Week 1: Introduction to 3D Animation and Bouncing Balls
In this week’s lecture I had to animate different objects. Normally I would use keyframes and that would be it. This time I learned how to use Autodesk Maya’s Animation Graph Editor which allows me to dictate how my animation moves. E.g.. I can make an arrow accelerate and decelerate when it is airborne in its animation.
Examples of animating in Maya
Learning How to Use the Animation Graph Editor
I added a keyframe to my object by initially setting its values at the current frame and then pressed the S key to confirm this movement as a keyframe.
I moved my player to another frame and did the same task.
This is the Animation Graph Editor’s HUD.
I moved the editor’s points which were my keyframes into a position so that they smoothen my object’s movement.
Using Tangents in the Animation Graph Editor
Visual representation of the tangents that can be found on each keyframe point.
There pre-sets for the tangents I can use.
To independently move my tangents points.
I applied my new found skills onto animating a bouncing ball using the tangents in the animation graph editor.
Using the same techniques, I animated a wrecking ball knocking down a wall
Week 2: Animating a Ball Course
