Tutorial 5

In this tutorial with have learnt how to use the reactor tool. This is a very useful tool which allows me to mimic the effect of gravity and collisions between different objects. It would be useful to use this tool for an animation of a bowling ball crashing into some pins. To simulate this animation all you have to do is follow the following steps.

First you have to create a plane which will be the ground on which the bowling ball will run down. You have to have the plane at an angle to allow the ball to roll down it. You then have to create the pins and the bowling ball. The next step is to add the ball and the pins to the "rigid body collection". This can be found in the "reactor" menu and then scroll down to "create object" and then scroll across to "Rigid Body Collection". A menu will then appear at the right hand of the screen. The next step is to add your objects to this menu. To do this you have to first click anywhere on the screen to add the "rigid body" symbol and then click on "add". A menu will now appear and you have to click on "select all" and then add. This applies all of your objects on the stage to the "rigid body collection".

The next step is to create a mass weight for your objects. To do this all you have to do is to go the "reactor menu" and then scroll down to the "open property menu". You then have to apply a mass to the mass box for each of the objects apart from the plane which acts as the ground.

All you have to do is now test your animation by going to the "reactor" menu and then scrolling down to "preview animation".

StoryBoard

This is a storyboard for the Channel Eden Idents.

Tutorial 2

In this tutorial we have learnt to we learnt some more basics about animation. We learnt how to use the tool 'Path Constraints' that allow you to attach an object to a line. This tool will be very useful for my final project. To make an object follow a line you have to first create the object. I have used a sphere for my object but you could use anything. You then have to create the line using a circle or line spline. This spline will represent the path that the object will follow. You then have to click on the object that you want to animate and then go to the menu 'Animation', and then 'Constraints' and then scroll down to 'Path Constraints'. You then have to click on the path/Spline. You can also do this using a camera which is a very good way of creating movement in the scene.

Tutorial 1- The Basics

The main aim for this semester is to create three Idents for my chosen channel. An Ident is used by a television channel to allow the viewer to know what channel they are watching. They are usually a short animation or film that incorporates the channel logo or branding. The Ident will need to be innovative and interesting and all three of the Idents will need to be linked.
The animation is going to be created in Autodesk 3Ds Max. The first tutorial was used to give us an insight into how to animate using the program Autodesk 3Ds Max. I have used this program before to create non-animated images so I am already used to creating the images. I have never used this program to create animations so this will be all new to me.

The first aspect of animation that I learn was the pure basics such as the timeline, and the keys that will be used to animate the image. The Timeline is located at the bottom of the screen and it represents the length of the animation. Keys can then be placed onto this timeline to build up the animation. There are two different keys that can be used to animate the 3D model and they are called ‘Set Keys’ and ‘Auto Keys’. The ‘Auto keys’ are automatically placed onto the timeline when the button is clicked and the ‘Set Keys’ can be placed and duplicated as many times that is needed. To create an animation you have to first have to create the 3D object that you want to animate. You then place a ‘Set Key’ on this point on the Timeline where you want the animation to start. You then have to place another ‘Set Key’ further along the timeline where the next stage of the animation will be take place. The next stage is to move the 3D object to a different part of the stage. When the play button is clicked then timeline will play and this will show you the animation that you have just created. ‘Set Keys’ are more reliable than ‘Auto Keys’ so I will be using these to create my Ident.

In this tutorial I have learnt how to use a number of tools that will useful when completing this assignment. One of these tools is called the ‘Time Configuration Menu’. This menu allows me to change the animation length and FPS or Frames per Second. This Menu is located at the bottom right of the screen and the button image is a window with a plus sign at the bottom right hand corner.

Another useful tool that I was taught how to use is the ‘Curve Editor’. This can be used to change many different aspects of how the animation performs and looks. The different curves represents different parts of the how the object reacts and changing these curves changes the animation. The ‘Curve Editor’ can be used to create the whole animation but I will use this tool to edit the final animation.

The ‘Dope Sheet’ is tool that can be used to edit the animation and it can be used in conjunction with the ‘Curve Editor’. The ‘Dope Sheet’ is useful for adding sound and making sure that all of the different elements to the animation align with one another.
Another useful aspect of 3Ds Max that I could use is the ‘Motion Panel’. This is similar to the ‘Curve Editor’ and ‘Dope Sheet’ and can be used to affect the way the animation behaves and plays. This panel is located at the menu at the right hand of the screen and is represented by a picture of a moving wheel.

Schematic view is a tool that can be used to see the hierarchical view of all of the elements that make up the animation. This can be used to select specific parts of the 3D object that might be obscured by something else.

Eden Mood Board

The channel that I have choosen to create my Idents for is the channel Eden. This channel contains programs about adventures and nature so my Idents will have to reflect this. I have choosen this channel because there is lots of creativity and ideas that can created for Idents. I can create something that symbolises a wide range of things such as nature and traveling to places. This is a Mood board that I created to give an insight into what feel I want for the final Ident animations. I have used the theme nature to create this mood board becuase that is the topic that I will probably use for my final Idents.