My Fantasy Olympics

In this project, I need to produce a 30 sec animation by using Adobe After effects. I have to think of a futuristic sport, and design an appropriate character to compete within the sport. For me, this project was a challenge, because I have to use a software that I never use it before.

Firstly, it involved some research to get some ideas of sport and character that I created. I came up with ideas of playing sports under water or in the galaxy etc. Then I decided to have the sport of Hamster ball running over water. It is about a character running inside a hamster ball, it is like a running game. Running inside a hamster ball and compete with others.

To start, I sketched out of the idea of running inside a hamster ball on water. Then I sketched some ideas of my character e.g. faces and outfits. Also, I have sketched the assets that I need in this animation e.g. the environment (trees, clouds, water, banner…etc) and audience.

After sketches, I have to create the character in illustrator by using different layers, because I have to separate different parts of the character of different layers in order to animate in After Effects. After I created all the parts that I need, and then I imported them into AE, and place them into a 3d space by following my storyboard. In this animation, I have created a particle that made the animation interest was the CC particle world. This is how I create the fire from the fire torch.

In this project, everything was new to me, and I found it is interesting to use 2d character in 3d environment. At first, I was confusing how can I create 3d environment by using 2d elements. However, after I finished this project, I have a clear idea of what does it mean. It is just about layering and camera angels.

I was not 100% happy of what I produced in this project, because I don’t have skills with the software and I did spend a lot of time to experiment with the software. There are lots of little bits that I want to have like the wave of water etc. However, in my next semester I hope to learn more. From this project, I learnt that I could not import too many assets into one project, because this will affect the speed of preview while you are creating. I did imported too many trees in my project, and I end up I could not have the effect of a depth of field camera, because I could not preview from the screen of what will it look like. This project did gave me the feeling of what is the advertising animation industry fields like, also from this project I realised most of the advertising are combine with 2d and 3d elements. 

My progress...

Environment

As I have created the basic elements that I need for my animation, the next few days I will working in After Effects. I hope I will have the result that I want.

Experimenting...

I wish I almost finish... Although never use this software before, it was interesting. 

The followings show when I was experimenting AE...

Finally, what I have done today...

And:

animating my character...

Audiences

These are the audiences that I designed in illustrator.

Then I have duplicated them and changed their skin, hair and tops colour in order to save my time to creating many different audience.

Character expression and Hamster ball

 Angry,             Normal,                Wondering

Layers of the character.

The hamster ball

In the hamster ball

Character design

At first I was unsure what colour of the character that I should used, so I have compared them. I found the left one looks like an pineapple, and it seems weird to have a fruit character in this project. The right one, it looks like a "water-man" but the game that I decided is on the water which the character have the same colour of the environment. Therefore, I decided to have a human character, it looks like this...

"The Chess Player" final piece

Please enjoy my 6 weeks project, and I am welcome for any feedback and comments of this animation:

Project Rationale:

In this project, I need to produce an animation of at least 30 seconds that showed a self-defeating chess-playing robot. To fit the requirement, I have produced two robot arms with a robot body. I have used the skills of IK chains and the reaction manger in order to rig and animate my project.

In this animation, I was worrying at the beginning of the project, because I don’t how to play chess at all. Therefore, I went to Youtube and search some tutorial and I found a very short tutorial that taught me how to win the game. The pink player wins within 2 moves. I have used the character gestures to show their emotion, as I decided not to include a robot’s head. The story of this animation was the blue player was very confident to win the game, and being arrogant by having “come on” and “V” gestures. However, because the blue player was too confident and there is a chance for the pink player to win. At that moment the blue player realised, so he was unhappy about the result. While the pink player hasn’t finished the game, the blue player was very angry and punched the floor. As the arms are connect to the body, so when the arm has a big movement, it cause the chessboard jumped up and all the chess pieces are flying around in the air with the slow motion effect. The end the animation, the pink queen (that who beat the blue player) drops on the floor, rolling and hit “The End”.

I feel that I have learnt a variety of animation skills within this project. I found the most difficult skill to learn was the IK chain and reaction manager. I have experimented with these skills a lot in order to get the right movement. However, this is good, because I did learnt a lot during the failure experiments. In this project, I have learnt the modelling skills as well such as lathe modifier and attaching shapes to objects to make it looks like the one we want. I have understood the importance of lighting in order to give the realistic texture of the objects.

The problems that I have during this project, mainly was my Mac doesn’t support 3ds max properly. Therefore, when I animated the chess piece is hard to see what I got. And because I have using the virtual machine “parallels desktop” to run the programme, and there was a limitation of t ram. This causes me when I tried to render a single frame out, it doesn’t allow me to do. Other than that, I haven’t go any big problems on modelling and animating.

After finished this project, my confident of working in the advertising animation industry has built up, as I felt that I would gain more animation industry skills when I finished my second year. I believe that at the end of this course I will have professional skill and will be able to work in the industry. 

Storyboard

Rendering & Premiere editing

Animating...

Animation Layout

Storyboard

After I watched the tutorial, here is my storyboard! So I can animate my animation...

Everything done... just need to animate!

I have modelled everything, and now I just need to animate my chess player. But the problem is I don't know how to play chess. Therefore I found a tutorial in youtube, and I will use this for the step of my chess game.

Assets Design

Chess pieces design

Finalise Character design

Finally Idea:

These are the one that I like the most.

Ideas:

Final Ideas

This is my final idea of my robot chess player.  I have given the robot a body instead of just having the arms jumping around on the chessboard. Having the robot body, I found that it would make the animation more interesting. Inside the body, will have motherboard and some wires that made it looks like a robot.

The idea was combined from my initial ideas as you can see from the previous post. When I finalised my idea. I would like to have the robot head as well, as it can tell the audience from the facial expression that I was decided to give the robot a LED face. However, it will be hard to see the face, as I don’t want the camera only have one position from beginning to the end. Therefore, I decided to use the arms only and tell the story. 

Beginning to create my robot chess player...

Ideas of Fantasy Olympics

Character inside a hamster ball and racing on the water.

Moodboards of Fantasy Olympics

These will be one of my decision of my fantasy olympics sport. 

Sketching ideas...

In my brief, it said I have to include at least 6 pages of A4 sketch designs etc... in my finial piece. Therefore, I have done some sketches for my ideas.

In order to make my work creative and unique. I decided to have a "robot chess player" instead of just having the arms. The sketches above show that I would like to have a half body of robot, and there is a chess hiding inside there body. However, the final idea was inspired by friend that my friend recommend that I create the robot as a box, and the arms will hide inside the box. The box will act like a robot, does everything by itself. The decision that I made was using my initial idea (the half body). Although I like the idea that chess and hands hide inside a box, I think my ideas will look more interesting.

So, at the beginning of the animation, I will spend sometime to show how the robot setting up the game, and how to be self- fulfilling. Like the Geri's Game one. The old man playing chess with himself (self-entertaining).