File Management
Dropbox (software for Windows, Mac)
http://www.getdropbox.com/
June 2nd (After class) - Ruben will get the files (not the animatic though) off of the server, and into Dropbox
June 15 - setup a reminder to look at the blog, because we'll resume planning and proceed work
Thursday, May 28, 2009
5/28
YOU CAN POST FILES UP ON HERE/FLICKR FOR FEEDBACK, JUST REMEMBER TO POST
Sc1
Sh3 - Remember the previous shot was Ben checking the camera, so he should start closer to the camera, maybe with a turn instead of walking
Starting around frame 15 - with added step it may be about the same frame length
Hip angle is back a bit
Watchlacement association of hip with feet
End with one more step - get to about
Sh4 - Consider starting with Ben in Frame at the corner already, not entering in
Maybe hop up from the side, give more personality
Hand needs to be adjusted to new control panel height
Ben doesn't need to completely shut the door
Sc2
Sh1 - Work the poses with arms (no longer in T form)
Timing may be a bit quick - pad it with a "beat" or two to give some time to take in the room
Consider having Ben excited - jogging over to the chair, not calmly walking.
Sc3
Sh1 - Area of interest is Squeak's section
Turn the wrists down - hold map down and then bring up
Trap adjustment
Sh3 -
Still feels a bit mechanical
Stationary camera before Squeak leaps onto the tree (around frame 350)
Sc4
Sh1 - Should be longer - about 4 seconds
Sc2 - the game animation needs to be about 4 as well (8 seconds total for Sc4 is probably enough)
We need something for this - doesn't have to be fully animated game
Sc5
Sh1 - timing looks good
Sh2 - timing could be longer for the light going on/off
a bit closer (not as much open space on left and top)
Sh3 - need to see the plug getting pulled out
weight/balance seems a bit off - set the left leg farther, right back
facing the camera
Sc6
Sh1 - timing looks good
Sh2 - timing looks good
Some breakdown work around frame 70 - 90 as Squeak starts to sneak off-screen
Sh3 - can end without kneeling - replace with another walking step
swap legs at kneeling, this looks more natural and will open up the pose to the camera
head should be tilted back - makes for stronger silhouette as plugging cable back in
watch weight/posture as bending down
Sc4 - Interaction is tricky, but coming along well
remember that the breakdowns can be more than one part at a time, but spread out
Ben holds position leaning back for too long like that, add in the extra step here
Sc7
Sc1 - watch playblast/render rate
Consideration: Squeak should be getting to the chair later, let Ben hang a bit and struggle - enter Squeak in the last quarter of the shot
Shot at end - Squeak's tail could be curled out more for stronger silhouette
End of shot - empty space in the upper left corner isn't great - angle/camera shift could be played with to make a stronger pose
Sc2 - looking good
Sc3 - start in the pose he's at midway through - already getting ready to move in
Sc8
Sc1 - watch the shoulder as he grabs around the chair
Squeak's back should arc out/back towards the chair, and then can curve in as he's being grabbed
Jump - butt down, springs up onto the desk computer; turn body inwards
FOR THE WEEKEND
Basic Lighting - Yard - Directional (think behind Squeak)
Yard - add another trap
**Ruben will have this in the Yard by Saturday morning @ 10am at latest**
Basic Lighting - Room - point/spotlight for inside
BEFORE TUESDAY
Try to get each scene as far as possible; one at a higher level of polish
Render out your scenes before class (*NOT PLAYBLAST RENDER*)
Rendering
Select Master Layer - Maya
Render Settings Window - turn on Mental Ray
Settings: AVI format; Compression: Cinepack, 100%
Name.ext (Multiframe)
By frame: 1 (you can set 2 or higher if you want to run tests, but REMEMBER to return it)
640 x 480 Size
Renderable Cameras MUST BE SET TO YOUR SHOT_CAM (or whatever your actual camera name is)
**down the line, Targa .tga is ideal for single frames, allowing you to clean up single frames if some in a range don't work correctly**
Render Settings - Maya Software
Quality: Production quality
Window Settings/Prefs Mayatomr needs to be loaded and autoloaded (put the checkbox in both options)
Monday, May 25, 2009
Mel Wiki
I know this post doesn't really deal with Electric Fur specifically, but while searching to see if maya can load textures from a location from the set project and not a specific location I found a really good Mel wiki site.
http://mayamel.tiddlyspot.com/
Also the Maya links are pretty useful as well.
(And if you are bored check out the non-Maya links as well, some of them are really cool.)
http://mayamel.tiddlyspot.com/
Also the Maya links are pretty useful as well.
(And if you are bored check out the non-Maya links as well, some of them are really cool.)
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Andy Shelf
Ok, made the shelf for the Andy Rig. I tried to find all the hidden controllers, but I might have missed some. It's on the server in the Andy_Rig folder, called "shelf_Andy_Ref.mel".
5/21
This weekend:
Get playblasts on server BY NOON FRIDAY
Use the same naming convention all have so they can be replaced easily
Strong blocking - move away from the basic; strong poses where they should be
Remove your in-betweens after you get the poses and work on animation to get breakdowns
Work on breakdowns farther
Goals for June 2
Through Breakdowns on every shot; one shot per person should be in curves.
Come in Friday if you want more insight
Bill will be in
Erica: UV Mapping
(thinking fennec fox)
Tati: Finish AE with what we have;
Grant: House window; Tactigon game movie & assets for Beau/Nick
Damon: work on scenes
Nick: add to room props
Beau: Explosion for Sc9; basic indoor lighting; Ben's clothes
(Beau & Ruben - meet Monday for lighting work)
Ruben: finish Camera (mount); make post-explosion yard; neighborhood - try solid plane for sky dome; basic outdoor lighting
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Notes from Playblasts
Sc1
Sh1
No motion tracking? On the first sweep, Ben is already in the gate walking
Revert to the Cam1 to transition to Sh2 - ends with Ben going under the sight of the camera
Sh2
Consider Ben grabbing the camera to adjust it down
If Ben does tap/interact with the cam, the ShotCam should reflect that
Sh3
Change in POV transition is perhaps too great =>180 rule
Try camera looking more
Slight dolly in (first 20-30 frames)
Ben comes in from off-screen
Transition - end a bit closer to screen right
Sh4
Transition - start closer to the window
Longer interaction with control box
Camera comes in closer to focus more on the door
Sc2
Sh1
Camera should be a bit closer to eye-height
Sc3
Sh1
Tree moved closer to house
Watch out for the line connecting Squeak's nose to the trap to the house
Sh2
Move in even closer - this shot is about the map more than Squeak
Sh3
Sc4
Sh1
Camera - great angles with desk, etc
We don't want the shelf to intersect with Ben's head.
More engagement with Ben's face - cheat it with him facing the camera a bit more
Perhaps camera slightly more to the right?
Sc5
Sh1
Camera could be moved in, and a little to the left; left edge can be kept where it is
Transition - rotate more towards the box
Sh2
Transition - rotate a bit more towards the box
Not too much of a butt shot
More of a crouch - rather than the 90 degree sit; remember he needs leverage to pull the cord out
Have him crouched at an angle to face the camera
Sc6
Sh1
Lying on the back to open the window is a bit exaggerated, just a basic lift will suffice
Transition>
Sh2
Transition> End with Ben rotated to face the box a bit more; Squeak sneaks off to the left
Sh3
Head facing the camera when he crouches
When lifting himself up, have him favor the left arm to grab the top, and the right arm pushing off the side or the ground, so as to not cover the face, and make the silhouette more interesting
Sc4
Add in so we can see how it looks
Sc5
Transition> Squeak jumps off Ben
Sc6
The final arc as Ben falls should be added in to see how it looks - do we want a clean fall, or a skid - leg catching the roof and sliding.
Sc7
Sh1
Parallelism - use the same camera as Sc4Sh1 - it shows Squeak at the comp, and the window for Ben
Squeak may not start in the chair, but jumps into it later
Think about Ben rotating as he's hanging, starts the scene
Sh2
Camera on the other side of Squeak, and probably closer in - Squeak will get new hi-score in this scene, and we want to see it
Sh3
Ben enters through window - he is freaking out a bit, but gets
Sc8
Sh1
Transition> Ben should enter from screen right
Camera angle a bit more to the left to see towards the window a slight bit more
Transition> End with Squeak jumping towards the top of shot
Sh2
Transition> Squeak will be ending the jump and has to rotate; Ben should be leaning over the chair
*Redo this scene from scratch so the blocking is blocking, not smooth and awkward
Sc10
Use the start of the previous, so there isn't the rotation
Transition to higher position to show all of Squeak
Switch 1/3 with ben
Slower pull out initially
SET NOTES
Yard
Back Tree - *Has been moved
Traps have been added to back
We need the neighborhood
Post
Room
Shelf near window could be moved more to the right (Sh4Sc1 has it intersecting with Ben's head - we don't want that)
Dormer window aspect should be reflected in the construction of the room - add in the short extension that leads
House
Needs windows; door on left to open; basic start of hallway (end of Sc1Sh4 will have door open and show a slight bit
Ruben will add camera prop to house
Roof
Needs cable
5/19
In between frame adjustment:
This allows you to adjust the weighting of the
For Playblasts:
Use the Custom Setting of 640 x 480
Save them in the Animatic folder of the project. "Blocked Scenes" is the folder, with the appropriate date
**Use the Resolution Gate to be sure what will be rendered
View>Camera Settings>
Setting for should be set to "Fill"
Remember to turn off the Res Gate
Inside Display Options to 1 rather than 1.3
For Thurs
Make changes
New playblasts of same size
>>Hide the layers of controls, etc
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Blocking notes/suggestions
Remember to have 3 - 5 main poses only for blocking
Sc1Sh4 - 4 main blocking poses (steps, control panel, doorknob, entry)
Sc2Sh1 -
Sc3Sh1 - cam higher, farther back (don't cut off the fence); make sure to show some sky
Sc3Sh2 - be on other side (180 rule); more over the shoulder/closer to the
Sc3Sh3 - slight compression in timing can be done; move cam in a bit closer than it is now to start frame nearer, try the dolly follow when Squeak jumps
Sc5Sh1 - separate head from roof when coming up (a little jump?), quick look around before passing control box
Sc6Sh2 - loosen up Squeak's body, so it's less static; give camera more of a diagonal to make the scene more dynamic; Ben will be to the left of the dormer
Sc8Sh1 - at frame 60ish... already at the chair - Ben enraged; contact by end of scene, start jumping up toward computer at end
Sc8Sh2 - start with the landing/twisting
Sc10Sh1 - Squeak landed on branch, is sprawled, falls from it as it pulls out; start with camera lower; create set of destruction - opening of scene looks normal
Cable should run up and around the dormer (roof shots)
**dolly - move camera; zoom - change the lens**
Character Descriptions for Editing
Ben
Full Name: Benjamin Johnson
Description: Ben is a boy whose game play is interrupted by a power outage.
Physical Description
Age: 13
Hair: brown
Eyes: brown
Distinguishing Features: freckles
Height: 5'2"
Weight: 103 lbs
Motivation
Goal: Ben wants to be the best at Tactigon 2000.
Plan: He plays Tactigon 2000 any chance he gets, including when his parents think he's asleep or doing homework.
Character Background
Family: Ben is the only child of Steve and Rachael Johnson. Steve is an accountant for a large IT company, and is often out of town on business. Rachael works as a part-time librarian, is active in PTA, and volunteers time for after-school programs for elementary kids. Steve and Rachael's busy schedules often leave Ben home alone, which is just fine by Ben.
Education: Ben attends middle school, where he usually receives mediocre grades. He's never failed a class, but usually puts in just enough effort to pass and no more.
Habits/Vices: Avid gamer, collects anything and everything related to Tactigon 2000, obsessed with Tacticon 2000, he has posters, miniatures/action figures, t-shirts, underwear, and even their name-brand cereal.
Personality: Ben has a somewhat reclusive nature in real life. He'll talk to people, but rarely starts the conversations. Ben's real love is Tactigon 2000, which he will discuss avidly with anyone who will listen (or even pretend to listen). Ben is active in several online discussion boards and fan clubs centered around Tactigon 2000.
Likes: Tactigon 2000, video games, Mountain Dew, pizza,
Dislikes: Math (unless it relates to figuring out the best stats for Tactigon 2000), vegetables, cola, pizza with veggies,
Movement Analysis
Energy Level: High, excited, animated, sudden, as long as Tactigon 2000 is involved. Slow and depressed otherwise. Somewhat clumsy.
Emotional Temperament: Excitable, overzealous, and obsessive about Tactigon 2000.
Power Center: Somewhere between his hands and his head.
Body Tension: Tension in shoulders and neck from so much time hunched over computer.
Weight of Character: light and quick
Physical Disability:
Attitude:
Before-> Ben has just come home from schoolhas been playing Tactigon for 4 hours (since he got home from school), and is finally almost to the highest ranking in Tactigon 2000. Ben plans to achieve the highest ranking today.
Current Mood: Ben is unspeakably excited.
********************************
Squeak
Full Name: Squeak
Description: Squeak is a raccoon-like critter who unplugs the power line to Ben's house.
Physical Description
Age: 3
Hair: reddish gray
Eyes: brown
Distinguishing Features: big ears, prominent teeth
Height: 2'6"
Weight: 40 lbs
Motivation
Goal: Squeak wants to play Tactigon 2000.
Plan: Squeak plans to unplug the power to Ben's house, in order to sneak in and play Tactigon 2000.
Character Background
Family: Squeak was born to fairly normal critter parents, whose primary goal was to find food. Squeak's parents were not supportive of his interest in human entertainment, calling them "uninteresting" and "a waste of time". As soon as he was able, Squeak set out to find his own fortune, and eventually arrived in the neighborhood where Ben lives.
Education: Squeak can open a trash-can with a locking lid in under 3 seconds. He's also very dexterous with his paws.
Habits/Vices: Compulsive collector of junk.
Personality: Squeak is a devious little critter, and will go to great lengths to get what he wants. Once set on a plan, Squeak will pursue his goal with single-minded focus. Squeak is also very curious, and is fascinated by tv and video games. Squeak spends much of his time studying humans, and is very knowledgeable about human behavior. He uses this knowledge to manipulate people so he can achieve his current goal.
Likes: cheese, shiny objects, sugar, human-watching
Dislikes: rat poison, people who leave their trash-cans inside, lawn mowers, corn on the cob
Movement Analysis
Energy Level: high, like a coffee-drinking squirrel
Emotional Temperament: wired, quick, short-viewed, but obsessive and focused on a goal
Power Center: creature of the heart
Body Tension: nervous wreak
Weight of Character: small and quick
Physical Disability:
Attitude:
Before-> Squeak has been planning and trying to get in to play Tactigon 2000 for quite some time. Today, he's finally ready to make his move.watching Ben play Tactigon 2000 for 4 hours. He is fascinated by the moving characters, and the boys apparent ability to control them.
Current Mood: Obsessive, interested, goal driven.
***********************
Tactigon 2000
Tactigon 2000 is a science fiction fighting game where player can battle opponents with a variety of weapons, armor, and special moves. Before each match, the player selects the armor, weapons, and special moves based on the options currently available to them and who their opponent is. Some gear/moves are available to any character, and others are restricted to specific characters or are unique to one character. Each battle results in ranking points, which can be spent to purchase new/better armor, weapons, and special moves. The game features many types of weapons and armor styles, including: guns, swords (of various plausibility), thrown weapons, bows/crossbows, sticks, and various others.
Full Name: Benjamin Johnson
Description: Ben is a boy whose game play is interrupted by a power outage.
Physical Description
Age: 13
Hair: brown
Eyes: brown
Distinguishing Features: freckles
Height: 5'2"
Weight: 103 lbs
Motivation
Goal: Ben wants to be the best at Tactigon 2000.
Plan: He plays Tactigon 2000 any chance he gets, including when his parents think he's asleep or doing homework.
Character Background
Family: Ben is the only child of Steve and Rachael Johnson. Steve is an accountant for a large IT company, and is often out of town on business. Rachael works as a part-time librarian, is active in PTA, and volunteers time for after-school programs for elementary kids. Steve and Rachael's busy schedules often leave Ben home alone, which is just fine by Ben.
Education: Ben attends middle school, where he usually receives mediocre grades. He's never failed a class, but usually puts in just enough effort to pass and no more.
Habits/Vices: Avid gamer, collects anything and everything related to Tactigon 2000, obsessed with Tacticon 2000, he has posters, miniatures/action figures, t-shirts, underwear, and even their name-brand cereal.
Personality: Ben has a somewhat reclusive nature in real life. He'll talk to people, but rarely starts the conversations. Ben's real love is Tactigon 2000, which he will discuss avidly with anyone who will listen (or even pretend to listen). Ben is active in several online discussion boards and fan clubs centered around Tactigon 2000.
Likes: Tactigon 2000, video games, Mountain Dew, pizza,
Dislikes: Math (unless it relates to figuring out the best stats for Tactigon 2000), vegetables, cola, pizza with veggies,
Movement Analysis
Energy Level: High, excited, animated, sudden, as long as Tactigon 2000 is involved. Slow and depressed otherwise. Somewhat clumsy.
Emotional Temperament: Excitable, overzealous, and obsessive about Tactigon 2000.
Power Center: Somewhere between his hands and his head.
Body Tension: Tension in shoulders and neck from so much time hunched over computer.
Weight of Character: light and quick
Physical Disability:
Attitude:
Before-> Ben has just come home from school
Current Mood: Ben is unspeakably excited.
********************************
Squeak
Full Name: Squeak
Description: Squeak is a raccoon-like critter who unplugs the power line to Ben's house.
Physical Description
Age: 3
Hair: reddish gray
Eyes: brown
Distinguishing Features: big ears, prominent teeth
Height: 2'6"
Weight: 40 lbs
Motivation
Goal: Squeak wants to play Tactigon 2000.
Plan: Squeak plans to unplug the power to Ben's house, in order to sneak in and play Tactigon 2000.
Character Background
Family: Squeak was born to fairly normal critter parents, whose primary goal was to find food. Squeak's parents were not supportive of his interest in human entertainment, calling them "uninteresting" and "a waste of time". As soon as he was able, Squeak set out to find his own fortune, and eventually arrived in the neighborhood where Ben lives.
Education: Squeak can open a trash-can with a locking lid in under 3 seconds. He's also very dexterous with his paws.
Habits/Vices: Compulsive collector of junk.
Personality: Squeak is a devious little critter, and will go to great lengths to get what he wants. Once set on a plan, Squeak will pursue his goal with single-minded focus. Squeak is also very curious, and is fascinated by tv and video games. Squeak spends much of his time studying humans, and is very knowledgeable about human behavior. He uses this knowledge to manipulate people so he can achieve his current goal.
Likes: cheese, shiny objects, sugar, human-watching
Dislikes: rat poison, people who leave their trash-cans inside, lawn mowers, corn on the cob
Movement Analysis
Energy Level: high, like a coffee-drinking squirrel
Emotional Temperament: wired, quick, short-viewed, but obsessive and focused on a goal
Power Center: creature of the heart
Body Tension: nervous wreak
Weight of Character: small and quick
Physical Disability:
Attitude:
Before-> Squeak has been planning and trying to get in to play Tactigon 2000 for quite some time. Today, he's finally ready to make his move.
Current Mood: Obsessive, interested, goal driven.
***********************
Tactigon 2000
Tactigon 2000 is a science fiction fighting game where player can battle opponents with a variety of weapons, armor, and special moves. Before each match, the player selects the armor, weapons, and special moves based on the options currently available to them and who their opponent is. Some gear/moves are available to any character, and others are restricted to specific characters or are unique to one character. Each battle results in ranking points, which can be spent to purchase new/better armor, weapons, and special moves. The game features many types of weapons and armor styles, including: guns, swords (of various plausibility), thrown weapons, bows/crossbows, sticks, and various others.
5/14
Use Insert Key or hold down 'D' to move pivots
Squeak Rig Overview (Thanks Erica)
Click on the + controls to switch between FK/IK
In the attributes: 10 all IK, 0 is FK
Don't be afraid to select multiple parts of the back to rotate at the same time, it will be smoother.
Remember, we're going for how it will look from the shot, not a perfect physical replica.
Forearm grasping: use IK, and then pull vector for elbows
**Remember there are multiple ways to accomplish things
PC:
DocumentsAndSettings\name\MyDocuments\maya\2009\prefs\shelves
Mac:
user/Library/Preferences/Autodesk/maya/200x/prefs/shelves
Decisions/Tasks
To Do
Damon: work with UV mapping
Beau: work on mapping for Ben & Squeak
Grant: House - door, hallway, control box;
Ruben: Yard - lighting; back yard tree; Camera
Erica: look into Rig tweaks; texturing - room/house; learn particle system in maya (Beau has tutorials)
Nick: work on Room - materials
Tati: look into the particle systems for the explosion
Looking ahead
Materials - simple - lambert & blinn; remember to name them
Lighting -
2 main lighting rigs: 1 for yard/outdoors; 1 for room/indoors
Tactigon: Grant is working on the images - send to Tati
Map: Beau will build the prop
perhaps use photo of our projected map to map the map (oh yes, that's worded correctly)
For Tuesday
Blocking: Complete
New playblasts
Break-downs: As much as possible
visuals; pass on to Tati
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Squeak Pics
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Rig Concerns
Hey all,
This post is mostly pertaining to rigging issues. I don't know how much y'all have played with Squeak yet, so please comment if you have anything it add, or if you have some workarounds for any of the problems I had.






First of all, great job on the Squeak rig so far, Erica. I know this is a work in progress, so I'd just like to share a few issues I ran into when messing around a bit. My main concerns were with the shoulders and the haunches.

When in a slightly crouched position his shoulders appear to be too low, positioned almost on the belly. I realize this is where the leg geometry actually meets the torso on the mesh that Beau and I provided, and it is probably difficult to work with. We were trying to give Squeaks chest some volume to make up for the lack of dynamic fur.

I think the problem is that there is an extra bone. I believe the circled joint above should be removed and combined into one bone perhaps, or maybe aligned like the twisting bones in the forearm.

Notice that in this position the shoulders seem appropriate, when the two bones I mention above are nearly straight. If they were combined they would look more or less like this no matter the orientation (minus the weight map adjustment).

My other concern is similar, but with the pelvis. When close to his neutral position, the hind legs look great and move realistically. However, approaching the sitting position some problems arise. It seems like the hip joint needs to be raised a bit, positioned more closely to what would be the anatomical hip joint (roughly where the move manipulator arrows are sitting above).

The problem is that it is impossible to get is butt any closer to the ground without the ankles or knees going crazy. I know this is an extreme position compared to Squeak's neutral stance, but I think it might be necessary for many of his poses and actions in the film.

Here's a more illustrative shot of what i'm talking about. The knees tend to buckle in and the bottoms of the feet are pretty stubborn about staying flat.
Anyways, I don't want to seem like I don't appreciate the rig, just wanted to point out a few bugs. I'm sure I have a lot to learn about character modelling. Everything else is moving great. I especially love the ears and cheeks!
For Next Time
Everyone:
BY THURSDAY
*block the scenes (3 - 5 poses); work on camera settings
*playblast rendering of the blocking so we can put together an animatic to get an idea of what's going on
THIS WEEKEND
*Texturing/Materials
=Make lambert materials initially
=Consider what needs maps
*Lighting
Ruben: finish Sc1Sh1 so it can transition to Sh2; add camera; finish back yard tree
Tactigon Screen
THURSDAY
*Assemble the animatic; assess the state of things
*Squeak overview
*Make decisions for the work ahead
5/12
Eyes and Faces
Eyebrow, Eye, and Mouth determines about 90% of what's going on with the face
Eye Direction
use of eye target - think about what looks right from the camera, rather than the literal, virtual physicality (setting the eye target on a table when the character is looking at the table)
Floating Iris - leaving white space isn't as significant as having the eye all the way to the side; having the iris "floating" lacks the sense of stability
Moving target farther out can make the target look wall-eyed, whereas too close gives the cross-eyed look
Don't go too exaggerated, as it will look like a caricature of a ___ person, rather than a ___ person
Blinks
Suggestion for default blink:
Fr 1 & 6 - 0% shut; Fr2 - 20%Shut; Fr3 & 4 - 100% shut; Fr 5 - 80% shut
There are many forms of blinks, differing in duration, the amount of eyebrow/cheek motion involved, etc.
Blinking occurs: when changing focus (far to near, etc); head turning (blink occurs about 1/3 of the way through
Eye brow shapes
Mouth shape can have a great influence
Genuine expression comes through more in the eyes, but that doesn't mean the rest isn't important.
Think about Polar Express - the eye/eye direction/forehead doesn't seem to get much successful attention
Speaking
Work on jaws first - think Muppets
Sites
http://www.blifaloo.com/info/lies_eyes.php
http://panvilla.com/expressions.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/mind/surveys/smiles
Scene Modifications/Notes
Scene Modifications/Notes
Use Shot_Cam () (from bottom left)
Show Gate opening on the first sweep. Take first steps at the end of the scene, walking off camera.
Animate through the end so we are cutting on the action
ShSc1 & ShSc2 will be sharing the same file.
Sc1Sh3
Stand up at end and start walking
Sc1Sh4
Start from behind the camera.
Sc2S1
Room
Sc3
Erica: Attempt to make Squeak jump over traps
Ruben: Duplicate the bottom left tree in yard to allow Squeak access
Sc5
Squeak Rig
(Whether in FK or IK mode, currently both controls will display )
In FK mode: use + controls
In IK mode: use the circular IK controls
Monday, May 11, 2009
Progress
How's everyone doing with the blocking?
Grant, how is the house? Do you have a newer, scaled one we can utilize? Please name items and use layers to keep the house in if possible.
Grant, how is the house? Do you have a newer, scaled one we can utilize? Please name items and use layers to keep the house in if possible.
Improved Squeak Rig
Improved Squeak rig on the server, now with twist joints in the front legs (to allow for better rotation of the hands). Also, I made a shelf for Squeak, and put this on the server in the Squeak folder as well. The Squeak2 shelf is probably the one you want to use, as this one works with the way we've referenced Squeak into the scenes.
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Scaling Sets
Looks like the yard has been scaled (and the room I think, tho it's not in any of my current shots), but not the house. When is the house going to be scaled properly and updated on the server? I think I can do blocking on some of my shots without the properly scaled house, but not the one that requires the roof.
Friday, May 8, 2009
Squeak Rig
Ok, updated Squeak rig is on the server. It should be pretty good, but might need some tweaking depending on how crazy you get with it. Let me know if anything doesn't work right...and take a screenshot or save off the maya file so I can see it. No guarantees I can fix it, but I'm still interested in seeing what happens.
Edit: The tail, spine, and eyebrows all have the ability to switch between FK and IK/splines. They default to FK, so if you want to change to splines: click on the blue "+" near what you want to change to IK (I tried to place these intelligently), change the attribute FKIKBlend to "10", and then the control attributes for FK to off (or 0) and the IK control attribute to on (or 1).
Edit: The tail, spine, and eyebrows all have the ability to switch between FK and IK/splines. They default to FK, so if you want to change to splines: click on the blue "+" near what you want to change to IK (I tried to place these intelligently), change the attribute FKIKBlend to "10", and then the control attributes for FK to off (or 0) and the IK control attribute to on (or 1).
Thursday, May 7, 2009
5/7
Looking ahead:
1. Scale everything (Done in class)
2. Finalize models/rigs (over the weekend - post to blog if you make updates; try to have new files in Friday by 3:00 on the server for everyone to pull up)
3. Blocking (over the weekend)
4. Materials and Mapping
5. Cameras and First round of lighting
6. Schedule and task reassignment
Scenes to Take
I would like to do at least one shot in scene 6, preferably want shot 4-8 in scene 6. Any other shots ill do can be random.
What we've got so far for Animation Assignment desires
Sc1 Sh1 - Ruben
Sc1 Sh2 - Beau
Sc1 Sh2 - Beau
Sc1 Sh3 - Tati
Sc1 Sh4 - Ruben
Sc2 Sh1 - Nick
Sc3 Sh1 - Erica
Sc3 Sh2 - Beau
Sc3 Sh3 - Erica
Sc4 Sh1 - Nick
Sc4 Sh2 - Ruben & Tati
Sc5 Sh1 - Erica
Sc5 Sh2 - Nick
Sc6 Sh1 - Nick
Sc6 Sh2 - Tati
Sc6 Sh3 - Grant
Sc6 Sh4 - Grant
Sc6 Sh5 - Grant
Sc6 Sh6 - Beau
Sc7 Sh1 - Damon
Sc7 Sh2 - Nick
Sc7 Sh3 - Damon
Sc8 Sh1 - Tati
Sc8 Sh2 - Ruben
Sc8 Sh3 - Damon
Sc9 Sh1 - Beau & Tati
Sh10 Sh1 - Ruben
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Set Names
The names of files in the "Sets/scenes" folder were a little odd. So, I've created "Room.mb", "Yard.mb" and "House.mb" (if it wasn't named this already I just copied and renamed). Please use these when creating references in your scenes, and replace these with files of the same name when you update the models.
Project Divisions
1 Scenes; 26 Shots
{Cam persp} Overview of yard setting ->Ruben
{OTS from monitor}Show Ben playing, with glow from screen -> Tati, Nick
{Close up} Squeak sneaks across roof -> Erica, Ruben Squeak gets to power box; plug and unplug -> Nick, Beau
Ben hanging by cable -> Tati Squeak playing game; new high score ->Nick, Erica Ben enters through the window -> Beau, Ruben
"Target Acquired" (upside down), showing struggle in room -> Erica, Grant
Enter Ben-waves at camera -> Beau
Check Traps -> Tati, Ruben
Control Pad -> Grant
Sc2 (1 Sh)
{In Room} Empty; Ben Enters ->Nick
Sc3 (3 Sh)
Squeak on Fence -> Erica
Look at map -> Beau
Jump down -> Erica, Ruben
Sc4 (2 Sh)
{Crop screen} Show the game; and hi-score -> Grant, Ruben
Sc5 (2 Sh)
Sc6 (6 Sh)
Ben comes out onto roof -> Grant, Nick
Squeak hides -> Tati, Ruben
Plugs power cable back in -> Grant
Squeak jumps down; Squeak jumps on head -> Erica
Squeak attacks and jumps off; Squeak bounding away -> Grant, Erica
Squeak jumps in cords; Ben gets over to cords and stomps -> Beau
Sc7 (3 Sh)
Sc8 (3 Sh)
Ben sneaking up -> Grant, Erica, Tati
{Behind Ben and Squeak, looking at window} RPG ominously in window, malfunctioning -> Beau, Erica, Ruben
Sc9 (1 Sh)
Vaporization/Explosion -> Beau
Sc10 (1 Sh)
Aftermath -> Ruben
Modeling Notes
*Remember to name the elements
**Remember to go to {Edit->Delete by Type->History } to clean up the models. Do this only when done with them.
***Keep layers up to date
>>Needs to be scaled up to fit in with yard (reference with yard)
>>Add the window details; step(s) for porch; control box
>>RPG should be larger than power source
>>Play with the scale of roof elements a bit more to reduce slope
Room - Nick
>>Spread things about the room
>>Consider the camera placement and what we see
>>Add extra geometry to make edges of door straight
Yard - Ruben
>>More expansive
>>More details to trees & traps
>>Sharper traps, maybe smaller
5/5
TO DO:
1.) Finished story reel to z drive. Finish up rigs and models.
2.) Divide up shots and scenes to add settings, cameras, characters, props
Whatever scene you do, write down what is still needed.
3.) Decide who will set up which shot(s):
Reference in the scenes and characters necessary.
Set up a separate camera: "Shot_Cam"
Place characters roughly where they are in storyreel
DO THIS IN STURM COMP LAB TO ACCESS THE Z DRIVE
Nick - Sc 8 & Sc 10
Erica - Sc3 & Sc4
Tati - Sc1 & Sc2
Beau - Sc6 & S
Grant - Sc6 Sh 4-8
Ruben - Sc5 & first 3 of Sc6
================== ^ By Thursday ^ ==================
================= ================= =================
4.) Material and texture gathering (over the weekend)
5.) Camera fine tune and lights
6.) Set up AE project for final
7.) Sound
8.) Additional things to consider:
We will be blocking this weekend
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Hey Grant!
For scene 6 I got the first 5 shots for the storyboard but I just need shots 6&7 to complete it. If you could post the shot 6&7 drawings on Flickr sometime soon that would be great. Thanks!
You just need to draw these shots.
You just need to draw these shots.
Shot 6 >> Between the leg shot - Ben menacing
Chase
Shot 7
Setup of chord trap
> loop, or pull taut
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