Maya - Animating in 3D Software

Exciting exploration of basics of 3D animation - Rigs, Motion Paths, MEL and Dynamics:

Rigs - operating custom rigger controls of cartoon vehicle made by that designer, with additional attributes - Accelerator Brake, Turn LR and Side Roll - already exploring deeper into how vehicles are designed and operated in real life in order to adapt and/or exaggerate in animation:

E.g. royalty-free 3D model marketplace websites for visual effects, animation, etc. - e.g. www.turbosquid.com

Operating skidding and stopping via graph editor below - quite like operating roller coaster control board:

 

Playblast Video - Complete animation with added motion blur:

 

 

Key Framing [spaceship flying through sky/space] - working on wavy graph editor, quite like interacting with artificial real-time events as well as operating roller coaster track. Different animation at different components - reconfiguring spaceship on its axes [figuring out where front and top is], exciting result when changing speed to slow down at beginning and end [greater effect with added motion blur]. Always remember to remove NURBS curves to remind you you're not constructing any kind of track:

 

Playblast Video - Complete animation with added motion blur:

 

 

MEL [Maya-Embedded Language] [worrying robot running and jumping about] - probably most labour-intensive of all four processes - involving quite-lengthy coding and mathematical language [e.g. Sin wave] - but great for creating repeating mechanical looping animations - e.g. factory's gears and cogs, water ripples in pond, etc. Always end any mathematical code with semicolon:

 

 

Playblast Video - Complete animation with added motion blur:

 

 

Dynamics [dangling chain links] - utilizing gravitational pull, much of CG visual effects industry uses dynamics. Using low-polygon proxy model before rendering and adding texture. Ability to achieve realism on level probably more impressive than real life. So many mathematical equations involved explaining slow speed of loading each frame, but once selecting Bake Simulation and Delete Rigid Bodies, surprisingly speeds up [I thought the complex animation was too much for the computer!]:

 

Playblast Video - Complete animation with Blinn texture and added motion blur: