Multiplane Animation

Multiplane Animation Project

Multiplane animation is a more "recent" innovations in animation.  Originally utilized by Disney in the creation of "Bambi" and was created with a "Multiplane Camera"that would take pictures of frames but had perspective because of the distance between layers. This let animations seem as if they had depth and perception, making the animations seem more realistic and alive. With our most recent project we practiced this technique but instead of using a camera, we edited layers in PS and AE.

The Animation Process

The most challenging part of the project was to create the layers themselves. In my project I tried to add depth by using shading and such but that was a hit and miss. The next step in the process was to bring the layers into AE from PS and animate them. This was unbelievably easy. All we had to do was put the layers on the end of their layers and put a keyframe for them. BOOM, DONE.

The Final Product

The final product turned out well. I did a couple of things to make the shading better including burning the dark parts and highlighting the lighter parts. I also added bold outlines to the layers to make the layers pop out more and to make the layers blend better. I thought I did really well with this project, but still it was the easiest project we did all year so I guess thats a given.

Walk Cycle

The Walk Cycle Project

So yea.... this is my walk cycle project, interesting but more on that later. This project was very challenging do to a couple of my own set backs for myself that I didn't realize were going to be an issue until the animation process started and you can see what the problem was clearly in the video. 

The Process

First step in the project was to create a picture of the character you wanted to animate. We first drew a picture of the character and then uploaded it onto our computers. We then colored in the drawing as we pleased and separated layers to prepare for the animation. After this we brought the file into after effects to animate and thats where it all went down hill for me. I realized how awkward it was going to be to animate the character because I uploaded a character with depth already drawn into it. The goal was to have a side view of the character to easily animate the arms and legs, however I had a character with both a front view and side view making my job much harder. A suggestion to put a ball under Hobbes to mimic the concept of balance was given to me so I added it and it made it much better.

The Final Product

The final product or result of the project was not very good in my opinion. I would have liked to have had a cleaner walk cycle but  had to deal with the set backs that I set for myself so it is my fault alone and that is something I must improve for the next project. Another thing I would like to improve for my next project would be to have more clear lines then what I had on my character. Other then that I am pretty happy with the end product.