and unnatural. 

Figure 2.2 First attempt 

Feedback: Mr.Kamal said that it looks jerky still, try to understand the spacing and timing concept more. 

Figure 2.3 Second attempt

Feedback: In my second attempt, Mr. Kamal thinks it's better than before, but I just have to readjust the arc of the bouncing ball and the spacing between the ball.  

Figure 2.4 Onion skin for the bouncing animation

This is the onion skin for the final outcome with improved spacing and arc of the bouncing ball. 

Final Outcome

Exercise 02

In this exercise, we were tasked to apply 'squash' and 'stretch' to a bouncing ball to make the ball look more alive and add on a tail for the ball. 

Figure 3.1 Bouncing ball animation

The bouncing ball changes shape while dropping at a certain height, therefore, there are 'squash' and 'stretch' techniques to make the ball more lively. 

Figure 3.2 Complete bouncing ball animation with onion skin 

Figure 3.3 Adding tail to the ball 

By using the pen tool to create the tail on the rough sketch that we did in class, in order to refine the tail and touch it up the tail to make it look better. 

Figure 3.4 Ball tail with sharp ends 

Feedback: Mr. Kamal commented that the tail shouldn't have sharp ends. 

Final Outcome