Mine Cart Experiment

I have a couple of ideas for my project that gives me the task of creating a animation for the speech "More Than a Pill" by the NHS. Both ideas I have involve a mine cart: the first idea uses the mine cart as the main object that travels through time while around it the term "wellbeing" evolves from medication and physical health to a more focus around mental health and people co-operating with each other, eventually the mine cart becomes a more modern use of transportation. My second idea is to use the mine cart for a small part of the animation that mentions how people need to work together, where the mine cart picks people up as it passes them. Another Idea I have decided to stick with is to use the mine cart as a simple reason to move the camera through my scene. I feel my animation will lack content panning the camera across an empty space to get to the next scene so I will use the mine cart that camera can focus on until it reaches the next main scene.

My animation will be in 3D using the software Cinema 4D. I have done research on mine carts looking at images of mine carts in real life and animated mine carts other people have used in their projects.

I used the images as references to come up with my own style and design for a mine cart. After studying the images above I came up with three different ideas and sketches below.

The mine cart represents the incident that happened in Wales between the 1920s and 1944 that signifies what the NHS stand for today. I also wanted it to represent a mine cart adults would have seen in cartoons during their child hood but also entertaining for the younger generation today. Because of this I chose the wood and steel hybrid mine cart as it would be something you find in a wacky children's cartoon and at the same time looks old fashioned.

The next step was to redraw my sketch on a computer so I could use a JPEG reference within Cinema 4D which helps with shaping and sizing the model during the modelling stage.

Now with the final sketch of the front and side view of my mine cart I had the task of applying them to plane objects in Cinema 4D as materials. This would allow me to position the drawings along the correct axis in a 3D environment so I could use them as a reference.

My references were now in place and I could start modelling. I used a cube as the main object for the mine cart and then I used the 4 corners of the face that was underneath the cube to inner extrude a leg for the frame underneath the mine cart.

Next I started to experiment with some materials to apply to my mine cart. The bolts on the frame of the cart I wanted to be a light steel colour but for them to look slightly worn, so I applied a slight reflection to them as then the bolts look scraped and lost their shine. The rest of the mine cart I wanted a darker colour aiming towards iron and again I applied a slight reflection to show it has being worn. The wooden material in the middle I kept changing because I wasn't satisfied with the appearance of the texture but I know I wanted it to be a lighter tone. Inside of the mine cart I used a different tone of wood a darker colour because I wanted to emphasise on the lack of light that the inside wouldn't get.

After I had an idea of what materials I wanted, I made the wheels for my mine cart and lined the focus point with the middle of the objects so when they rotate to roll they stay in one spot.  Finally to finish the model I used multiple spheres and the Boole object to create a bulb that sits in iron casing that acts as the mine carts headlights. The spheres inside the case I applied a yellow material to that makes use of the glow feature so it acts as a light.

My mine cart model is now complete and I wanted to experiment with it moving on a rail road. I created the rail tracks and sat the mine cart at the end before sliding it to the other end of the tracks on the timeline while also rotating each wheel to give it the illusion the wheels were moving the cart.

Stop Motion

In this process and production session we focused on stop motion using a webcam, a clamp stand and software called Dragon Frame which specialises in stop motion animation.

In a small group we used a small doll of a vampire to animate with and the first thing we did was experiment with the doll walking to get a feel and a idea of the distance the doll should move for every frame.




After we felt we got the timing right for our movement we moved on to experimenting with the doll falling and how this would look like in stop motion.







Next we wanted to try something different so we had the idea to experiment with facial expressions in stop motion. We used a number of drawings and stuck them to a stuffed basketball to create a character who appeared to go through the changing of feeling.

Finally we decided that we wanted to join the two together (the doll and the basketball) and have them interact with each other so we made the doll roll the basketball off the table.




What Did I learn?

The main aspect I learnt during this session was the software itself that we used for stop motion. I never knew about dragon frame before but now I am familiar with it and I think it is a pretty good program for this type of animation. Along the way we discussed stop motion as a profession and the technique professionals use using a green screen to get rid of props and equipment that they don't want in their movie.

Lip Synch in After Effects

This process and production session saw us using After Effects to create a system that easily applies different mouth and eyes shapes to a character to create a quick, accurate lip synch animation.

Preparation

The preparation for this session was already done for us and we used the work for After Effects but in the future the first thing to do is to create a character in Illustrator with their eyes and mouth on separate layers.

Setting up to animate

I started by opening After Effects and importing the Illustrator file of the character. I then opened the composition with all the layers for the mouth and made each mouth shape layer a second long before making them sequence layers (they don't overlap each other). I repeated this process with the eyes composition and then put both the eyes and mouth composition under one main composition.

After this I selected the mouth and eyes compositions and enabled time remapping which leads me to create a null layer and then I applied two slider controls for that layer, one for the eyes and one for the mouth. When this was done I matched each number on the slider with a layer from the compositions so for example the 2nd layer in the mouth composition was the shape of the mouth making a "E/I" shape so I applied that layer to the number 2 in the slider. I also did this for the other slider with the eyes composition. Even though the numbers on the sliders were now linked to the layers in each composition when you move the slider it didn't change the mouth or eyes shape on the character in the main view port, so to activate the sliders I had to click on the pick whip symbol next to the time remap effect on both compositions and drag my cursor to each of the sliders. Doing this creates an expression for the time remaps that allows the sliders to change the shapes in the main view port.

Animating

The After Effect's document is now set up to animate specifically lip synching. All I did now was analyse a audio file with speech and I put in markers on where I think the shape of the mouth changes. Then in After Effects I use these markers and my notes to select a mouth shape using the slider to quickly choose the right one for each frame.
  




What Did I learn?

During this session I learnt and realised that I can set up a basic system using After Effects to animate more quickly in the future. I learnt how to use time remapping and I learnt what it is used for, using a combination of the slider and time remapping I can quickly select and use layers to animate. 

After Effects Puppet Animation

In this session we concentrated on character animation in Adobe After Effects and experimented with different tools and techniques to set up a quick easy method to animate characters. We looked at making a 2D character walk from imported layers made in Illustrator. 

2D Walk Animation

The first thing I needed to do was to import the Illustrator file and make sure that each layer in the file were separate to each other, the reason for this was so I could move the layers individually within After Effects. It looked like this.

The next step is really important and crucial to making the body parts moving realistically. There is a tool called the pan behind tool and what this does is moves a symbol on each body part that is known as the central pivot which is what the object rotates around. Of course the central pivot is in the middle of all the objects so I had to move them in to the right place and the right place is where we would find a joint on a real body, e.g. the arms joint is at the top where the shoulder meets so this is where the central pivot will go.

After this I dragged each body part together to form the complete character  and then in the layer manager I made the body the parent layer for the other layers so now when I move the body the other layers will follow.

Using the walk sequence reference I rotated the left and right arm in to the correct position on the specific frames so when my character walks his arms will be swinging forwards then backwards. Next I needed to get the character to start bouncing up and down to create some realism to the movement so again on the right frames I slightly move the character up and then down.

Finally I needed to move the legs but it isn't as easy as rotating them into position because of the angle the foot and knee are in during the movement. So to enable more control over the legs I used the puppet tool which allows me to attach points to specific parts of the leg which I can then drag to move the knee or foot without moving the while leg. So now, on the right frames using my reference I rotated the leg but then also moved the knee and foot to create more fluidity in the movement.

What Did I Learn?

In the past I had a slight understanding on how to make a character in Illustrator and then animating in it After Effects but I didn't know the specifics to do it properly. I knew I needed to create each body part of my character in separate layers to import to After Effects but I didn't know about the pan behind tool to change the central pivot to make a character move properly. I also didn't understand how to use the puppet tool properly and that it is used to move more specific parts of a body part. Now however I am well aware of these tools and how to create and animate a character using Illustrator and After Effects. 

Curriculum Vitae

A CV is unique to an individual. There are rules to writing a CV but there is no wrong way to do it.

A CV should show your key characteristics because it is the thing people are looking for.

Characteristics

Name + contact details 

• Name
• Address 
• Mobile number 
• Email (Uni and personal) 
• Web page (Portfolio location) 
• Age
• DoB 
• Status (if single put this on, if not, don’t)

Education 

• Most recent result first (University of Huddersfield’s course, give date of graduation, GCSE only grades in english and maths), 6th Form/College (Only the courses not the grade).

• Skills: Computer literacy (Cinema 4D), Driving Licence etc.

• Work Experience - Short, couple of lines to show you are willing to work and you understand how working works.

• Hobbies and Interests - Keep this very brief, it shows that you have depth personally than just a plain person who needs money.

Referees 

The people who give you references from education and work backgrounds and you need to include this information about them.

• Name 
• Company 
• Position
• Address
• Telephone
• Email 
• Work Reference 
• academic reference 

Only use a maximum of 3 references and let the referee know you have used them.

What I Learnt and Summary

This lecture was about the basics of writing a CV including a brief explanation for giving each of the characteristics to employees. Before this lecture I understood what a CV was and knew what obvious information goes on a CV but I didn't know some of the other less obvious information that went on one. Now however I can use the information I have learnt to write my own successful CV.

Character Rigging

In this process and production session we looked at character rigging in Cinema 4D. Character rigging is basically a process that animates 3D models by using a built skeleton that can be controlled and moved using a feature called controllers that then is applied to the 3D model.


Building a Character Rig

The first step was to know how to build a character rig so to keep it really simple we built a rig just for a arm using a cylinder.

I started by adding a cylinder to my scene and then changed its shape and size to make it easy to work with. I went into the side view and then selected the joint tool and then I clicked in the centre of the cylinder at the top, in the middle and at the bottom. I now have created three joints for my arm the top is the shoulder, the bottom is the wrist and the middle is where the arm would bend at the elbow. The next step is to bind the arm with the joints so the movement of the joints also move the arm, to do this I selected the three joints and the cylinder and then went into the character features to click bind. Now I needed to make the cylinder bend like an arm does so I selected the first joint and the last joint and then in the character menu I clicked 'Create IK chain' so now the shape bends in the middle.

 

Loop Video: http://www.youtube.com/v/FS7RoenbwTA?version=3&loop=1&playlist=FS7RoenbwTA

The next step was to learn how to use the auto rigging feature in cinema 4D which is the easiest recommended way to build a character rig. We used a character mesh of the hulk so we could apply our built skeleton to a model. The first thing I did was go into the character menu and select character to bring up the tools of making a skeleton. Next I clicked build and selected the 'advanced biped' template and then clicked 'root' which is the start to a long tree of components that makes my skeleton. Now I build out starting with the spine so I click 'Spine (FK)' which gives me the option to create legs so I command click on the legs to create the right and the left leg at the same time. I then move on to the arms doing the same to create a left and right arm and then I command click on the 'thumb' and then the fingers four times which creates the left and right hand on top of the arms. After doing this I potentially have a complete skeleton.

Adjusting The Rig

Now I have a complete skeleton but its not lined up with my character model so the next step is to tediously move and match up the components with the right body parts on the model. This part of the character rig reminds me of dot to dot because each dot that makes up the skeleton has a name like left shoulder or right knee and it is just the case of moving them to the right position on the model. After I was happy with my skeleton and model alined up I clicked the bind tab in the character object menu and dragged and dropped the hulk mesh from the object menu into bind the space which connected the skeleton to my model.

Using The Character Rig To Animate

The final step now after having a character rig connected and in line with my model is to use the controllers of the skeleton to move each limb (which also affects the model) to create a pose for the frames in the timeline which played back will make my hulk model walk as the frames will be  displayed consecutively changing the pose of the hulk quickly creating the illusion that he is moving.

After clicking the animate tab in the character object menu white squares will appear around the model which are the controllers for each of the limbs of the model allowing me to move them freely. I simply click and drag these white squares to move the limbs but I preferred to move the attributes of the limbs instead because I found there are more options for example for the feet there were multiple options like 'heel lift' and 'ankle' so I could accurately move each part of the limb. After putting my hulk in the required poses on specific frames I made him walk.  

Loop Video: http://www.youtube.com/v/NRr3kv4P1yk?version=3&loop=1&playlist=NRr3kv4P1yk


What did I learn?

This session was another really helpful one for me because I feel confident now to animate a 3D model I create and have a basic understanding and knowledge on how to do it. Character rigging at first sight looks really complicated but it is simple enough after spending sometime with it.

Contracts in a Firm

In a company there are two types of contracts:

Client Side - A contract between you and who you are delivering for.

Employee Side - Contract between you and the people you hire.

Client Side

Duty of Contract

• Supply what the client is asking for (Give the client a format they are asking for e.g. animation or design).

• What does the client really ask for (Think about the concept and give the client an idea they are going to love.) 

• Ensure parameters are put in place (Make sure a system works for you and your client).

Duty of Care

• To look after the client and his concerns (Show that you really care about what the client is asking for and his vision). 

• Understand what the clients business is (You should have a clear understanding about who the client is and what their aim is as a business because this helps with the client realising that you are committed to his ideas). 

• Broader understanding of the economic environment. 

Employee Side

There is a lot of employment legislation but the main aim is to protect the employees from unfair actions and practices.

Duty of Care 

• Mental and physical care (To ensure staff are happy and consent with coming to work and are not bullied or harmed by other employers).

• Safe working environment (Staff need to be working in a healthy comfortable environment, e.g. comfortable chairs and heating).

• Procedures to resolve issues (Reasonable ways to solve any falling out between staff and problems that may persist with the job itself that make everyone happy).

• Clear job understanding (Understanding staff roles is crucial to helping them with their work when they might lose their way).

Employment Terminology 

• Sacked - You have been bad. stolen something. Thrown out of the firm.

• Dismissed - Neutral and depends on context. You have being let go on neither good or bad terms but that depends on the reason.

• Probation - Period of time you need to serve before you are permanent and have employment rights. Normally 1 year.

• Released - The firm has no further use for you so you are let go but leaving the job isn't seen as your fault.

• Redundant - A company can’t hold on to you because they might be going bankrupt or another factor could be affecting the business. This is normally seen as a good thing because you gain a statutory pay off.

• Resigned - You leave the job out of your free will.

Remedies

Problems arise that breach the contact so how do you deal with the situation.

    

A. Talk through the problem to understand the issue to then make a plan to solve the issue. This works most of the time.

B. Take the problem through a legal procedure (court) to solve it.

What Did I Learn and Summary

This lecture was about understanding the use for contracts and why they are needed within a company. Before the lecture I knew what a contract was but I didn't know what the specific rules were between employee and employer, but I now know what those rules are and that they are used to prevent people taking advantage of one another in the work place. I have also learnt the different situations that occur for someone to leave a job and what they are called.