In this video I can observe the motion of squirrel’s tail.
Planning
Processing
To animate the tail, start by imagining how it should move, usually with a smooth, wave-like swing. Set keyframes on the timeline for key positions, like the starting point, up position, and the opposite side. Adjust the timing between these points for a quick, natural rhythm. At each keyframe, adjust the tail’s position to create the swinging motion, beginning with the tail down, moving it up, and then to the other side. Add a slight delay between each part of the tail to make it look more wave-like. Finally, play the animation and make small adjustments to the keyframes and timing until the tail swings smoothly and naturally.
Typically, the animation begins at one extreme position, and as gravity and inertia act on it, the pendulum accelerates toward the center and decelerates as it swings to the other side, creating a repeating motion. Use the graph editor to adjust the acceleration and deceleration, ensuring the motion follows natural physical principles, particularly with “ease-in” and “ease-out” when the pendulum swings.
By previewing the animation, I can observe the delayed motion of the weight. The weight lags behind the top part of the chain as the pendulum swings. As the speed changes, the weight’s swing amplitude and the chain’s angle will vary. Focus on the follow-through and drag effects to ensure that the movement between the chain and the weight feels realistic.
Use the graph editor to further refine the speed curves, making the swinging motion smoother. If necessary, I add more pendulums or move the top hanging point to simulate more complex pendulum movements. For example, when the hanging point moves, the weight will continue to swing, following the movement naturally.
After learnign the basic 12 principles of animation, the first bouncing ball animation could be started.
Observation and Summary
The most effective approach to learning is to begin with empirical references from real-life observations.
By analyzing the rebound behavior of balls made from different materials in video references, one can draw significant conclusions of elevant principles from the 12 principles of animation to this animation exercise..
Squash and Stretch Undoubtedly, an elastic ball will exhibit this physical characteristic, emphasizing its deformation upon impact and return to its original shape, which conveys weight and flexibility.
Straight Ahead and Pose to Pose In this context, the pose-to-pose approach is utilized, as the movement of the ball is highly controllable and predictable. This method ensures a consistent trajectory and helps plan key poses effectively.
Slow In and Slow Out This principle is present in most animations, except for purely mechanical movements. The ball accelerates and decelerates gradually, creating a more natural effect as it moves.
Arc It is evident that the ball in the video follows an arc trajectory, which aligns with the natural movement of most objects under the influence of gravity.
Timing At different stages of the ball’s movement, frame allocation needs to be adjusted, and thanks to the principles of slow in and slow out, this allocation is not uniform. This variability in timing is one of the key elements that contribute to a more dynamic and lifelike animation.
Exaggeration The exaggeration of the ball’s deformation might not be entirely consistent with real-world physics, but appropriate exaggeration enhances the audience’s perception and emotional engagement with the animation.
To sum up,
A bouncing ball including three Stages in every single unit of the whole process, every stage is a key pose in pose-to-pose, the highest place, hitting the ground and the ‘highest’ place again.
In the process, the squash happened in different degree which depend on the material of the ball.
In every key pose, the velocity of the ball is 0, and it makes a big different between two key poses. The change of the velocity in this process follows ‘slow in and slow out’, except the time of hitting the ground. It became at the moment of hitting.
Planning
After observation and analysis, it is essential to develop a plan for the animation based on the observed patterns.
Animating
In this process, I ultimately created the animation by observations.
