Animation Training Exercises Thread

As realistic as possible. This is really just a practice at physics.

Hehe, looks like the votes are 2 to 1 for starting the next exercise. I'll talk to Tom about which one we'll do next.

Woo next exercise.

Bring it on guys, the second excercise is up!
Hope you like it! if you have any questions or suggestions or comments, send me a pm, talk to me on msn or simply reply in this thread, although I don't want this to turn into an unorganized thread.
But I'll work on a solution for that later!
Keep the entries coming!

I have a question. Why aren't you allowed any triple frames?
It's incredibly common to triple and double frame in anime . . . infact, there aren't many single frames in anime. It doesn't need to be that smooth, single framing is something more for cartoons, which suit the smooth feeling a lot more.
I'm using a new style of animation which uses doubles and triples all the time, in none of my latest anims have i ever single framed .___.

Because we're not creating action scenes.
I don't want to get you guys to develop a habit of being lazy animators. (don't take it the wrong way, explanation will follow)

Look at all of the awesome animations done by the big studios and in the golden age of animation.
That's all done by doubleframing, but if it was necessary they used single frames to get a movement to look right.

By already turning to triple-or-more-framing, you aren't developing yourself as a well rounded animator.
It's a bad habit to only do this.

Let me ask you a question in return:

"Do you like to draw moving action scenes, or do you want to be a true animator?"

The purpose of these excercises is to get you guys to develop the skillset to be a true animator, instead of someone who just happens to like animating fight scenes and stuff like that.

Look at it like this:

Why would you want to grow up and only learn to use one leg for moving around when you have the possibility to use both legs?
By getting a proper foundation down right from the start, you will be able to do everything that is necessary if asked from you.

It's better to start with the basics and add upon those than starting with some own style and trying to add the basics.

That's just silly. And your example of "only using one leg" is irrelevant.
If all the professional animators use triple and double frames all the time. Then shouldn't we learn how to animate a smooth animation without the need for single frames. Just like the professionals do?

You're only focussed on anime, not on all types of animation.
The best way to learn animation is to learn the basics first and expand upon that.
My example of only using one leg might be far fetched but it definitely has relevance, because it shows how you shouldn't only use and focus on one single technique of animation if you can use more than one technique.

Also, like I stated in the excercise explanation, I do encourage the use of double frames, just not triple frames, simply for the fact that it is not necessary in an animation like this one.
the longer a frame lasts, the LESS smooth it is.
You ought to know that fact.

If you want to discuss this some more, talk to me on msn, it's better to keep this topic as clean as possible.
tomvanharmelen@hotmail.com

Tom, I think that the same way we shouldn't limit what kind of frame rate they can animate with for this, we also should not control HOW they use the frame rate. I suggest we simply lay out our recommended settings and why we recommend them; any more assertion than that is unnecessary if you ask me, because one of the main things we want here is to get some activity going.

Actually, the main thing for me is to get people to learn animation, activity is secondary.
I feel as if getting people to be comfortable with animating single and double framed animation is key to growing as animators.

Edit:

Lelouch, I will be putting up an excercise that focusses on the different kinds of animating in the future, when it comes to extending a frame and what happens when you do.
This means that this notice about triple-or-more-framing is ONLY FOR THIS EXCERCISE.
It's meant to give people a better perspective on this specific technique and what you can accomplish with these set limitations.

0lelouch0 wrote:

I have a question. Why aren't you allowed any triple frames?
It's incredibly common to triple and double frame in anime . . . infact, there aren't many single frames in anime. It doesn't need to be that smooth, single framing is something more for cartoons, which suit the smooth feeling a lot more.
I'm using a new style of animation which uses doubles and triples all the time, in none of my latest anims have i ever single framed .___.

Yeah, i love doubleframing/tripleframing/quadrupleframing, not only does it make my life easier but it makes things seem more interesting, with the physics, amirite?
Btw i just finished the end of code geass

Because I want you to build experience with animation how it's done in most situations. There will be excercises later on that will contain your techniques, but for now you're not getting away with quick animation.
Get outside of your comfort zone, do the excercise as I have explained and you will grow as an animator, trust me.

Sometimes you have to do stuff you're not happy with, but realise there are valid reasons behind the choices and they all serve a purpose.

OMFG Code Geass is the best anime ever. (why I called myself lelouch XD)
And Tom, I think when I get around to animating this flour sack, I might do one with triple framing and one without. Will that be ok?
That way, people can practice the use of single frames. They can also try this exercise with the animation style that they prefer.

This may work, but people will only be allowed to animate the flour sack using triple frames IF they have FIRST done the proper exercise using the rules that you have set out.
This way everyone will be happy, and there is no need to argue anymore.
Also, we can compare the different styles as well.

0lelouch0 wrote:

OMFG Code Geass is the best anime ever. (why I called myself lelouch XD)
And Tom, I think when I get around to animating this flour sack, I might do one with triple framing and one without. Will that be ok?
That way, people can practice the use of single frames. They can also try this exercise with the animation style that they prefer.

This may work, but people will only be allowed to animate the flour sack using triple frames IF they have FIRST done the proper exercise using the rules that you have set out.
This way everyone will be happy, and there is no need to argue anymore.
Also, we can compare the different styles as well.

Ahha yeah i noticed :b
I think that let's just be subtle about the double/triple framing, and hope tom doesn't notice (shhh) idk wat do with flour sack, possibly anger? and the flour sack like... stomps off or like pulls out his "9"

Lelouch, I encourage you to do both versions if you are determined on using triple framing, as long as you start out with the excercise under the conditions I mentioned before.
This way you will benefit most from this excercise.

Hundo, just stick with the excercise the way I explained it, ofcourse you can do the same as lelouch and do a second version with your own ideas, as long as you start out with the excercise as I explained.
Also, I'd like you to not animate anything else than the flour sack itself to show his emotion, so no other objects in this animation besides the flour sack itself.
You'd completely miss the point of this excercise if you would use other things in the animation to show the emotion.

@lelouch if you did two versions there's no way we'd could possibly complain about the style

@hundo dude the challenge is making life and emotion out of something as blank as a flour sack. It's a well-known exercise.

Yeah i saw it on fluidanims a year or two ago.. I guess i'll attempt it sometime soon

EDIT:
well, i gave it a shot. I feel as though i'm of the first to ever actually attempt this, the at the fluidanims thread like only 1 person actually tried it.
Pretty shitty, but here- http://www.fileize.com/view/8596fd1a-651/
Guess what emotion

Props on first entry in this exercise

I get the feeling he's: bored / depressed / lonely.
I gotta comment on how you're drawing it. It's like, you're just slowly scribbling lines to make some vague blobby shape that you don't really have any real definition for. Stop drawing in such little, itty-bitty strokes, because you end up focusing more on the line than the shape. At the very least, use a very light color to just slash around to haves some sort of reminder of the shape as you etch in with the dark color.

Yeah i'll probably re-do it. When i first started it, i really didn't think it would be a challenge, but upon more animation i realised that depicting emotion in a random object isn't easy. My advice to people trying it- think about how your flour sack will move before your begin animating

Hundo, awesome that you've already handed in your entry!
I agree with edyrem on the comments on your animation, I'd love to see a second entry coming from you showing how you've applied the changes Edyrem suggested.
Also, try to animate more of a being than an object.
With this, I mean, move the flour sack as if it was a living, breathing being, give it character, personality.
Think of the flour sack as a human and move it that way.
use the corners of the flour sack as hands/ arms and feet/legs, just not too much.
This way it will be a bit easier to animate it with emotion and character.

I like your conclusion after having animated one of these already!
I hope people take notice of how tricky these things can be if done correctly!

Are we allowed a background? I just don't fully understand.. is it supposed to be like an interpretive dance of the floursack? Because Even animating a human moving around feels odd

If you feel more comfortable with a background, yes you are allowed a background, as long as it doesn't take away from animating the flour sack, because that's the main goal of this excercise.
Basically, This excercise is meant to get a feel for creating lively movement, to show emotion by movement instead of text or literal body gestures like us humans do.

Example:
Angry - you can use the corners of the flour sack as hiis feet, and make him walk, stomping his feet on the ground, body bent towards the direction he's walking, to show his anger and make it look like he's walking towards something he's angry at.

Drunk: unorganized movement, play with it, is he a happy drunk? sad drunk? you can simply take human reference videos. look at how a body moves when a certain emotion is displayed and transfer that to the movement of the flour sack.
Look at youtube videos of flour sack animations to get a grasp of the excercise if you haven't fully understood it yet, there's a ton of those floating around the internet!

There we go. 12fps >_>
Yeah I didn't convey much emotion that I know of. I guess I was just making it alive. I will try again.

https://i.imgur.com/bwXEB.gif

Nicely done on bringing life to a flour sack!
However, I have to agree with what you already stated about conveying emotion through its' movement.
Work on that, because right now it already looks quite promising!
I worked on my entry for an hour or so, but I'm going to redo basically all of it because I'm not quite satisfied with what I've done so far.

Hundo, will you give it another go as well?

lol yeah I've worked for about an hour on that one too. I had to edit the last bit like crazy before it looked natural.