Kee Kat Animation

[pia12254]

Hey there,

 

I just finished this animation for the Art of Animation Tutorial. I first did the lipsync (manually...I didn't really like the results from the dopesheet) and then did the rest of the animation in the Choreography.

 

Here is the Hi-res version (about 3MB).

 

Kee Kat Secret Hi-Res

 

And a lower res version (250kb).

 

Kee Kat's Secret

 

I really want critiques/comments on how to make it better. I feel like I am at a point where I can make the characters "move around" but I want to start getting to where I can really make them have a believable performance.

 

Any help is appreciated.

 

Here is the link to the basic lipsync animation...the lipsync is a little hard to see in the "finished" animation.

 

Just lipsync

[MATrickz]

Very good! Much better than what I did with that excersice!!

[Rodney]

D,

Nice improvement!

 

You said:

I really want critiques/comments on how to make it better. I feel like I am at a point where I can make the characters "move around" but I want to start getting to where I can really make them have a believable performance.

 

I love what you've got going thus far... great stuff.

The first thing that caught my eye... what Keekat's eyes. They don't blink.

 

Suggestion

While 'listening' to your animation fully relax and note your own eye movement and where you might blink naturally... this isn't easy when you are first trying... but look at your animation... then try again... look at your animation... try again...

 

Eventually I think you'll find a few nice places to put a blink or two.

 

TAOA:M master has some basic information on Page 64 Pupils and Blinks

 

Hope you don't mind if I link this WIP into the TAOA:M area! 'Tis good stuff!

[JohnArtbox]

That's pretty cool. The blinks will definitely add to it.

A blink when the character raises his eyes is probably a good bet. Likewise when he changes direction to turn back.

Also the expression when he say's "Can you keep a secret?" seems a bit vapid, with the eyes just a little too wide and perfectly symmetrical.

But I love the finger movement and the expressions at other times.

[pia12254]

Hey guys,

 

Thanks for the comments so far!!!!

 

Here's an update.

 

Hi res...

 

Update 1- HiRes

 

And low res...

 

Update 1- LowRes

 

John and Rodney, I've added in a couple of blinks. I might work on their timing a little more. Part of the problem with the blink on Kee Kat is that if his eyes are making any kind of expression other than the default pose his eyelids don't close all the way on Eye Close Left so I have to actually raise his lower eyelid a little to make them close. Hope it doesn't look to weird.

 

I will incorporate your suggestions on the "Can you keep a secret?" line when I render out my next update. His expression is very symmetrical and seems kind of "canned" I guess.

 

Keep it coming...

[KenH]

That's excellent! A few tips on the blinks:

 

1) A blink only consists of the upper lid closing and opening. The lower lid pretty much stays where it is. (Look in the mirror...or put your finger on your lower lid as you blink)

 

2) Instead of having the lid come down and go back up at the same speed, it looks more convincing if the lid comes down faster than goes up. So, if the blink takes 5 frames, the down motion would take 3 and the up take 2.

 

3) Johns right...everytime and I repeat...everytime (except in a very few cases ) a characters eyes change direction, the upper lid blinks. It's not quite as long as a normal blink...more a flicker over 3 to 4 frames.

[pia12254]

Awesome!

 

Thanks for the tips. It also helps to have at least a little rhyme and reason as to where to place blinks. I know some of it is subjective but at least having an idea of where to start helps.

 

The blinking of the lower lid...yeah, ok, fine....I'll get rid of it.

 

I thought the blinks sucked and I would have fixed them...but I have one of those really annoying things called a "real job"....it's really getting in the way of my animation.

 

I'll try and render some changes out tonight.

 

Thanks guys. More comments welcome!

[John Bigboote]

Good work. Here's my 2bits:

 

The face is too static. Did you make the pose sliders or were they provided? Either way- make more. More EXtremes. It looks like he's got invisible glue all over his face prohibiting motion. Put your hands on your face in the Macualey Culken 'Home Alone' pose and talk, feel movement?

 

Hash's new distortion box feature makes it easy to add flexibility to a face. I usually make a new pose with a +100/-100 range and call it 'FACESQUASH LEFT-RIGHT' then in musclemode lock just the facial-skin CP's and then go into distortion mode and add 'squash' to one side of the face while adding 'stretch' to the other...then go to -100% and do the opposite. Slide it back and forth accordingly during the animation and you have some neat facial action.

[pia12254]

John,

 

Great idea! I actually am just using the defauly pose sliders...how could you tell!!?!?!

 

I love your idea for adding overall facial movement. I felt the same way...that the face was too static/frozen overall. Even though the lips move and the eyes move, his face felt dead.

 

I think your suggestion will help solve that problem.

 

You guys are really tempting me to play with Animation Master on my work computer....big no-no!

 

Thanks John!

[Rodney]

D,

Looking much much better. Nice!

 

Since my focus seems to be on the eyes I'll try to stay there for suggestions.

 

At the top of the same page (Page 64 in TAOA:M) there is a really small write up on pupils.

 

I'd suggest that when the eyes open fully you reduce the pupils just a little. With the eyes open so wide more light is entering the eye and the pupil should adjust to limit that. When the eyes close they'll need more light so the pupil gets bigger.

 

You can try exaggeration and that might work best... but sometimes a subtle change can work better. In the case of your Keekat's movement he is moving only a little so the exaggeration shouldn't be too extreme.

 

Keep working it as you find time.

You are really getting the feel for his personality.

[Pengy]

1 other nitpicky point would be when he turns his head to say "didn't think so" the eyes should lead the movement not vice versa.

[pia12254]

Ok,

 

I am trying to take John's advice and create a -100 to 100% pose with left and right squetch.

 

I create a new pose, keep only the front of the face, at 100% lock half of the face and use the distort mode to move the face around a bit. I then repeat the process for the other side.

 

It seems to move the splines ok in Relationship mode but when I try and make it work in my Choreography action it doesn't seem to have an effect.

 

I looked at the list of splines under the Relationship/Pose and it has question marks next to each spline.

 

What does that mean? Can you not use the Distortion Box Mode to create poses? Am I doing something wrong? (Answer: Probably...)

 

 

 

Thanks for your help.

[starwarsguy]

i think that it looks fine without eyes leading b/c he's trying to remain in eye contact with the viewer as long as he can b4 he looks back down. at least, that's how i see it

[pia12254]

Hey Starwarsguy,

 

That's kind of what I was going for. I know your normally supposed to lead with the eyes but when I acted out the action I noticed that when you are giving someone the "evil eye" you maintain eye contact as long as possible, even when looking away.

 

I did however add a blink in at the last second as his eyes turn to look back down. I hope that helps.

 

I'm still having trouble adding a new pose to give his face more flexibility but once I've got that figured out I'll post some of that.

 

Thanks for the help!!!

[pia12254]

Here is the clip with a few more minor adjustments.

 

Most of the changes were getting rid of symmetry in the expressions, tilting his head a little on the question, speeding up the blinks and adding in a blink.

 

Like I said I still couldn't get the new facial pose to work but it is updated a little bit.

 

Hi Res

 

Low Res

 

Comments still welcome!

[John Bigboote]

It seems to move the splines ok in Relationship mode but when I try and make it work in my Choreography action it doesn't seem to have an effect.

 

Forgot to mention, when you add a new pose to a character thats already being used in a chor you need to save,close, and reopen the project before that particular pose slider will take effect, I've heard of other ways around this, but this is the way I get my NEW pose sliders to react...

 

Your animation is looking lots better.

[SHADOWMASTER]

He has much more expression coming from his eyes now. That's good.

It might also add to it if you use Rodney's suggestion for the pupils. His eyes are more squinty now, so the pupil size is probably good for most of the animation. But when he opens his eyes wider in that one pary, his pupils should shrink just a bit.

Otherwise, I think it's coming along great.

Oh, and I just thought of something. He's an animal. Animals, especially cats, express emotion through their ears. So, maybe at the end when he says "didn't think so", his ears could go a little flatter.

For more on this, you could check out this short by Smudge. I think it's done really well.

[Hutch]

Oh good call Shadowmaster! I would never have thought to move his ears. You could maybe perk one or both up a bit on the question also.

[pia12254]

Hey guys,

 

Thanks for the input!

 

Ok, first of all I really like the idea of adding motion to his ears. The thought had briefly crossed my mind and I promptly disposed of it because it would be a little extra work. Well, I'm past my lazy spell so I will try adding that in next. I think it will help keep his face/head from looking so stiff.

 

I really like the idea of animating the pupil but I'm not sure how to go about that...I haven't actually looked but I would guess that the pupil right now is just a decal applied to KeeKat's eye. Any thoughts on how to animate that?

 

Thanks for the help!!!! I'll keep the updates coming.

[modernhorse]

Pia - It's great to watch you progress through this exercise. It is looking really good. I really like how he taps his finger at the end.

 

Now on to the ears!

 

Doug

[SHADOWMASTER]

Woo-hoo! I made a useful suggestion!

 

Oh good call Shadowmaster! I would never have thought to move his ears.

Well, I have two cats. So, you know...

 

You could maybe perk one or both up a bit on the question also.

 

Yeah, I was gonna say that, but didn't...for some reason...

Otherwise, I dunno. It's looking really good.

 

And, it's good to not be lazy. Now all I need to do is follow that advice, and I'll be all set!

[hypnomike]

Comments still welcome! 

Wow! That's really good.

 

I've just read through the thread and noticed the comments about using lower eyelids in a blink because the eyes don't fully close with a certain expression.

 

I think you could have worked around this by bringing the lower lids into position as part of the expression, then you could blink with just the upper lids.

 

I can see you've found your own solution though.

 

I'm impressed!

[pia12254]

Dude,

 

You guys rock! Thanks for all the helpful comments/critiques/compliments! It definitely helps to keep you motivated.

 

Ok, here is a little update with some ear movement... (drum roll please).

 

Actually, I didn't spend much time rigging his ears, just added a bone for each one, so there is a little noticeable oddity when his ears bend down at the end. I decided not to worry about it too much because I wanted to focus more on the animation. So there you go.

 

Anyway, here it is.

 

LowRes

 

High Res

 

Keep em comin!

[Hutch]

Nice! I think that added alot to it. I am kind of surprised his ears were never rigged before. You could fix the little kinks in his ears with just a quick smartskin on the ear bones. I am pretty sure you only would have to do a smartskin for one then you can mirrior all smartskins.

[pia12254]

Ahh,

 

Good old smartskin...actually, I'm a little embarrased to admit this but I've never tried to use smartskin. Not because I don't think it's useful...just because I have this mental block that it is going to be hard and I won't understand it.

 

I'm sure if I really dove into it I would figure it out but it is just a mental thing!

 

Maybe this will be a good excuse for me to try and learn how to use it.

 

Thanks Hutch!

[modernhorse]

Pia - Nice camera work. That little move adds alot.

 

Re: Finger movement - This is a minor thing but I'm wanting him to do a couple or few finger taps. When I'm tapping my finger I usually do it more than once. Perhaps you're trying to make him coy while he does that in which case I'm thinking that he should sort of drag his finger. I know it's a little thing but IMO it may add a little.

 

Good stuff !

 

Doug

[SHADOWMASTER]

I'm really likin' that!

It really wouldn't take much to smartskin his ears. I mean, I've only done a little with SS, and that was for harder stuff. If you can do the rest of that animation, smartskinning his ears will be nothing.