Animation

Question 1

Examples of animation good practices? There are 12, what are some that you remember/use?

Answer 1

1. Squash and Stretch:
   ○ This principle gives the illusion of weight and volume to a character as it moves. It involves the stretching and compressing of an object as it moves.
2. Timing And Motion:
   ○ More drawings between frames slow down the action, fewer drawings make the action faster. It’s about determining the number of frames needed for a particular action.
3. Anticipation:
   ○ Anticipation is used to prepare the audience for an action and to make the action appear more realistic. It’s a small, subtle movement that happens before the main action.
4. Staging:
   ○ Staging is the presentation of an idea so that it is unmistakably clear. It directs the audience’s attention to the most important elements in a scene.
5. Follow Through and Overlapping Action:
   ○ Follow Through means the termination of an action, and Overlapping Action is the tendency of parts of the body to move at different rates.
6. Straight Ahead Action and Pose to Pose:
   ○ “Straight Ahead Action” involves drawing frame by frame from start to end, creating a fluid and dynamic motion. “Pose to Pose” involves starting with drawing a few key frames and then filling in the intervals later.
7. Slow In and Slow Out:
   ○ The movement of the human body, and most other objects, needs time to accelerate and slow down. This principle is used to give more realistic motion.
8. Arcs:
   ○ Almost all actions in life have a slightly circular motion. This principle is about making movements follow a natural trajectory.
9. Secondary Action:
   ○ This is an additional action that reinforces or adds depth to the main action, providing more dimension and making the character feel more natural.
10. Exaggeration:
    ○ Exaggeration is not extreme distortion of a drawing or extremely broad, overstated action. It’s about emphasizing certain aspects to bring more appeal to the animation.
11. Solid Drawing:
    ○ This principle is about understanding three-dimensional shapes, weight, balance, light, and shadow, and applying that understanding to your drawings.
12. Appeal:
    ○ A character who is appealing is not necessarily sympathetic. Villains or monsters can also be appealing if their design and personality draw the audience’s attention.

Question 2

Forward and Inverse kinematics. What are the differences between them? Examples

Answer 2

● Forward Kinematics:
● Definition: Forward kinematics involves determining the position and orientation of the end-effector (such as a robot’s hand or a character’s hand in a game) based on the parameters of the joint angles.
● Example: In Unity, imagine a robotic arm composed of several joints. Each joint has a specific angle. By using forward kinematics, you can calculate the position and orientation of the robot’s hand by adding up the transformations of each joint from the base to the end.

● Inverse Kinematics:
● Definition: Inverse kinematics involves determining the joint angles required to achieve a specific position and orientation of the end-effector.
● Example: In Unity, consider a character’s arm reaching for an object. With inverse kinematics, you can calculate the joint angles needed for the character’s hand to reach the target position.

Question 3

What is a state machine?

Answer 3

A state machine is a programming concept used to model and manage the different states that an object or system can be in. It is particularly useful for controlling the behavior of game entities, such as characters or game objects, in response to various events or conditions.
A state machine typically consists of a set of states, transitions between these states, and actions associated with each state. The object can only be in one state at a time, and transitions between states are triggered by specific events or conditions.
Here’s a breakdown of the key components:
1. State: A specific condition or mode that an object can be in. For example, a character in a game might have states like “idle,” “walking,” “running,” or “attacking.”
2. Transition: A change from one state to another. Transitions are often triggered by events or conditions. For instance, a character might transition from the “idle” state to the “walking” state when the player presses a movement key.
3. Action: Specific behaviors or operations associated with a particular state. These actions define what the object does while in that state. For example, in the “attacking” state, the character may perform an attack animation and deal damage to nearby enemies.