Now Presenting: 'Proportion'...

The final animation:

The character turnaround:

Proportion: The 'Art of' and Technical Document:

Progress Update...

I'm currently working on animating the bulk of the scenes in Maya. It's going okay, some of the scenes aren't particularly smooth yet but it's a good starting place, and it allows me time to refine it later. Once I've got them all done I'll post up a new pre-viz to see how it all fits together. For now though, here are a few renders of the scenes I've got at the moment:

Run Cycle Update...

I've adjusted his cog joint to give him more time in the air:

It's definitely better, although I did struggle to make it look like he was going up and down from this view. You can see it from the front but I think it just about works now. :)

Reaction Test: Surprise...

He gets a few nasty surprises in my animation so I thought I'd get a bit of practice going, using some of the reactions in the Animators Survival Kit as a basis:

I had a good go and I think it works quite nicely.  It's not amazing of course, but I think for a quick test it works pretty nicely, and I now have a few more poses for my PoseLibrary! :D

Run Cycle 2...

Below is my second attempt at a run cycle put into a bit more context, the first is at 25fps and the second is at 30fps just to see if it looks a little better:

I've been struggling with this one for days but I do think it's almost there. I've been having trouble loosening him up so he doesn't feel as if everything's moving at the same time, but when I do I seem to come across very random and unpleasant jumping in his arms.

Anyway, I could do with a break from this cycle so it's time to continue with a few of his behaviours. 

Run Cycle Attempt 1 Tweaking...

I tweaked the arms, added foot pressure and trouser movement below:

It's definitely a little tidier and I'm glad with how it's coming along after the little trouble I had earlier. Might have a break from these cycles and have a go at some reactions. After looking in The Animators Survival Kit, I've found a guide to creating surprise that I'd really like to have a go with. Onwards and upwards! :D

Run Cycle Attempt: 1...

It's a bit wobbly but I like how lumbered his run feels though.  It's starting to look like a run too which is good, but I've got my copy of Richard Williams' Animators Survival Kit by my side, so I should get there eventually :)

Current Walk Cycle...

Here's how he's walking at the moment:

I've added more delay and made his heel now hit the ground first.  I like the delay in his arms and his head bob, I think it's almost there. Now to try putting a run cycle together!

@Alan, Walk Cycle Update...

After making a couple of blend shapes and adding some laces to the feet, this is where his cycle is currently at:

The texture's simple, but it works, and the blend shapes are working nicely on the trousers and shoes. They're controlled by a driven key one the foot control, which seems to be doing the trick nicely.

Any pointers about how to improve the cycle are much appreciated though, but he seems to be coming along nicely other than that :)

Updated Walk Cycle...

I created a blend shape to make the trousers respond more to his weight and movement, here's how the cycle looks at the moment:

Definitely is a big improvement, it actually makes it look like they're moving with him now. Good stuff! :)

Tweaked Heavier Walk Cycle...

Here's a slightly heavier version of the previous walk cycle:

Below is the same cycle bit with a few tweaks:

It's definitely working more now, thanks to the sad walk cycle Phil sent me, but maybe the coat expanding as he comes down is too much? Maybe he just needs to drop further down. I shall try all of these options and see how he looks!

Playing with Walk Cycles...

Since I've been using the magical Pose Library script I thought I'd have a go at putting a rough walk cycle together. Here's how it's currently looking:

I also had a go at combining this walk cycle with another pose I made below:

They're a little stiff but I can see already that he's moving exactly how I wanted him to. I also love how his belt moves as he walks. Great stuff, now onto more posing! :D

Face and Rig Tests...

I've been busy getting our hero's rig together, so in the meantime here's how his rig is working:



And here's a new face test too:

Exciting times indeed! :D

Character Rigging Test...

I've been having a good go at rigging my character and here's how he looks at the moment:



There are a few problems, such as the arms don't move with the rest of the body and the squash and stretch is a little too effective on the face and arms. However, this has been a really good experience so far and hopefully it won't take too long to get him finalised and ready for animation! :D

Tweaking the Model...

I added a few extra edges and then softened the normals to give him a smoother silhouette. I then went in and hardened a few select edges, such as a few on the sleeves, the bottom of the coat and the creases around the belt.

Modelling Our Hero: Part One...

Here's how his model looks at the moment:

Looking good I think! I just put a few surface shaders on him to represent the colouring and style, keeping everything unsmoothed too because I like the sharp edges. Once he's got all his elements in there I'll see where to go next.  In the meantime, I'll be having a nose at some of the cartoons Alan recommended and making a post about their animation style, along with the very helpful advice from my tutorial today. :)

First Character Turnaround...

As I feel pretty confident that I understand how he would look in 3D space I've put together my first turnaround:

I'm excited to get this started but I think the next job, before I get too far ahead of myself, is perfecting the Animatic. I'll get some advice there tomorrow during my tutorial! :)

Back Coat Ideas...

I didn't want the back of his coat to be completely plain so here are a few ideas:

I forgot to number them again so, assuming they're 1-5, I quite like the panel on 5, maybe 4 too if it was a little wider. Let me know what you think too! :)

Face Animation Test...

Thought I'd have a go at testing how his face might be animated:

It works quite nicely I think. I used a few different groups of planes that have their visibility turned on and off to change the expression. I know it's still early days and the transparencies have outlines on them still, but little tests like this mean I get to see him start coming to life and that's really exciting! :D

Final Character Design?...

After taking into account everyone's feedback, this is how our hero looks:

Here are a couple of test images:

I think he's quite cute and sad, but let me know what you think too! :D