After rigging is complete, animation can commence. 3D animation works in a very similar fashion to traditional 2D animation in the way it creates the illusion of movement- by displaying static images or frames that differ slightly from each other in rapid succession. It involves positioning the character or object with it’s rig into key frames (the frames in an animated sequence that define starting and ending points of movement) according to the storyboard and animatic. The sequence at first it very rough and stiff as it usually involves simply moving the model across the screen with little to no other movement. From there more details are added until the keyframes match the storyboard. The frames in between the keyframes can be automatically animated by the computer, or done manually. This process is known as tweening. To assist in getting the movement looking correct, a simple 2D animation can be drawn up first to refer from, or the movement to be depicted can be referenced off a live action sequence.
Motion Capture can be used to assist in creating very realistic animations. A real actor is recorded with markers attached to them which usually coincide with the rig of the model their movements will be applied to. Even though this method may save time, animators still have to clean up the captured motion and animate any parts that weren’t digitised during the process.
This image shows the motion capture process in the Pirates of the Caribbean, from the sensor-clad actor to final rendered animation.
Wikipedia,. (2015). Computer animation. Retrieved 28 February 2015, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_animation
Wikipedia,. (2015). Inbetweening. Retrieved 28 February 2015, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inbetweening
Wikipedia,. (2015). Motion capture. Retrieved 28 February 2015, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motion_capture
CAYEL 