1. Character Design for Animation and Games
Week 6a: Clay Day #2
Introduction to Maya Animation
Basic Rigging.

2. SCULPTING: Clay Create your final 3D character head in clay!
Tutorials for future clay sculpting reference:

3. Animation: Basics
1/5
ANIMATION is the process of changing an image over time so it appears to move or even be alive. DIGITAL ANIMATION uses KEYFRAMES to mark changes in value at specific times. Every motion needs at least two Keyframes: a starting time and value, and an ending time and value. If two neighboring Keyframes have identical value, then the time between them will be a pause.
More Advanced: Animation is typically displayed as a graph, with Value on the vertical axis and Time on the horizontal. An “S-curve” between keyframes shows ease-in and ease-out: a movement speeding up as it leaves a keyframe and slowing down as it enters, to represent real-world forces.

4. Animation: Maya Tools 2/5 BASIC KEYFRAMING:
Select an object to se it keyframes in the bottom Timeline. Turn on AutoKeyframeToggle, lowRight corner.
Set Initial Keyframes: Choose a time in the Timeline (click or slide thin vertical gray bar). Set a keyframe (red line) by hitting [s] (all tracks) or rightClick a channel in the right-hand ChannelBox & choose Key Selected.
Set Changed Keyframes: Choose a new time, transform the object. If initial key exists in that track at another time, a new keyframe will be created at the new time
Keys in the Timeline can be copied or cut & pasted by rightClicking them.
Windows/Animation Editors/Graph Editor: more detailed frame adjusting.
Below the Timeline are controls for adjusting the amount of time that is currently visible.

5. Animation: Timing 3/5 ANIMATION IS ABOUT TIMING!
1. For any 2 keyframes in the timeline:
move them closer = shorter time = faster motion.
Move them further apart = slower motion.
Time in Maya is be default 24 frames per second. A full left-right-left of an average walk takes about 1 second.
The timeline playback in Maya is set by default for physics simulation, not character or object animation, and will play too fast. To fix this, open Animation Preferences (lower right icon) and switch from “Play every frame” to “Real time (24fps)”

6. EXERCISE 2a: Bouncing Ball Animation
4/5
CREATE INITIAL ANIMATION
Create a Sphere, move on X axis to left side and on Y axis to top of perspective grid. At frame 1 hit [s] to set initial keyframes (red).
Turn on Auto Keyframe Toggle. Set time = 100 and move sphere all the way to right end of the perspective grid. A keyframe (red) for the new position will automatically be set.
BOOKENDS: At frames 30, 50, 70, 80, 90 hit [s] to set keyframes. This will “bookend” the vertical position (Y-axis) at those frames, so the ball will always return to the ground.
At frames 15, 40, 60, 75, and lift the sphere to ever decreasing heights, so the ball starts bouncing high and then loses energy.
VISUALIZATION: You can make the motion of your object visible! Change the Module from “Modeling” to “Animation.” Select the object and in the Visualize menu turn on “Create Editable Motion Trail” and/or “Ghost Selected.”
REMEMBER: Sphere keyframes are only visible when the sphere is selected!

7. EXERCISE 2b: Bouncing Ball Animation
5/5
REVISE ANIMATION IN GRAPH EDITIOR
With sphere selected, Open Windows/ Animation Editors/ Graph Editor
On the left, select the Translate X track to only see that graphline. Notice it is an S-curve (eases-in-out). Select and delete all middle keyframes. Select the 2 ends of the S-curve and hit the Linear Tangent icon (diagonal line on top bar) to straighten the X-track. This will make the sideways motion consistent.
Select the Translate Y track. Notice the bottoms are too smooth, so no bounce. Select all the bottom keyframes and hit Linear Tangent to sharpen the impacts.
Break Tangents on all bottom keyframes. Left-Mouse-select handles, and middle-Mouse-drag handles for smoother curves.

8. EXERCISE 3a: Basic Rigging
Change module to RIGGING. Note the Skeleton, Skin, and Constrain menus To Parent: Select an object (child), [Shift]+select another object (parent), hit [p]. To un-parent, select child and hit [Shift]+[p]. NOTE: Display/Animation/Joint Size to make small joints more visible. 1. Set your character to Xray Joints in all views. Find the Skeleton/Joint Creation Tool (set orientation axes to X/Y/Z) 2. In the Side viewport, create joints for the LEG (thigh, knee, ankle, ball, toe) and the TORSO-HEAD (root, spine1, spine2, chest, neck, head, hat). Create a HIPS joint and parent [p] to the Root.

9. EXERCISE 3b: Basic Rigging
3. In the Front viewport create the ARM (clavicle, shoulder, elbow, wrist1, wrist2, hand, finger1-4). In the Top viewport, hit [d] to adjust the elbow backwards. 4. In the Front viewport, move the leg into the mesh, parent the thigh to the hips and the clavicle to the chest joints. 4. Name all joints in the ChannelBox. 5. Skeleton/Mirror Joints.

10. Homework #11: Revise 3D: UVs/Textures
Revise your 3D character Details/ UVs/ Textures:
DETAILS: Cut & extrude at least 2 parallel edge loops for each clothing detail: transitions & major wrinkles. Then move the outer line out to form the detail.
UNWRAP: Follow this tutorial to make your unwrap and paint textures:
PAINT: Work in as much edge and highlight/shadow detail as you would on a concept painting.
Post to hw11 folder in Piazza by noon Thursday: piazza.com/class/ippn0kwpb904xh

11. Post-Class Viewing: Game: Skullgirls

12. Post-Class Viewing: Game: Overwatch

13. Post-Class Viewing: Game Characters
Skullgirls and Overwatch