Advanced Character Animation

Advanced Character - 

Jordan Danielle Davies

The Walk of a Dog

An introduction to this module is to complete draw overs that are connected to the subject that I will use in my final piece. My Advanced Character animation is going to be focusing on a dog and how it walks and behaves. The little actions that contribute to showing the emotion that the dog can only communicate through their actions.

The first draw over is a simple walk across the screen to see how the walk works in the most simple stage. How the legs work with each other in order to create the movement and rhythm that I will have to put into the final 3D animation.

Moving on from drawing from real life I looked into dogs from the animated world. The first thing that came to mind was 101 Dalmations (1961). In particular, the scene in which Pongo observes other dogs that pass outside the window and how they act as their owner acts. This clip helps to show how different dogs walk. My examples show the larger dog taking larger and heavier steps compared to the smaller dog taking very little and quick steps to keep up with their owner.

The final animation will be created in 3D, therefore the next step is to look at an actual 3D animated dog. Doug from Pixar's Up (2009) is a very charismatic character that shows the characteristics of a dog in 3D form. To make the fluid movement that is shown in my own draw over, taking the frames from the animation was more difficult than the 2D as the speed of the spin meant that the frame was blurred, therefore the drawing may have lost form in certain frames but all put together you can still see the movement in which I wanted to show.

Bolt (2008) is a movie that surrounds itself around a dog, this film is great to use for reference. Seeing how a dog moves and expresses itself in simple actions and movements and drawing over to create quick animations. Using drawings and going into detail on what moves where and the timing of each movement will help in developing these into ideas for the final animations. This scene shows Bolt learning to act as a common dog to then be rewarded with food, seeing how he chooses to act to steer away from his more animated look and not using his speech is helpful in seeing how a dog would act without being able to talk.

Taking a Step in 3D

Taking these draw overs as a reference I moved onto 3D and create a small test of animating a four-legged animal, something that I have little experience. However, the final major project has a dog in the story, therefore, having all of these tests and the final advanced character will then help to get a better quality of the dog walking, running and completing other actions.

Using the Cody Rig I was able to create a simple walk and head shake as a dog would do. Looking back on this animation the legs don't walk in this sequence with the opposite legs moving at separate times. Although this seemed correct at the time it deemed not the right way in which a dog walks. The next step is to reel it back and get a simple walk cycle to figure out the sequence in which a god walks.

Using more 2D reference I was able to work out the way that a dog walks correctly. With the legs on one side moving first then the other side. Next is to figure out how the rest of the body moves with the legs as in the playblast shows that they don't all move as one living being.

Working from different angles can determine the look of the animation. Pointing out problems that haven't been seen before. Working on the walk cycle, trying to get the legs to move in the correct sequence and having the walk look more realistic. However, the head movements make it look to erratic compared to the number of steps taken.

Taking previous feedback the head movements were adjusted to a slower speed, the head still moves as if the dog is observing its surroundings but at a much slower pace. The positioning of the legs was also adjusted so that with each step they would fall correctly and not too far wide from the body itself. To improve, even more, the rest of the body has to have some movement with the legs. To do this more referencing is needed and looking at the way a dog walks.

An idea for the final animation sequence is to have a dog running up some stairs, this is an idea to show how a dog would use stairs. How the legs would travel along with the steps and work together to take each step. In this animation the dog is excited and climbing with speed, both legs moving at the same time as it leaps up each step. The timing is something that has to be watched with this as the dog would be running up the steps and not just walking.

Viewing the animation from a different angle ensures to show if there are any problems with the animation. The rig had issues with the hind legs as they bend and stretch with each step so extra precaution was taken when animating the legs. Ensuring that they don't break and ruin the image of the dog.


The Ideas

An element of the animation sequence is going to be focusing on the emotion of the character. Being able to portray emotion will be crucial in the Major Project so putting it into this sequence will help improve on the skill in doing so. Starting with a model sheet containing different emotions that may be included can help when animating the final piece. Some of the emotions can lead to another, which will then mean thinking of how the transition would happen and whether it would look good than if it was done on its own.

Planning out the emotions to key out what to show and how long they will last in the full animation. Choosing to have close-ups will have the audience know that they are watching the emotion and just that alone. To be able to empathise with the emotion and understand what the character is feeling is an important step to creating that exact emotion and to then convey it to the audience.

The two longer animations have been drawn out to plan the length and determine how they fit with the rest of the piece. Being able to capture the movement of each character before moving onto 3D is important to make sure that the story can still be understood. From the dog climbing the stairs to the man walking off in frustration.

Thumbnails have been made to give a rough guide into what the animation will look like once made later on. Working out the timing and seeing how long the final piece could be. Reaching over 20 seconds with everything put together. Having all of these animations will show a range of things from emotion to the movement of a dog and its owner. Giving more time for the movements as they will show off more story and character. The emotions do not need as much of a time-space as they are a close up of just the expression meaning that the audience will be able to see and understand the shot without the extra length.

The Beginnings 

From the model sheet, simple animations can be made such as this one. Creating a common movement that all dogs do. Focusing on the smaller details such as how the ears move and the tongue, the features that move together when the head is tilted. This animation shows more of the realism of a dog. As the camera is straight on the character, perhaps if it was rendered from a different angle the emotion would shift to something else.

Taking on a more animated look, the goal was to achieve anger in the dog and conveying that in their movements. A closer shot will have the audience more drawn into the character and then be able to have more empathy for how they are feeling. Also having it shot from an off-angle and not straight on will show more of the head movement.

The interaction between the man and the dog is another animation to be created. This animation includes the humour of the dog not knowing that it has to chase after the object is thrown. Followed by the man walking off in anger as he hasn't got the dog to do what he wants it to. Kipp (2004) says "Using a body opens up new personalities: broader and more efficient communication.." Explaining how using the full can show off more emotion that can not always be shown from the face alone. By doing this quick animation test, the timing needs to be worked on in order to give a more realistic look. The action of him throwing needs to be changed as the timing is off and doesn't have the impact of him throwing something. Once figuring out that the rig for the dog was very restrictive in putting it in a sitting position the final decision was to put more attention into the animation of the but still adding character to the dog such as when it shakes his head and the movement of the tail.

Changing the animation to be viewed in stepped helps to show the timing of every movement and know what looks wrong and then to adjust to make it look better. The throw has been changed, adding more impact and the walk-off also had many timing issues that had to be changed once seen in stepped. 

Putting all of the playblasts together the timing can then be worked out and

ensure that the animation is over 20 seconds but under 30. This can also help

in coming up with what order the videos are going to be viewed in. Putting the

emotions first will give a closer look at the dog and showing that this is

something that wants to be shown off and then followed by the full body actions.

The dog running up the stairs and then the interaction between the man and the

dog.

Working on The Final Look

Next was the process of rendering all of the animations and working out the

overall look of each video. Ranging from the surroundings of the model and the

lighting, to make sure that the actions can be seen clearly and that there are no

shadows or bright lights in the way.

In the first render of the first emotion, some issues with the shadows appeared.

Looking pixelated rather than smooth made the animation lose a bit of it's visual

and became more of a distraction rather than an added feature to the finished

render.

After working with the shadow and taking it back a bit so that it is not so

profound and stand out against everything else in the animation. This helped to

raise the quality of the animation and have the render look better.

Keeping the lighting consistent is important throughout all animations. Having

the dog itself stand out is important as it is the main feature of the piece. Having

the backdrop be plain and simple will help with the audience just looking at the

animation itself and what emotion is being portrayed in each video. Doris (2002)

explains that "Character and personality traits are invoked to explain what people

do and how they live." Meaning that showing the emotion of this dog will help

explain their situation and have the audience understand more of the story

behind it.

This piece is to show off the rig of the model and what had to be overcome to

reach this animation. Having to animate with this rig showed the issues that a

pre-rigged model can have but then working out how to fix it and work around

the problems faced. Showing the dog from this angle will show not only it running

up the steps but the facial expression also. Showing how happy the dog is will

have the audience understand the scenario even more.

Using the man in the animation show that the range can be made even bigger.

Not just focusing on one model and also being able to show emotion throughout.

How the emotion will change throughout the piece from happiness to when he

throws and then the defeat when the dog doesn't run after the thrown object.

Also adding in the little movements of the dog with its tail raising and falling to

show that it is interacting with the man and also how their feet move to fool the

man into thinking that it is excited before the object is thrown.

The Final Stages

Putting all of the final renders together will then give a visual representation of

how the final piece will look. Working out the final timings of it all and the final

order of everything. Using Adobe Premiere and using the sequence as a whole to

see if there are any issues that need to be fixed such as the shadows or the

lighting. Making sure the colour is consistent and ensuring the story is

understandable when watching them all put together as there isn't much time

between them to think about what had been seen previously.

To add a final touch to the animation, sounds were added. This was an added

feature to give the story of each animation more depth. Hooks (2000) adds that

"The audience empathizes with emotion. Actors are athletes of the heart." With

the addition of the sounds, the audience can understand a step further into the

story being told with each animation and relate more with what is being shown.

With the dog's facial animation, having th sound of a dog can help to show the

true emotion even more. How the dog would breathe in the first animation,

showing that it is happy and excited about something. Followed by the second,

the opposite with the dog growling and snarling at something. With the stairs, to

add the sound of the dog's paws hitting each step and working out the timings

for each and making sure they sync up and not become muddled. Finally, with

the man and dog animation, the ambience of the outdoors was added as well as

the sounds of his feet interacting with the grass. Adding the voice of the male to

help show his expressions even more as well as the sounds of the dog's ears as

he shakes his head.

Overall, the animation shows a good range of different technique from emotions
to actions and then adding in lighting and sounds to finish it off. Using the skills
that have been developed in this project, learning to animate a dog and working
out the sequence that they walk compared to a human and the timing of it all.
Then bringing it all together with a human and working out how they interact with
each other. Putting them all together can then show the range of development
made throughout the process from making the thumbnails and draw overs from
other examples in films and then putting that toward the final animation. Being
able to show off the intended emotion and action. In future animation perhaps
having more physical interactions with the man and dog will help to improve even
more in creating a better relationship between the two beings. Showing off how
close they are to each other or even showing how a dog would interact with
someone that they do not like. Showing a bigger range of emotion also. In terms
of animation, it all comes down to the fluidity of movement, having the man move
as if he were a human being can become a task of its own and with more work
and practise it can be achieved to its best form. Working to create a better animation
for the final project by bringing together all the good qualities of the animation and
adding in the elements that have been improved on. Making a final animation that
then shows off all best qualities and what has been improved on overtime.

Bibliography

Doris, J. (2002). Lack of Character. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Hooks, E. (2000). Acting for Animators. Portsmouth: Heinemann.

Kipp, M. (2004). Gesture Generation by Imitation: From Human Behaviour to Computer Character Animation. Florida: Dissertation.Com.

Best of Dug from Up (October 23 2013) YouTube Video, added by Photography.Liam [Online]. Available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEZ_xL1S4hs&t=144s [Accessed October 12 2019]

Bolt - Dog Face (HD Best Quality) (February 2 2009) YouTube Video, added Kamryn Garant [Online]. Available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWNAwgiJ5tM  [Accessed at November 6 2019]

Walk, Amble, Pace and Trot in the Dog (March 26 2013) YouTube Video, added by Care Animal Clinic Brookfield [Online]. Available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqBcBsmMQVA             [Accessed October 10 2019]

Dog WalkCycle and RunCycle Reference (July 19 2017) YouTube Video, added by Animation Reference [Online]. Available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qV5pdO_X8U&t=3s                      [Accessed October 25 2019]

Pongo judges other dogs - 101 Dalmatians (January 2 2013) YouTube Video, added by Bac Le [Online]. Available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulsjuiFO2J0  [Accessed October 10 2019]

Bolt. (2008). [film] Directed by B. Howard. California: Walt Disney Animation Studios.

One Hundred and One Dalmatians. (1961). [film] Directed by W. Reitherman. California: Walt Disney Animation Studios.

Up. (2009). [film] Directed by P. Docter. California: Pixar Animation Studios.