Week 11 E-Learning Lab 2

Open outliner.

Create a polygon sphere and group it to itself twice, using the ctrl+g shortcut. Rename the groups to the names given.

For each of the group, Modify>Centre Pivot.

Select the translate_ball_gp group and Create Deformer>Nonlinear>Squash

Next, we will parent the squash1Handle to the translate_ball_gp group. Firstly, select the handle, then press control and select the translate_ball_gp group in the Outliner. Next, press p key to parent handle to the group. 

For the translate_ball_gp group, we do not need to change the rotation, scale or visibility for the group. So we'll lock these channel attributes by selecting all of them using the shift or control and the left mouse button (LMB). Then right mouse click and a long list of selection will appear. Choose the Lock Selected. This action will lock all the selected channels and no change can be done to them.

Similarly, as rotate_ball_gp deals with rotation for the group, we'll lock the rest of the attributes for the group. Go through the same steps as for the previous group but locking these channel atributes - Translate, Scale & Visibility.

The ball object will have all its channels locked as they are not used.

Lock the channels for squash1Handle as shown in the diagram.

With the squash still selected, click the squash1 attribute in the INPUTS section of the Channels window. Change the value of Max Expand Pos to 0.01. This will affect the deformation shape of the object and 0.01 is the lowest value for this attribute.

As the Factor value is the only value to change, lock the rest of the values too.

Go to Polygon module - Create>Polygon>Plane. Scale the place in the XYZ axes (if your polyPlane's Width and Height are 1 unit, then scale it 50x up). Assign a color shader to it if you like. Remember to rename polyPlane1 to Ground.

Windows>Settings/Preferences>Preferences and choose Settings in the Categories window. For time, select PAL (25 fps).

Choose Timeline in the Categories window. For playback speed, select Real-time (25 fps). Save your settings.

Click at frame 1 of the timeline, then select translate_ball_gp.

Use the move tool to move it to the upper left of the screen at the following Translate values - Translare X = -12, Translate Y = 5 and Translate Z = 0. To set a keyframe at frame 1, press the s key.

At fame 100, change the Translate X to 12.

As for the Translate Y value value, switch to the side view and use the move tool to move the translate_ball_gp so that the ball touches the ground. At Frame 100, the ball is to land on the ground. Set up keyframes at the following frames with the given Translate X and Y values (the Translate Z values remains 0).

With the translate_ball_gp still selected, go to the Animation Module, select Window>Animation Editors>Graph Editor.

Firstly, drag across and select all the points at the peaks of the curve. Click on the icon that is to flatten the tangents. There are 2 tangents at any point that control the behavior of the curve before and after that point.

Secondly. drag across and select all the points at the valleys of the curve. Click the break tangent icon. Make sure you are in the Move mode.

Now you can move the 2 broken tangents with the middle mouse button (MMB) one at a time to get the V-shape as in the graph shown. You need to select the tangent first, then MMB on the handle to move it. 

Select the squash1Handle in the Outliner and click to open squash1 in the INPUT window in the Channel Window.

A small ball, like a tennis ball, with less squash and stretch

A more cartoony, larger ball (like a soft beachball), with lots of squash and stretch, ie. with exaggeration

In your journal, discuss the following:

1) Why is squash and stretch so useful in animation?

It makes the ball appear smoother and more realistic.

2) Think of a situation in which extreme squash and stretch could be applied to a character - try to be original.

When a character falls down.

3) Think of an animation example where squash and stretch would NOT be appropriate

Squash and stretch would not be appropriate for hard objects. For example, when a rock is being thrown.

4) If squash and stretch doesn't really happen so obviously in real life, why do you think is it so effective in animation? 
(Look at the title of Disney animator Ollie Johnston's famous book about animation - do an Amazon search ... there's a clue in the title!)

It is so make an illusion of life.

reflection

This exercise was very useful in teaching me how to create animations that will appear  to be more realistic.