CheHsin's animation Blog

Author: Che-Hsin Peng

Categories
Maya

Week 2 － Weight in Animation

1. Timing & Spacing

This is one of the most important basic concepts we learned this week.

The presentation first introduced the Time Chart :

A planning chart that shows the timing, spacing and placement of drawings between key poses.

It can be understood as a movement planning chart for animation. It helps us decide:

  • How many frames a movement needs
  • How many in-between frames should be placed between keyframes
  • The distance between each frame
  • Whether the movement accelerates or slows down

Timing ≠ Spacing

These two concepts are easy to confuse.

Timing is how long a movement takes, while spacing describes the distance between each frame.

  • Timing = how many frames a movement takes
  • Spacing = the distance between each frame

By changing timing and spacing, we can make an object feel faster, slower, lighter, or heavier.

My Understanding

I can think of it simply as:

Timing = How long?
Spacing = How does it move during that time?

Therefore, even if two objects both use 20 frames, they can still have completely different feelings of weight.

2. Weight & Physics

We also looked at the basic physics of movement:

F = m × a

A heavier object needs more time to accelerate under the same force. This means that mass can affect how quickly an object starts moving or changes its speed.

For animation, this helps us create more believable movement and weight.

3. An Example from Attack on Titan

During the class, the teacher used the example of a giant and a small character to explain how different sizes and weights can affect movement.

This reminded me of Attack on Titan. The Titans often move with large movements and relatively slow timing, which makes their bodies feel huge and heavy. In comparison, the human characters move much faster and their actions usually have smaller movements and shorter spacing.

This made me realise that movement size, timing and spacing can work together to communicate the scale and weight of a character.

4. Further reading

The Animator’s Survival Kit

I read pages 84–99 of Richard Williams’ The Animator’s Survival Kit, which focuses on spacing and movement.

Key Points

  • Spacing: In-between frames should not always be placed exactly in the middle. Different spacing can create different speeds and feelings of movement.
  • Mass & Contact: Animators should think about objects as masses. Squash and deformation should happen at the moment of contact to make weight feel believable.
  • Movement Arcs: Most natural movements follow curved paths. Using clear arcs can make animation smoother and more natural.
  • Fast Movement: Elongated in-betweens can help create the feeling of speed and motion blur.
  • Common Mistake: Beginners often put too much movement into too little time. Adding more frames can make the action clearer and easier to follow.

The Basics of Animation Production: The Art of Time and Space – TED Ed

During the class, the teacher showed us the TED-Ed video The Basics of Animation Production: The Art of Time and Space. I watched it again in my free time and posted it here for future review.

5. Assignment

Bouncing Balls

Table tennis ball

time chart

graph editor

motion

playblast side view

Beach ball

time chart

graph editor

motion

playblast side view

Bowling ball

time chart

graph editor

motion

playblast side view

Golden Poses

Hero pose

Sitting pose

Angry pose

Categories
Unreal Engine

Week 2 – Unreal Engine

What I Learned

Getting familiar with Unreal Engine

  • Learned how to open and navigate the Unreal Engine interface.
  • Became familiar with the main panels, viewport, Content Browser and basic workflow.

Downloading and importing assets

  • Learned how to find and download assets through Epic Games / Fab.
  • Practised bringing external assets into an Unreal Engine project.

Lighting and Environment

  • Learned how to set up environmental elements such as Sun Light(Control+L), Sky Atmosphere and Sky Light(Window).
  • Explored how these settings affect the overall lighting, atmosphere and mood of a scene.

Material Editing

  • Learned the basics of editing Materials in Unreal Engine.
  • This allows us to change the appearance and surface properties of objects and create different visual effects.

Sublevels / Level Organisation

  • One of the most important things I learned was how to use Sublevels to organise a scene.
  • Sublevels allow different parts of a project to be separated and managed more efficiently.
  • This is especially useful for large projects and collaborative workflows, because different team members can work on different parts of a scene in a more organised way.

This was my first time using Unreal Engine (UE). I learned that it is a fast and practical platform for 3D production and game development. It can provide high-fidelity, real-time rendering for games, virtual production, and simulations, while also supporting programming languages such as C++. I have always been interested in game development, so I would like to use Unreal Engine as a platform for further research and experimentation in this area.

During my free time, I found a tutorial on game development using Unreal Engine. I have currently reached the section on character animation and will try to implement what I have learned in the following sessions.

https://youtu.be/e_SPuvO_l1w

Categories
Design for Animation, Narrative Structures & Film Language

Week 2 – Elements and Principles of Art

When studying visual art and design, I learned that an artwork is not only about the subject or story. It is also built through a series of basic visual elements and principles.

The Elements of Art describe what we use to create an artwork, while the Principles of Art describe how we organise these elements.

Elements = What we use
Principles = How we organise them

1. Elements of Art

There are seven main elements of art: Line, Shape, Form, Value, Colour, Space, and Texture.

Line

A line can be understood as a moving point. It can be used to define the edges of objects, guide the viewer’s eyes, or suggest movement.

Common types of lines include horizontal, vertical, diagonal, curved, and zigzag lines.

Hatching and cross-hatching can also be used to create light and shadow.

Shape

A shape is a 2D area created when a line closes.

There are two main types:

  • Geometric shapes – circles, squares, triangles, etc.
  • Organic shapes – irregular shapes inspired by nature.

Shapes can also be positive or negative. A positive shape is the main object, while a negative shape is the space around it.

Form

Form is similar to shape, but it is 3D. It has height, width, and depth.Examples include cubes, spheres, cylinders, and pyramids.In 2D artwork, artists can use light and shadow to create the illusion of three-dimensional form.

Value

Value describes how light or dark something is.

A simple value scale can go from:

White → Light Grey → Mid Grey → Dark Grey → Black

Value is important for showing light, depth, and volume.

Colour

Colour can be described through three main properties:

  • Hue – the colour itself, such as red or blue.
  • Value – how light or dark the colour is.
  • Saturation / Intensity – how strong or pure the colour is.

A colour wheel can help us understand relationships between colours.

Some common colour schemes are:

  • Monochromatic
  • Analogous
  • Complementary
  • Triadic
  • Split-complementary

Space

Space refers to the area around, between, and inside objects.

Artists can create a sense of depth by using:

  • Overlapping
  • Size
  • Position
  • Detail
  • Colour and value
  • Perspective

These techniques can make a flat 2D image feel more three-dimensional.

Texture

Texture describes how a surface looks or feels.

There are two main types:

  • Actual texture – a real physical surface that can be touched.
  • Visual texture – an image that creates the illusion of a particular surface.

For example, a painting can make a surface look rough, smooth, soft, or metallic.

2. Principles of Art

Balance

Balance is about creating visual stability.

It can be:

  • Symmetrical – both sides are similar.
  • Asymmetrical – different elements are balanced through their visual weight.
The Holy Mountain (1973)

Emphasis and Contrast

Emphasis makes a particular part of an artwork stand out.

Contrast creates differences between elements, such as:

  • Light and dark
  • Large and small
  • Warm and cool
  • Rough and smooth

Contrast can help direct the viewer’s attention.

Movement

Movement creates a sense of action and guides the viewer’s eyes through the artwork.

Lines, shapes, body positions, repetition, and direction can all create movement.

This principle is especially useful in animation, film, and photography, where the viewer’s attention is constantly being guided.

Cyril Edward Power

Proportion

Proportion describes the relationship between the size of different elements.

For example, the size of a character compared with their environment can change how we understand a scene.

Rhythm

Rhythm is created through the repetition of visual elements.

Repeated shapes, colours, lines, or movements can create a visual rhythm, similar to a beat in music.

Variety

Variety adds differences to an artwork.

Different shapes, sizes, colours, and textures can prevent a composition from becoming too repetitive.

Harmony

Harmony is created when different elements work well together.

Similar colours, shapes, textures, or repeated elements can make a composition feel connected and consistent.

Gradation

Gradation is a gradual change from one element to another.

eg:

Large → Medium → Small

or

Dark → Mid-tone → Light

Gradation can create depth, movement, and a smoother visual transition.

3. Golden Ratio

The Golden Ratio is a mathematical proportion that is often discussed in art, design, architecture, and composition.

It can be used as a guide for organising elements within a composition.

However, I think it is more useful to see the Golden Ratio as a composition tool, rather than a strict rule that every artwork needs to follow.

What I Learned

After studying these concepts, I realised that visual composition is not only about making an image look attractive.

The Elements of Art give us the basic visual materials, while the Principles of Art help us organise these materials.

For example, when analysing an animation scene, I can ask:

  • What colours are being used?
  • Where does my eye look first?
  • How is depth created?
  • How are the foreground and background arranged?
  • How does the composition create movement?
  • Why does a particular object stand out?

These questions help me look at images more carefully and can also be applied to my own 3D animation, game design, and visual storytelling work.

Categories
Maya Uncategorised

Week 1 – Golden Pose & Posing Principles

What I Learned – How to make pose more attractive

In this week’s 3D Computer Animation Fundamentals class, we explored the idea of the “Golden Pose” and how posing can make a character feel more dynamic, expressive and believable.

We looked at several principles of effective posing, including clear silhouette, line of action, balance and weight, asymmetry, exaggeration, emotion and personality.

1.Clear Silhouette

If a character’s silhouette is unclear, the pose often becomes less engaging and harder to read. When creating a pose, it is important to make the action recognisable from the character’s silhouette alone.

2.Line of Action

The professor explained that a line of action does not need to be complicated to make a character’s pose feel more dynamic and expressive. Simple shapes, such as C, S, and V shapes, can already create a strong sense of movement and make the pose more visually interesting.

3.Balance & Weight

A character’s centre of gravity should generally remain balanced to make the pose feel stable and believable. However, intentionally creating imbalance can also be used to suggest the direction of movement and make the pose feel more dynamic.

4.Asymmetry

Avoid making both sides of the pose completely symmetrical, as asymmetry can make the pose feel more natural and visually interesting.

5.Emotion

Exaggerated poses can help the audience understand the character’s emotions more clearly and make the expression more engaging.

Finding References

Below are some animated movies I like that I found, which I can use as a reference for my studies.

Up (2009) — Pete Docter, Pixar Animation Studios.
WALL-E (2008) — Andrew Stanton, Pixar Animation Studios.
Spirited Away (2001) — Hayao Miyazaki, Studio Ghibli.

Challenge

1. Hero Pose

Reference:

Pose screenshot & 360 degree camera:

2. Standing Pose

Reference:

Pose screenshot:

3.Happy Pose

Reference:

Pose screenshot:

Self Study

1.12 Principles of Animation

The 12 Principles of Animation introduce a set of fundamental guidelines for creating animation. Straight Ahead vs. Pose to Pose, Arcs, and Timing were concepts that I had less experience with before. In my future work, I can consciously apply these principles and put them into practice.

2.Maya workflow

Learned how to set up a camera in Maya, rotate the character rig, create a 360-degree character turntable, and export the animation as a video.