Final animation.

Little bit gutted about my final outcome, just couldn't get the walk right in the end.

500 word rational: Of Bots and Bananas

I started this project by sketching quick storyboards of different ideas to meet the requirements of making robot walk, trip, slip and fall, or something of a similar basis. When coming to design and the construction of my robot using 3d s Max, I found the rigging the most difficult. With tutorials this made it a lot easier, but it was quite confusing at a first glance, something I found easier in time to pick up, after continually developing and changing my robot design. This made me realise to think carefully about future character designs, in terms of the rigging. Modelling the actual environment would be my strong point of my project, a I also enjoyed the most. I feel with the animation, some of my test renders were slightly better. I had a lot of trouble with this part when it came to producing my final piece. I would animate a standard pace walk, and when it came to adding more frames so my robot could walk further along, previous frames that I had already animated well, started to change, such as his feet for example, starting becoming detached from his ankle and sockets. This started to become very time consuming making sure the robot did not come apart. In my final animation, I am not pleased with the way he walks, I'm still unsure why they kept changing themselves. I will try and research why this was happening or what I was doing wrong as the walk turned out very jumpy and didn't look very natural.

It has to be said, I am not entirely happy with the way my project turned out, due to various external factors, such as my files corrupting. This put much strain and pressure on me to finish within the deadline, taking into account rendering and editing time of starting everything over again, I had to act fast. If I this hadn't of happened I feel my project could have potentially been a lot better, especially in terms of animating.

I used the 'range' option in the render set up for my different camera angles. I thought this showed good use of different camera angles as I had a lot of different shots I wanted to use.

I attempted to add music to my animation but unfortunately didn't find anything suitable in time. I would have liked to have possibly a quirky background track, with the added footstep sounds, along with the stretching and falling sound. This would definitely add character and depth to my work.

For the project overall, minus all the negatives, I very much enjoyed learning to animate and feel the project has been a great insight to future projects. The projects show the hard work put in, with an outcome to still be proud of.

I am very eager to produce another project with this same brief again over christmas to further myself and improve, so I have a project that is not as rushed and one I can feel happier about.

Test animations

More texturing, lighting and starting to animate

This is experimenting with the grass. It looked slightly sharp for hills, so I tried out another way:

Different material representing the grass test:

Testing various lighting:

Red robot..kind of clashed with the brick wall doesn't it?

Blue. Now that stands out slightly better.

The start of my animation - pushing open the gate to the park and walks down the path.

Thats all I've animated so far - a few steps! But all this took me all day sooo I'm kinda hoping I will have progressed a lot further tomorrow as it seems rendering is going to take some time.

Environment texturing experiements

I've started to add realistic texturing to my scene. I've added in a gate at the end of my path as this was leading to the edge of the world going nowhere. Next step is lighting and I am ready to animate. Bit nervous of the time scale I have left but I'm motivated and working away so hopefully won't be a problem. Note to self..just keep saving scene. SAVE SAVE SAVE. I can't let loosing my work demotivate me!!!

New robot walking

I know its not perfect and the end frame is wrong, but it was just a test.

Backing the evidence!

After having to start again, I am not taking any chances of loosing my work again. I have screen shots of making my robot AGAIN - step by step showing how my robot is a working rig, mainly for evidence incase it does corrupt again, this might be all I have. I am in the process of rendering a short version of its basic walking.

Legs rigged and working.

Footroll and toe bend.

Arms, hand and fingers.

Spine.

Head.

Controls all linked.

Eyes.

Mouth.

Walking.

Good timing or...?

So, 1 week to go before presentation week and all my files for my robot are corrupted, including my backups! Not my fault but hey, what can I do. Started all over again and its frustrating as there is so much to get done in so little time. I started on my environment instead as I have produced about 20 robots and they all keep corrupting - need a change of scenery!

This WAS one of many of my fully rigged robot and the proof of it being corrupted.

These are a few images of my environment setting so far. I have also started to experiment with texturing, such as the leaves, sky and pebbled concrete.

Below, I have started to create a sign post here which will eventually read 'One Way' with two directional arrows to add to the gag of whihc direction he should walk in before he spots the long extended branch of a tree that he attempts to jump and hang on.

Not bad for a days work, but still, a lot to get done.

Robot Developments

Material experimentation. I want my robot to have a shiney effect, gives it more of a 'robot' look.

Environment Ideas

Here are some images I have taken as part of my environment design:

I want my scene to be daylight, in a quiet park. These are images I took which I am basing my environment design on. I have also found some on the web:

Walking robot

I think the legs need a more extension when stepping forward to help it look less bouncy and more of a stroll.

Testing walking robot

Robot walking

Today I have been working on making a robot do some basic walking. 'The Animators Survival kit', by Richard Williams is a book I have been finding very useful for animation principles. Although the book is mainly explained through imagery, the sketches are very descriptive themselves.

Below is a video of Monty Python - Silly walks. I found this extremely funny and therefore am going to create a sequence of a robot doing a silly walk too.

Head and eyes

I have been working on making the eyes work, so that they follow the dummy when moved. Also I have been practicing making the mouth movements and expressions - just need to keep working on this one for this to work. Need to start animating this all too! But practing with this robot is really helping me when it comes to rigging my own design. Images of this are in progress!