Storyboard Idea.

   My initial storyboard for the animation depicted a ship descending and releasing the gunbots, but as I further explored what was possible, i realised some parts of this idea were not possible within the time scale. However, as this was post research, it is interesting to note the shoulder mounted guns idea continued through to final render. It seems just quick, almost subconscious scrawlings of an idea can yield a degree of permanence.

Animation Visual Research.

   The following images document the research that lead to the model construction, and walk style of my gunbot.

• This image (Starcraft 2 'Goliath' concept) shows the position i'd like the weaponry to be in on the shoulders, as animating the walk cycle is the focus. If i can achieve some form of 'shooting' scene in the frames of the animation, then the animation will feel more genuine to it's purpose.  

• These mechs exhibit an interesting legs-straight-to-head construction. However, I want to convey a heavy battle mech, and these seems to convey a more 'scout' or 'ranger' based role. The solidity of the missing hip joint on these bots evokes an aura of imitative to human biology, so I won't be using this particular style in my final animation piece, as the classwork pertains to human walk cycles. 

• This mech is similar to the last image, but has two shoulder guns in an appropriate position to give me inspiration to the position of the shoulder guns I require. The cylindrical design also fits with what my vision desired. However, the legs are far too big, and still no hip joints. Legs to head seems to be a common design for these 'walker' mechs. 

• This mech style is obviously far more contemporary, as it portrays an air of high technology and massive scale. The knee joints are the reason behind this image being referred to as research, as they present a very functional, ergonomic movement. However, I wish to make my bot a bit clunky and weighty, so I can incorporate some comprehensive weight in the animation. 

• This is an image of the Steel Battalion walker mechs. The legs join to a lower section (hips?) which illustrates more closely the style I wish to create. However, this mech is a bit too clunky and weighty. The animation research has actually altered the mech design to a close cohesion of the styles I have presented, weighty, yet exact, but not too 'technological'.  

• This papercraft bot allowed a simplification of design that the high res concept images don't convey. The missile pods on the shoulders are a nice change, but i'd like to keep my main guns in the shoulder position. The cockpit also looks too much like a space ship design, and I'd rather make my bots head look like a 'head'.   

• This hand-drawn sketch illustrates a very exaggerated inverse kinematic dynamic to the silhouette. This style of leg walking is very appealing, as it removes the humanity, yet somehow with an air of ambivalence retains a biological pertinence. 

   This series of research images convey with efficacy the direction I wish to take my animated gun-bot. Of course when evaluating, some of these images have certain features that I find relevant to my animation, and some have very little that can inform my final animation. However, illustrating the origin of the idea is very important to understanding the workflow process, and in this instance, it has helped hugely. Following this research based development was informative, and refreshing, as my idea changed hugely from the instantaneous impression of how a 'walker bot' should look/move.

Final Animation.

   The following videos illustrate the final animation for the module. Through much trial and error, i managed to make something with some moments of realistic weight diffusion. However, there are many things in hindsight I could do to increase the efficacy of the animation.

Module Evaluation. 

I removed the suspension moment at the end of the previous animation loop, as that wasn't congruent with my vision. Instead I attempted to make a more fluid, yet stuttering loop. Suggestive of some faster reactive movements, mixed with slow, systemic kinaesthetics. If I'd had the time, I would've liked to re-animate the cylindrical cannon bearings/struts so they retracted when the shot pulse propagated. Upon further movement articulation, I also discovered the inverse legs were making things exponentially fiddly. As I had linked the control groups governing the chest plate and head together, the movement of the hips was also effecting the shoulder guns and head angle, and as the hips had to move in strange way to accommodate the inverse kinaesthetics. I made the hips drop and raise over 3 frames  when the foot contacted the floor. The purpose was to evoke a tangible weight to the steps, which on one step in particular, works very effectively. 

To conclude, this module has taught me many new aspects of animation design, and 3DSMAX facets. Considering the rules of animation during the core modelling stages of the gunbot was the biggest challenge. Deciding which parts of the model should be control group centres, and which parts to link took a while, as i wanted a weighty/clunky, yet exact walk/shot cycle. Using the animation facilities in MAX also had an unknown by-product of improving my modelling skills. As I used Maya to make the bot, the import function was also used, further adding to my digital toolkit and knowledge of program porting processes. 

Final Animation Work.

   After much experimentation with rigging and control grouping/linkages, I managed to make an animation from a model I designed. The design of this gunbot was made with animation in mind, as all the leg joints are spherical, allowing for 360º movement articulation. By linking the legs to the waist rod, I was able to make control groups on the waist rod, chest plate and feet. I also made a 'child' link to the head and shoulder guns, allowing these parts to move more realistically and mechanically with the legs. The long perspective lines in the previous posts screenshot illustrates how these child control groups work with the movement. The head slides round as the waist moves forward, as does the chest plate, allowing for a genuine 'targetting matrix' aesthetic. I feel this has succeeded, especially with the turn and shoot part of the animation. Achieving a sense of weight was the most difficult part, considering the rules of animation. Counter movements, slight juddering frames on the waist between big movement frames created a more robotic walk cycle. 

 

These films illustrate the animation style I have been making. I will continue to evolve this in the coming weeks, to see if I can achieve any further movement cycles, although the continuity of this remains difficult. However with the learning curve I have undergone during this module, I am confident I will be able to make the animation 'better' in every sense. The end in particular, I was attempting to make a jump... Obviously this was more taxing than I had first thought... 

Final Animation Idea.

   My final animation idea was to have a large Gun-bot with inverse legs (inverse kinematics) to create an interesting, irregular yet mechanic movement set. I will be completing a test rig&run over the duration today, and the following screenshots illustrate my progress.

   As these images show, I have made some significant ground in developing my final animation. Custom assigned control groups, many separate mother-child linkages and HI solver/IK solver use to allow for rigid, realistic movements. 

Walk Cycles

Key frame animating the walk cycles was the key point in learning how to adapt the technology to suit the making of my own walk cycle. Again, this was the same skill-set as the previous tasks, just further evolving the understanding. I am confident I will be able to make an animation with my own model due to the skills learnt here.  

Example of the control groups/constraints and their manipulation areas. 

Rigging poses.

    This video illustrates how a more complex rig, with multiple control groups, one can produce recognisable human poses. This showcases further key frame control and comprehension. However, this was essentially the same task as the bunny, except infusing the bipeds/skeletal rig. A token Hadouken pose is included with hilarity.