Anaylsis and Evaluation

Learning Experience

During character animation I felt I learnt two new techniques to help me when using max studios and animating models. The first thing I learnt was how to use particles effectively. I used this when creating the characters Jetpack animation, which i feel looked realistic.

The second thing I learnt was how to use the CatBox. The CatBox was a new and quick way of animating when compared to Key Framming. The ability to create postures and then set weighting to make animations was a big time saver, and a lot more effective. This system was also beneficial as animating the bones without the skin allowed me to animate the character to have the correct movement.

I learnt more about how to look at characters in films and games and interpret there motives through there actions, for example a character who looks down a lot, moves slowly and has very slow movements can be seen to be shy. Where as a fast moving, pointy nosed character can be seen as a more evil and scary character.


The last thing I felt I learnt was how to give a character a personality. My character started as an evil man and grew into a more defined character as he is now. I feel I gave him a strong personality, being evil and a gadget lover, with a sense of intelligence and insanity.
         


Final thoughts on the Animation

I felt that the animation itself went well and gave the character a good atmosphere to project himself. I found myself laughing at the character in several parts, and could see how crazy I had made him. I felt that the character could have been more detailed with a mouth, but due to the Morpher issue it was impossible to do so. 

Problems that Occurred

The major problem I had was that the animation grew to a length that was longer than I had anticipated, as well as having issues with the Morpher modifier. These problems were difficult to overcome, however I feel that the characters eyes and hand movements expressed the characters attitude and expressions well enough to replace the missing mouth animation.

What I would Change

If I was to animate the character again I would make sure all of the body parts where created separately, so that I could use the Morpher modifier along with the skin modifier. This would make animating easier and allow me to make more detailed character expressions.

I would also try to add more detail to the characters surrounding and lighting, as these were a low quality and made the animation look unrealistic.

In summery, I have enjoyed this module. I feel I have learnt a lot from it and have enjoyed my time working on my character. Bob will forever be remembered as my first character, and my favourite evil character.