However, because of SIGGRAPH, I was frantically trying to create business cards, make a reel and resume for reviews, and also work on my project for this term since I'll be missing a week of class (which is a big deal in a 5 week course), so I didn't get a chance to update what I had been doing last term. Right now, I figured I'd take a few minutes break from my new project to post.
I had Group Project in which our class participated in creating game assets for theBlu. I was placed into animation, which I felt was a huge honor because the teacher who's directing us at school and sort of liaison for the people in charge of theBlu is an excellent animator.
I animated the moray eel and garden eel.
Here's the garden eel. It consists of 3 cycles that can be blended together. There are two "idles" and one hide. I actually have a bunch of different cycles for this guy and scrapped a few that I really liked, but I agree and think these three cycles blended together was a much better solution!
Here's the moray eel! The bite was the most difficult. It's all FK, so I had to counter animate frame by frame quite a bit. But it's also my favorite cycle that helped me realize my huge appreciate for animating in layers!
Animating was a secondary practice in this class. I think that this class was mainly beneficial in teaching us how to work in a production pipeline where there are lots of people collaborating and working together on creating an asset. For example, you make sure you reach your daily goals since there are others waiting for your asset and relying on you to be on schedule. You learn how important it is to communicate with each other, be positive and supportive, and take responsibility for your actions. Also, even if you're tired and waiting for an asset during crunch time, I think it makes everyone happier if you're not hounding them and pointing at the clock. If you feel positive, I think it makes everyone feel better and happier even during stressful times, which helps everyone get their job done and remember that our work is really really fun!
I'm very fortunate to be in an excellent class with wonderful classmates and had a really great experience working with them. I really enjoyed working with my eels group and hopefully they felt the same with me!
