July Animation WIP - "Class Entrance" part 3 PUSH N FIX

In this process, I have made most of the changes I needed to make and feel comfortable with the shot. The main goal was to make things clear and to fix any parts that were not working or just didn't feel right. From here I see the polish and just pushing more of the shot.

April Animation WIP - "Class Entrance" part 2 SPLINE

As I continue to block, I keep breaking down the shot within the poses while also making changes that I think will help in story, appeal or just communicating the shot in any better way. In this shot Trixie is running into class in attempt to make it in time, she notices that she did indeed made it and then walks over to her seat proudly. As I continue to animate this shot I continue to make only smaller changes since I have been building up the shot in a layers format where I continue doing passes.

Meet the Backpack - "Packie"

Character Design

Packie's early designs definitely show, that his name wouldn't of been Packie then haha. Maybe more like "Jackie". The idea slowly continued to progress as I figured what would make a better partner for Trixie as far as getting along and also having a deeper and more comical relationship.

Render Tests

Early renders to test out Fur and Hair combinations. The Fur option here was actually quite nice, but then after perusing the need to right Packie, I went for the simpler flat look.

Character Rig

A very simple yet versatile rig. All controlled by a IK bone system.

Character Model

Final Still Render. One goal in mind with this character was to also keep in mind of pushing and seeing how much personality I could pull through just one posed render.

Turn Around
The final product for display in a reel. Topology came out great and as a rig he is fully capable of expressing well.

Meet the Character - Trixie

Character Designs

Designing Trixie too some exploring as you can see what I first began with, evolved into a more refined and simplified version.

Exploring Character Model Styles

I began exploring styles for Trixie in 3D. It was until I knew I had to stay true to the hand drawn and digital designs that I would bring Trixie to life. The first few attempts were more explorative than actually trying to hit the style. Once I dove into the modeling and was firm on the idea that I would keep this character as light as possible was when the final design came to life.

Trixie and X Gen (maya's hair system)

I explored the use of X Gen which I became very familiar with having used it for Trixie and Packie. Maya 2015 was the first year with X Gen as the new hair system which brought some bugs into my pipeline. Because of this I decided to go without the use of a hair system and count on only modeled hair. I went as far as incorporating a rigging system to test the deformation of the hairs on the rigged character which worked out well.

Character Model

I began modeling Trixie as just a nude figure to then add clothing. From the designs you can see that I went through various changes and even rigged controls to be able to swap through accessories and clothing. The hairstyle was something that I really experimented with up until I found the results that I was happy with. I began with Xgen hair, and then continued to variations of mesh hair options that lead to her current style in the end. Xgen seemed to be a little buggy at times which was the main reason why I left that choice soon enough to not deal with issues later in the pipeline.

Turn Table Reel

Character Rig

I designed Trixie's rig to be very simple, and easy to use. Using joints as the main rigging method I am able to get enough control through out the face and body to create the fleshy and cartoon styled shapes I desire. The skinning was an area I focused on heavily to create the best deformation possible without blendshapes.

Test Animation

In this test animation I was simply checking how cartoony I can push her for the style of animation I choose for the film. I was happy with the results even without using the bend controls.

As a study of animation I am replicating the animation from a shot in the film Storks in which Tulip is cheering her self on having touchdowned a letter into a machine, animated by Paul Pammesberger. It's my favorite shot in the film ha (-'v'- )

Welcome to College Grind

College Grind is an animated short film I am currently working on. This began as the short film project while attending California State University of Fullerton, and thankfully I was able to finish it then to a completed level. Because of the short amount of time and large amounts of classes I was taking, I didn't finish the film at the quality I really envisioned it to be at while in school. Now in continuation, I have dedicated my time to producing this film at a quality good enough to get out into the public for the world to watch and enjoy. This film not only serves as fun experience to my skillset as an animator but also represents my work as an animation director and producer. I hope you enjoy the progress and content I post from now up until the final product. Thank you