IMM 370 - Final Project (Surfing Animation)

Here is my final project for IMM 370 - Figure Motion/Character Animation.

Proposal 
My final project is a 30-second long surfing animation using the Stewart rig available on Creative Crash. All additional models featured in the animation were NURBS models created during IMM 211 - Animation 1.

Pre-Production
Much of the research that went into this project occurred during its early stages. I am not particularly interested or experienced in organic movements and character animation. For this reason, I found many YouTube videos that showcased specific surfing movements. I used references during the animation of the paddling and walking cycles. During the surfing part of the animation, the character completes a backside snap. I used a video of Dane Reynolds completing this motion as a reference for my final animation. A significant amount of time and research also went into selecting a song to enhance the animation. I chose "What You Know" by Two Door Cinema Club because I felt that it gave off a vibe that complimented the animation.

Production Log
Work on this project began several months ago. After the pre-production and research stages, I began the modeling work in Maya. I began by modeling the surfboard fins using the NURBS modeling techniques covered in class. At the time it was my most complex model, so it was a great way to apply and practice using the many NURBS modeling techniques. I started with photo references for the fins, and using the perspective views I drew corresponding curves and connected them with curved surfaces. After modeling the fins, I started work on the surfboard. I modeled the surfboard in a a similar way. I used some photo references to create the basic curves that made up the surfboard's outline. Again, I connected the curves with multiple curved surfaces to create the shape of the surfboard. I then completed the surfboard and fins by working on materials and texturing.

After the surfboard/fin modeling, I started animating the rig. Aside from the SimpleMan rig, I never controlled/manipulated/animated a rig before. Moving and manipulating the rig was a learning experience, but by the time I reached the final scene it became very intuitive. There is also an image that is mapped to the character's skin. I imported the image into Photoshop and altered it to give the character the appearance of wearing a wetsuit.

After animating the character's basic movements, I began working on the background of each scene. The first four scenes have relatively simple backgrounds, so the majority of the work went into texturing the sand and applying the correct shader to animate the ocean. The final scene is different from the rest because it features a barreling wave. I started with curves to create the basic shape of a barreling wave and then I created curved surfaces which lofted the curves together. The wave itself does not move, so I used the camera to my advantage (to give the illusion of the wave's movement).

From here, the rigs and animations were placed on their corresponding backgrounds. I finished the animation by keying the movement of the camera. The camera angles play a large role in the final animation, so I spent a lot of time animating the position of the cameras. Unlike my IMM 211 project, the rendering itself did not give me any problems. I simply batch-rendered each of the scenes and imported the stills into a video editing program to create the final animation. I then added a soundtrack to the animation ("What You Know" -  Two Door Cinema Club). The final render was then uploaded to YouTube, and the completed animation can be seen above.

Self-Evaluation
I have learned a lot about Maya (and 3D animation as a whole) throughout the course of the semester. I am not particularly interested in modeling characters or creating organic movements, but I found interesting to focus on such an animation style during the course. Due to my limited knowledge of Maya, I did not have enough time to model and rig my own character, so I used the Stewart rig from Creative Crash. It would have been interesting to delve into such details of character animation; however, I do not see myself working on similar projects in the future.

What I found most informative and interesting was all of the NURBS creation and manipulation techniques covered throughout the course. I used these techniques to create the surfboard and fins featured in the final animation. I feel like these skills have many real-world applications and could potentially be used outside of the classroom. I am glad to have learned these skills, as they are very broad and can be applied to modeling just about any type of figure or object. In all, I have learned a great deal about NURBS modeling throughout the semester, and I hope to use these techniques in the future.

Assignment #8: Final Project Storyboard

The eighth assignment was to create a storyboard for my final project. My final project features a surfer character walking on the beach, paddling/sitting in the water, then riding a wave to finish the animation. Although there is not much of a story, it captures many different aspects of surfing that I wanted to highlight. Below is my storyboard:

Assignment #7: 3D Character Animation (Walk Cycle)

The seventh assignment was to create a basic walk cycle using the SimpleMan pre-rigged character. I have a lot of experience controlling and manipulating this rig, so this assignment was not particularly difficult. I based my 3D animation off of the two-dimensional animation that I worked on last week. Having such a reference made it much easier to position the joints on the SimpleMan rig. Below are the eight basic poses that I created for the walk cycle. The final animation (when looped) produces a complete walk cycle.

3D Character Walk Cycle (Pose 1)

3D Character Walk Cycle (Pose 2)

3D Character Walk Cycle (Pose 3)

3D Character Walk Cycle (Pose 4)

3D Character Walk Cycle (Pose 5)

3D Character Walk Cycle (Pose 6)

3D Character Walk Cycle (Pose 7)

3D Character Walk Cycle (Pose 8)

Assignment #6: 2D Character Animation (Walk Cycle)

The sixth assignment was to develop a simple two-dimensional character animation. Specifically, we were asked to create a walk cycle. I based my walk cycle off of series of generic walk cycle poses found on Google. After drawing the first (contact) pose, I then used a light table to trace the character's shape. From there, I changed positions of the head, arms, and legs to convey motion. I then repeated this process until I had 8 basic poses. I then scanned the drawings of my initial 8 poses and imported them into Photoshop. From there, I created an animated GIF of my animation as seen below. Click on the image to see the full walk cycle.

Midterm: Self Evaluation

I have learned a lot about drawing sketches, movement, and simulating/animating movement in Maya throughout this semester. Before this class, I had never opened a 3D modeling program. Now I am able to animate character rigs, and I have been working on developing my own rigs and models on the side. That being said, I feel like I have come a long way this semester.

Most of my character animation work this semester was done using the SimpleMan character rig supplied by the professor at the beginning of the semester. I feel extremely comfortable manipulating that rig to achieve specific poses. I have learned a lot about how the manipulators work, and I have experimented with several other character rigs to see the functions of some of the less common manipulators. Overall, I feel pretty comfortable using the manipulators to create poses with character rigs.

I really liked learning about how scripts can be used to make the animation process easier. On some of the more complex rigs, I still have a bit of trouble creating the custom MEL scripts that handle selecting and keying all of the manipulators. However, I'm sure these skills will come with time and practice.

Although I have very little experience with 3D modeling, my goal for the semester is to implement my projects from IMM 211 into my final character animation. In the other class, I have been modeling my own surfboard, fins, etc. as seen below.

My surfboard modeled in IMM 211

My surfboard fin modeled in IMM 211

So the ultimate goal is to bring the character and the models from the other class together to create a comprehensive/larger scale animation. Most of the students in this class have much more 3D modeling experience than I do, so sometimes it is discouraging to see the complex rigs they have developed. I am very interested in learning how to develop and rig my own character. However, I'm not sure if this is possible within the scope of this class.

I have mixed feelings about taking IMM 211 and IMM 370 at the same time, as in 370 it is assumed that you already know how to rig/model your own characters. However, I feel like I am learning the fundamental skills in IMM 211 which will allow me to potentially develop my own character by the end of the semester. I have learned a lot (in both classes) throughout the semester. IMM 370 gave me a different perspective on how people/objects move. Replicating their motions in Maya really helps you understand all of the factors affecting the object's movement. Becoming proficient in 3D character animation definitely comes with practice and time. As I continue to improve my skills, I hope to combine my projects from IMM 211 and 370 to create an interesting, comprehensive, and complex final project.

Assignment #5: Intermediate Poses

The fifth assignment was to work on developing poses. Sometimes Maya does not correctly key the character's pose when it is going from one pose to another. In order to get the desired results, you simply create a keyframe (or several keyframes) in between the two poses that you are working with. In this particular assignment, I wanted to continue developing the poses for my surfer character. Instead of using the SimpleMan character rig, I decided to use a more realistic rig (Stewart) supplied by the professor. I then started with the character paddling on the surfboard. From here I wanted to create the transition between the laying down position and the standing up position. So I created an intermediate pose to smooth out the characters movement to make it more desirable. I found it difficult to create a custom MEL script to Select All and Key All like we did in class. This is likely due to the fact that this rig is much more sophisticated than the SimpleMan rig covered in class. I intend to continue working on this character and create more surfing poses to include in my final project. Below are some screenshots of the animation process.

Pose #1: The character paddling on the surfboard

Pose #2: The intermediate pose where the character is lifting himself up on the board

Pose #3: The character standing up on the surfboard

Assignment #4: Character Animation with Outside Forces

The fourth assignment was to create a short character animation with the introduction of outside forces. The example in the class included a platform moving out from underneath a character. I was originally going to fully animate a surfing maneuver, but I am going to wait until I select a rig to use for my final project. Here I have animated the Simple Man rig. In this animation, the character is standing on a balance board type cylinder. The character loses balance and the cylinder slips out from underneath the character. Below are selected frames from the completed animation.

Balanced character

Character losing balance

Character fell after losing balance

Assignment #3: Character Poses

The third assignment was to create 5 distinct poses that define your character. Using my knowledge and some photos as references, I developed five of the most common/interesting surfing positions and maneuvers that I would like to include in my final animation. I used the Simple Man character rig for these poses; however, I plan to use a more sophisticated rig for my final project.

Pose #1: Surfer standing on board

Pose #2: Surfer sitting on board

Pose #3: Frontside snap

Pose #4: Backside snap

Pose #5: An aerial maneuver

Assignment #2: Character Sketches

The second assignment was to work on character development. By the end of the semester, I hope to be able to animate a surfer doing a series of maneuvers. I have watched and slowed down many surfing videos to understand what goes into each motion. I would like to at least animate a surfer completing a frontside snap. The next step is to use this sketch as a reference and use it to animate a rigged character.

A sketch of a frontside snap as an animation reference.

A sketch of an aerial maneuver to use as an animation reference.

A sketch of a backside snap to use as an animation reference.

Assignment #1: Animate a Simple Character Rig

The first assignment was to create a quick animation using a basic pre-rigged character.  I created a 10 second animation using the Simple Man character rig, where the character completes two jumping jacks and waves towards the camera.

Selected frame from the rendered animation

Screenshot from the animation process