Author: Dominic O'Donnell

This week in Maya we have begun the process of creating a satisfying animation, this needs to be an animation that 

• Loops
• Is colour cohesive
• Satisfying to watch 
• Smooth and flows well

There are very many different references to get inspiration from on this project, I will copy some nice examples below. 

For this Project I want to make sure my animation is the best by following these design guidelines I have laid out for myself.

• Camera will hold one angle so that the movement is easy to view and render. 
• Color palette i will follow is in the range and complimentary of #19A7CE (image below)
• Animation is slow and smooth, using a lot of frames to ensure smoothness. 
• Animation will be color corrected and trimmed in after effects after it is rendered to ensure it loops smoothly and pops. (may add a glow, shine, sun flare or other effect if necessary)

As you can see from this compilation of 3D animations it follows

• nice colour palettes
• costumed sounds
• satisfying to watch

This week we were learning to use “bullet ”. This is a maya plugin that is used to replicate the physical gravity of earth with certain objects within a project file. 

Using passive and live options you are able to create models that can move and loop through objects that are stuck in palace (passive) and objects that would move in a normal situation (live).

In order to learn this  we have been working on a mouse trap style pin roller. 

Here is where my pin is at right now. 

Pros

• i really like the colours and the reflection of the materials within this animations.
• the movement is clean and flows well
• the reflection and plate used to create a background is fitting and cohesive with the colours
• The ending makes sense and feels like a fun gumbal machine

Cons

• final movement could be smoother
• hard to see the pile of gum balls at the top of the structure
• i had some issues with the shape of the dominos, because of the physics in bullet being rather sensitive i did have to alter the shape of a few dominoes in order for gravity to pull it in the right direction and i think this takes away form the overall consistency within the piece.

Week 1 maya 

Intro to Bullet and basic dynamics systems in Maya.

• What is bullet?- a tool to recreate realistic gravity to apply to animations.
• Why is it useful – allows us to use realistic animations that move and look like they ma be filmed as objects move and fall.

Build a rube Goldberg sequence.

• Examples
• My concepts

i really like the colours and the song that goes with this, i think the music makes it a lot more impactful, also i think the camera movement is done very well, the clip is very realistic and can only tell its made in maya with a trained eye.

The “Bullet” plugin is an important tool in Maya, a 3D program widely used in animation, film, and video game industries. The plugin is a physics engine that simulates realistic physical interactions between objects, such as gravity, collisions, and forces. It enables 3D artists to create dynamic and realistic animations, including destruction, explosions, and simulations of fluids, cloth, and soft bodies. The “Bullet” plugin also allows for efficient and precise control of object interactions and helps to speed up the animation workflow. In summary, the “Bullet” plugin plays a critical role in enhancing the realism and believability of 3D animations created in Maya.

(OpenAI’s ChatGPT AI language model, response to a question from the author, March 29, 2023.)