For today I wanted to post a small update on what I have been doing in my 3D work. Today we attempted to model a basic biped character using Maya. This involved building from a polygon cube up to a human-like body. After making a character model successfully, we then attempted to rig the character.

The modelling part of the session was fairly straightforward as this is something I have done before however, we were using a different software to what I am used to. Furthermore, I was able to construct a biped model fairly quickly. The model was very ‘blocky’ at first but then I was able to use the ‘smooth’ tool to make a far more close to life model.

The challenging part of today’s session was moving on to rigging the character model we made. This was harder to follow since the skill is very new to me and I struggled to work it out. The main thing I struggled with was when it came to ‘skinning’ the character. After setting the ‘bones’ in the model, you then have to skin the model. This essentially meant attaching the bones to the model so that it was movable. Moreover, this is where I got lost during the session and it is a concept I am going to have to go back to in time.

In conclusion, I did struggle with this learning and it was harder to follow when it came to the rigging stage. From this, I know that this is something I will need to revisit and learn more about.

For today, I made some more progress on my 3D animation work where I have worked a mood change with the Binky character. This was practice for the Unit 1 hand in which requires a mood change exercise.

During this exercise, I think that I learnt more about timing and anticipation. I tried to time the actions so that the impact of what was happening was more effective. In the animation, the character walks up to a ball with a very happy expression and then the ball rolls away, causing the characters mood to change. Timing was crucial with this for more impact in showing how the character was feeling.

In reflection, this was very fun to do and I think that I learnt even more about animating a character with this. I was able to give the character emotion and a realistic reaction to the events occurring in the animation. To improve, I think that I will create a different mood change animation with a more interesting reaction to something.

For today’s session, I have been working on how to animate a basic walk cycle in Maya. The process involves key framing and moving the feet and body controls.

In reflection, this was a very daunting exercise at first as I am still learning the basics to Maya. I found it difficult at first to make an accurate looking walk cycle but as I redid the exercise, my walk cycle started to improve.

During this exercise, I think that I have improved more on working in Maya. I am starting to understand the software better and I can create more exciting animations. Furthermore, there is still ways to go when learning Maya however, I believe I have got through the basics of it quickly.

In conclusion, I aim to use what I have learnt during this exercise in my future work. I understand that having walk cycles mastered will make my show reel stand out to employers and this exercise has encouraged me to work on this more.