Flash 1.7

Seriously I felt so stupid not so long ago, I been trying to figure out how to play movie clips in the scene for ages, like they did play in SWF movie, but now while editing or exporting as images or AVI. And its so fucking simple to do. I been trying shit like Actionscript and all you need to do is click on the object in the scene and in properties set its behavior to "Graphic" and not "Movie Clip". You can even select from which frame its starts, which is pretty useful. I might need to go around the animation and fix up few timings here and there, but if I knew this like two days ago my life would have been much much easier. Anyway, I managed to finaly export it was JPGs and use PhotoLapse (free program that converts JPGs into AVIs) to make a video, its kinda low quality and only Alpha version, but it'll do for preview.

Flash 1.6

Late post after a long day. After getting home from drawing class in the museum I felt really tired and uninspired to do work, but I pushed myself into it. Needed to finished that scene with raising Zombie. I figured how to do it, but problem was with the bloody layers, I needed body on one, dirt in the middle and hands between, fucking nightmare, took me many times and I redid it many times to get something I was happy with, still if I had more time I'd draw it frame by frame rather than using tweens for those 30 or so frames, it would saved me lots of frustration but it would take too long, time I don't have. Deadline is next Tuesday and I still need to polish it, write my essay and do the 3D animation.

I think on my list to finish this is: Do the reaction scene, clean the file, touch-up all the objects, add Play button, figure out easy and quick way to make greyscale (which I should look up tomorrow and try to do it on Friday in uni). So yeah, I think I will do my best to finish it tomorrow, then do 3D and finish of the critical report.

Hopefully with the next post or soon I'll include the animation itself =D

Maya 2.1

Done more of the scene and imported it to the animation file, so now the PumpkinDude has something to dig to. Only problem so far is with world axis and how to change it and then with the forest background, need to find some better way, maybe I'll try to do it in after effects. Oh and need to work more with the lights, it look all right from the first angle.

Maya 2.0

Almost there with my scene. Just gonna add the grave itself and some background. I thought about maybe a tree too, but I dont want to spend too much time on it, so just going with a simple plane as ground, pile of rubble and a tomb stone as decoration. I used texturing and bump mapping to fake more detail around the geometry.

Below is my current plan for the rest of the scene, the rectange is gonna be the grave, the numbers are potential positions of the character and the triangles are places for camera and/or lights. I think the positions I outlined should give interesting views, will see.

Maya 1.9

Got some pointers and improved my animation a bit, only thing that still could be improved I guess is more of a turn when he throws away the dirt, someone told me it looks like he is putting back into the grave. But thanks to all the controls and not thinking that earlier I can't do it really, so I'll hope to use particles or something to show the dirt is flying away. Anyway, also to remember for next time, texture BEFORE animating, like really, its a bitch to do later. Thankfully I had some projections from before so I could texture the body fairly easily, but was pretty bloody impossible with the head. I think thats all for now, next gonna work on the scene so I can put this shit together and make it look closer to finished piece. Overall I am quite happy with it, just should have started earlier and not fuck around.

Flash 1.5

Almost finished the Alpha version, I think only things missing is the scene of the zombie raising, which I am stuck on. Hopefully I'll get my head around it soon and can finalize this thing.

Maya 1.8

Worked more on the digging animation, had a problem with hands not staying on the spade as it moved around, they were off, so I had to manually keyframe them into right positions. First did it just at keyframes of the spade movement, but then there were still glitches, eventually ended up with keyframe almost on every frame, but it paid off, I am happy how it looks now. Also added head movement into it.

I guess next step will be putting together a simple scene, adding more animation and then making the lamp. I have about 2 weeks and a half, so I think i can do it.

Flash 1.4

Finished Girl from the front view, back view, her kneeling and placing flowers down. Might be improved a bit, but only if I'll have time once I have finished Beta version. Next to finish is her turning around, gotta draw more of her from the front as it shows on the screen unfinished. Then I can work on the Zombie parts. If I would be as productive before I'd be finished already.

Flash 1.3

Moved from Animatic to Alpha version. I am happy with walk cycles from the side on the start and on the end of the animation. Next on the list to animate is Girl from the front, finish animation Girl from the back, Zombie raising from the grave and then its hand offering its heart, which may or may not be still beating and/or bleeding. I think thats it and it could be finished. Tip to remember for future, don't bother with every subtle movement when you gonna shrink it down and wont be able to see it. Like Girl's hair move while she walks but you can't see it on the smaller version, not even I can and I KNOW its there. Instead of a video just a screen of one frame unfortunately. Will find Avi converter for later.

Maya 1.8

First animation! Finally. Took too damn long to figure this out, I shouldn't fuck about for so long, but now that I got my head around it I can progress faster. This is very first Alpha version, without any editing in the Graph Editor, I need to get lunch first. The video is compressed a bit, hence its low quality.

Flash 1.2

Got some feedback on the Girl's walk and improved it a bit, for now I am happy with it, I can always work on it more later. Today I did walk for the Zombie, which was much easier and I am quite happy with the result. But Flash is being a bitch, so I couldn't export it as a movie nor even as a image sequence, since its a flipping Movie Clip object and Blooger doesn't upload Flash format. So here is just one frame out of it. Next I want to add objects into walk cycles, which I have finished drawing already too.

Maya 1.7

The hands were much easier without those IK handles, now I think I can actually move them how I want, forwards with the spade to dig into the ground. Tip for future to remember; more joints in the fingers and better place for the thumb. I don`t have enough, but too late to redo my model and skeleton. Should have started this much earlier. Also my model could use more polygon probably, some deformations are not into my liking. Will need to try the interactive thingy in uni, just wont run for me.

Maya 1.6

Stupid IK controls in hands, pretty much useless to me. Making starting position for my animation was very annoying. Now gotta do it again but without them this time.

Maya 1.5

Having some problems with Interactive Weigh tool, not with the tool itself but with Maya, it keep crashing and export/import trick doesn't work anymore either. Its really annoying, but I was able to use the Paint tool at least. Had to add Vector Poles to the elbows and knees, which I realized after I wanted to animate the PumpkinDude digging, should be able to do it now.

Maya 1.4

Moved to Beta stage, yay. Skeleton and IK handles solved, later than I would have liked but couldn't get any help with it till today's class. Turned out I have been using wrong IK solver, but all good. Constrained some controls to the joints as well, hopefully it'll be enough. Will start on the animation either today or tomorrow.

Flash 1.1

Finished Alpha version of the girl's walk cycle, there is something kinda off about it but I can't pin-point it exactly, will need to take a break and then come back to it. It was harder than I thought it would be, I just can't get my head around walking properly, I know how it works in my head but when it comes to put it down there is like a block between my hands and head. There was suppose to be a video with this, but Blogger is being a bitch.

Flash 1.0

Worked on more cut ups tonight, the longest took me to finish the side of the zombie because it was not even half finished. Need to also draw the heart and flowers and then finally do walk cycles and other animations. I think I am improving in making progress, would do more but first, I had to re-install  Flash, I was using Macromedia Flash 8...so old. Second, msn started to distract a little about 8pm and third, was getting Immortal Technique albums. Not sure how I will animate the zombie raising from a grave, will cross that bridge when I get to it but I think I have enough cut outs.

Flash 0.9

Next time I have to be less lazy and do my shit properly, like seriously, it would would save me lots of damn time. Just cutting up the side view of the girl was bitchy enough. Fortunately its not that hard. More planning next time. Here is an idea how she is cut up for now, so I can go walk cycles with her.

Maya 1.3

Tried to do some poses with the character and a spade, works all right, but not quite there yet, having some controls for the skeleton would help.

DPS 0.8

This is coming to an end...no not the world, the DPS classes. I have finished Alpha version of Individual Evaluation and tomorrow will read it again to see if I still like it. Next comes the final report, which I still need to look at and start it.

Maya 1.2

Interactive Bind Skin is one of the most useful tools I came across while making the skeleton, once you get your head around it is so easy and so helpful. All you need to do is scale the capsules and immediately you see what effect each joint has  on the skin. The trick is to bind the right joints, I had to do it twice because I selected wrong joints and couldn't get it right. Especially on the head, it kept deforming all wrong, so I have binded different joint (the neck joint, rather than shoulders) and the I could get it to deform right.

Now that I am happy with the skeleton and deforming I can go about putting some controls on it so I can animate it easier. Also got idea for my scene, it will be this character digging a grave with a shovel and few seconds later a lamp is gonna jump put of it and run into the woods while the PumpkinDude will be all confused. Should be fun.

Maya 1.1

Found problem with deformation of some parts, so decided to use version without clothes, I might put them back on one I have the skeleton working properly. I have re-done it and change places and number of joints a little, it works somewhat better, but I still don't think its ready yet to be animated. Worked on some different poses just to see if it can do it.

Maya 1.0

Rigging is a bitch, putting the skeleton is relatively easy, but make it do what you want it to...not much. But I got the skeleton in by end of the day as I wanted to. Tomorrow I can play with it more, I want to get this is thign ready to be animated by Friday.

Maya 0.9

Progress, progress, progress! For few hours now I been working on a new model, well body and clothes for it. Worked out well I'd say. Now only to put skeleton inside it. Not sure if I want to texture it really, I might do something if I have some time left, but I gotta concentrate on the animation.

Maya 0.8

Worked on basic body from the blob dude tutorial, I still need to come up with some proper design and put skeleton inside it. Today will be a long day, not going to sleep till its done.

Maya 0.7

I am thinking changing my animation character to a pumpkin man, not sure about the full design yet, but I started with the pumpkin.

DPS 0.7

All the practicing did pay off at the end, I had much better idea of what I was talking about in todays presentation. It went rather well I think, beside the fact the group before us did the same thing, but wasn't so bad, we didn't really had the same presentations, only similar. Only thing I noticed with our group was lots of stress. People seemed to be afraid to look at the audience lol I for some reason didn't really care, it was fun.

Maybe next time, if there will be any, we could stop fuck about on meetings and do more proper ones. But can't say how well it went without seeing the marks we should get soon. Now off to write the evaluation...yay!...not.

Flash 0.9

Little obstacle found today, greyscale in Flash, I'd prefer not to do it in AfterEffects, so I hope I can find a way to do it in Flash. In the worst case I'll have to export each frame to PhotoShop and do it by hand, which would be a pain. Otherwise so far so good, just need to work more and faster.  4 weeks to deadline.

DPS 0.6

Presentation time is approaching too quickly, just two days away and I still have no real clue what I am gonna be saying, gotta practice more and write it down. We keep doing practices every day and its been helpful so far, though we seems to be always missing one or two people. Not that stressed about it, we'll do fine.

Flash 0.8

Done some zombie drawings and finally done my animatic too, which was really helpful. Found out I have few seconds spare, which is good, but I think so parts go too fast, so I'll slow those down and when I have animated walk cycles it'll be different too. Next step is to finish drawings and then walk cycles.

The video is compressed and bad quality, like really bad, stupid thing wont upload Flash. 

DPS 0.5

I need to keep better track of this, somehow I don't seem to have time to do anything or more like no mood to do it. On Friday we finally did a practice and it did go well, with few more times this week I am sure the presentation will go just fine. Need to start looking at the report and third assignment too.