Infinity Curves with Offset in Maya

In this very short tutorial (just two minutes long) we show how to use "Infinity Curves with Offset" in Maya.  Let's say you animate a character taking two steps across the screen, and you want to replicate the action. By using Infinity Curves with Offset, you can replicate the motion automatically, and have the character take as many steps as you like.  Once you're done, you can bake your curves, and then edit the shot.  

Planning the "Phone Booth Man" Pantomime Shot

 

Animators need to tell a story without words, to create "pantomime" animation. The art of pantomime is that the audience should understand the story being told without words.   In the example above, by Joshua Reynolds, Joshua tackles the "Phone Booth" exercise, in which the animator must tell the story of a phone call silently, just using body language and expressions, communicating to the audience what the character is thinking and feeling. Start by thinking about the story you want to tell. Then, act it out, draw some thumbnail sketches, and pose out the shot. Make sure the character poses tell the story clearly. 

How to Install and Use the Parent Master Plugin

In this short video we show how to install and use the free Parent Master Plugin for Autodesk Maya. The Parent Master plugin is a useful tool that allows animators to attach and un-attach objects easily and quickly.  Here at Animation Apprentice we've been using it and recommending it since 2014.  The plugin is a Python script created by Paolo Dominici and has recently been updated for py3.  Watch the video above to see how to install it. You can also read our original blog post here from 2014.  You can find the PM official site here, and also find the latest version at Paolo Dominici's site here.

Animate a "Sneaky Walk" with Monty

Sneaky Monty

In the video tutorial below we show how to animate a sneaky walk with "Monty" the green pea.

To complete the tutorial, first start with a Basic Walk with "Monty" - which you can learn how to do here.

Then, as with our other character walks tutorials, adapt the basic walk to give it character and personality - in this case a "sneak". 

Spring Class Starts on Monday 4 March 2024

Animation by Mark Masters

Our Spring Animation Class begins on Monday 4th March 2024.

It's not too late to book a place; all you need to do is visit the main Animation Apprentice site and go through a few simple steps.

If you want to learn 3D animation to a professional level, and start your new career as an animator - your journey starts here.

How to Import an Image Plane into Maya

In the three minute video above, we show how to import an image plane into Maya. Image planes can be especially useful for, as in the example above, importing your thumbnail sketches into Maya, so that you have your reference inside the shot.  This way you can follow the reference step by step, and match your animation poses to your thumbnail sketches. 

Animate a Walk Cycle "On the Spot" with Monty

Monty goes for a stroll

We've uploaded a new series of video tutorials on how to animate a walk, using the marvellous "Monty" rig, free for download from Creative Crash.

There are four video tutorials of just under ten minutes, showing step by step how to animate a walk cycle, animating the walk "on the spot" on a treadmill, then adding a forward translation on the World Control to have Monty move through his environment.  

The videos are recorded in Autodesk Maya, and are aimed at animation beginners. 

Animate and Light a Candle with Blend Shapes

Below is a short free tutorial on how to create, animate and light a candle using Blend Shapes in Autodesk Maya.  The goal is to understand how to use Blend Shapes to morph simple objects in Maya from one shape to another, and then animate them. 

Blend Shapes are used mainly for facial animation, but they can also be used to animate inanimate objects - in this case a flickering candle. 

Great Tripod to Film Live Action for Animation

One of the best ways to get live-action reference for a piece of animation is to film yourself acting it out, capture the footage on your phone, and then import the footage onto an image plane in Maya.

The best way to film yourself is by mounting your smartphone on a tripod. 

We're recommending this excellent (and inexpensive) tripod, made by Linkcool, for mounting your phone/camera, while you do the acting and give the performance.

How to Animate with "Heavy" in Maya 2024

We've recently updated the "Heavy" rig, one of the free rigs we recommend for learning animation. Heavy can be downloaded from highend3d.com, and you can read all about him here, as well as see how to use him to Animate a Walk Cycle here, and a Run Cycle with Heavy here. 

How to Fix The Pixo Jr Lamp Rig

Pixo Jr is a great rig for learning animation, which you can read all about here.  You can also see a series of short tutorials for animation beginners, showing how to make the lamp hop.  But Pixo is an old rig (2006) and works less well in Maya today.  This is because of Maya's implementation of Parallel Evaluation, designed to make rigs perform faster in the Viewport.  Part of the Pixo Jr's rig is not behaving correctly in this new evaluation mode.  The solution is to change Evaluation Mode to DG. To do this, go to Windows > Settings and Preferences and then in the Settings > Animation category, change the drop down menu for Evaluation Mode from "Parallel" to the older mode "DG".

How To Use Infinity Curves in Maya

In this short video we show how to turn on and use Infinity Curves in Autodesk Maya. Infinity Curves are a powerful tool that enable animators to smooth out looping cycles, such as a walk cycle, run or similar, smoothing the motion so that there aren't any frustrating clicks, bumps or mistakes.

Why Animators Should Work on Multiple Shots

The Iron Giant

Recently a student at Animation Apprentice was getting stuck on one of the weekly exercises, and I suggested that he work on a different shot. At first he resisted - he didn't want to give up on the shot he was working on.  

But I explained that lots of animators like to work on multiple shots at once - it helps to be able to rest your eyes, and come back fresh to a shot after working on something else for a while. 

How to Troubleshoot Animation Curves in Maya

In this brief animation tutorial, aimed at animators learning Maya for the first time, we show how to troubleshoot your curves in Maya, using some simple animation with Monty The Green Pea.  Maya's Graph Editor is confusing at first, but after a while it becomes the animator's best friend. When you first learn animation, you will find bumps and clicks in your work, which can be hard to diagnose and fix. Slowly, over time, it becomes clear how to find the curve that is causing the trouble - and fix it. 

Animation Apprentice Demo Reel 2024

 

 

Above is our 2024 student demo reel, a selection of the best work done at Animation Apprentice over the last year. The reel includes work by Joshua Reynolds, Marc Stevenson, Mark Masters, Michael Monks and Sean Rubin. Congratulations to all of them on their excellent work.

BBC Ignite Welcomes Animation Pitches

BBC "Ignite" deadline is 8 February 2024 at 2pm

BBC Children’s Animation are seeking submissions for fresh, bold and innovative animation ideas. The scheme is called "Ignite" and the deadline is 8 February 2024 at 2pm. 

For all our students at Animation Apprentice who have been working on short films - this is a perfect opportunity to pitch your materials to the UK's biggest broadcaster.

Animate a Simple Head Turn with "Monty"

Animate a simple head turn with "Monty"

In this basic tutorial for animation beginners we show how to animate a simple head turn with a basic character - Monty the Green Pea, who you can read about (and download) here.  

The idea is to learn how to do a basic head turn without making it stiff and lifeless - dip the head slightly on the turn, and also close the eyes - everyone blinks when they turn their head. 

"A Christmas Carol" by Richard Williams

If you've got a few minutes this Christmas Eve, why not watch Richard Williams' 1972 Oscar-winning version of The Christmas Carol.  It has all the atmosphere of 19th Century London and none of the sentimentality.  It's just twenty minutes long, and was completed at Williams' London studio at 13 Soho Square - a Grade II* listed building which still stands today (it's even painted the same colour).

Introduction to Character Design

 

In this short video I talk briefly about the basics of character design, how to start with simple basic shapes and work out from there, developing your characters personalities from very simple beginnings.  Character design is very much about contrasts - making characters feel different, and look different - with contrasting personalities. 

How to Clean Up Scanned Images in Photoshop

This short video shows how to take a scanned image and tidy it up in Photoshop. The image I am using is an ink cartoon drawing, but this method works equally well for pencil drawings, and also works for images that have been photographed with a smartphone camera.  Why should you clean up your scans? The purpose of the cleanup is to make your scanned images look prettier, to make them ready to send to a client, or to look nice for a presentation. Raw scans look ugly and unprofessional - watch the video above to see how to tidy them up.

How to Use The Shelf Editor in Maya

This short introductory tutorial shows how to use the Shelf Editor in Autodesk Maya. The Shelf Editor allows animators to create buttons on a shelf, permitting the user to select frequently-used control curves such as hands, feet, body and head quickly and efficiently. For most animators working on production, the Shelf Editor is one of the first tools they will use when setting up their character workflow, to ensure they can animate fast and efficiently.