Hi all, long time no see! I'm taking an Animation class right now, and the assignment is to make a 5-second movie of a person with a certain emotion/trait, so that their trait is reflected in their movements. My trait is "drunk"; I figured I would reflect this by making my figure stagger around holding his head. Problem is, I don't have a clue how to actually animate a staggering person; I don't know the dynamics behind it, etc. What I need is a site that has actual diagrams illustrating various forms of movement; as in, frame-by-frame, or position-to-position. Sort of like "motion studies" or something like that. Does anyone have any idea where I could find a site like that? P.S. Sorry if this is the wrong forum for this question, I just figured I'd have the best chance of getting an answer here since the Poser forum is so active all the time :-)

Hi MegaJar, Welcome to Poser animation. Sorry I cannot answer your request, others may do so. You probably have seen such a person in real life or on TV/Film, or can imagine it. If you'd like to take a shot at doing your assignment just with Poser + observation of life, you might get there pretty well, and would learn a lot. If so, May I ask a few questions. 1) what version of Poser are you in? 2) do you have a character and a starting frame? 3) could you post a render of Frame1? ::::: Opera :::::

Actually, I'm not using Poser; the course is all about learning Maya. I know this is really a more "non-software-specific" question, and I would have posted it in a forum like Animation or something; but most of those forums are practically EMPTY, so I figured I'd never get an answer if I posted it there. It's not really a character I'm using; it's just a skeleton (bones and joints).

then...ignore my post, of course. Would like to see your final, though. ::::: Opera :::::

Do a google search on "Eadweard Muybridge". He did a lot of truely groundbreaking work in photographic studies of human and animal motions sequences.

If Maya can use BVH files, LifeForms has some really good staggering sequences.....

Attached Link: http://web.inter.nl.net/users/anima/chronoph/muybridge/index.htm

Eadweard Muybridge
ttp://web.inter.nl.net/users/anima/chronoph/muybridge/index.htm

Message edited on: 02/19/2005 17:38

Thanks, the Muybridge stuff is exactly the kind of thing I need; but alas, I didn't see anything on staggering. Another problem is that if I type "staggering" into Google, 99% of the results are things like "a staggering amount" or "the results were staggering". Searching for sites that use the LITERAL meaning of the word is like looking for a needle in a haystack :-( Any ideas? Ockham: We have to build the animations ourselves; but I'll take a look at this LifeForms thing, maybe it has some resources I can use.

google this: +"staggering" + "animation" or some other additive sequence.

operaguy: Tried that already. Same problem.

My suggestion is do the way most animators do in a pinch, Put yourself in a drunk frame of mind. stagger around, when you think you have a good sequence. analize it and make a pose of the extreams from each staggermovement. The computer should feel in the rest. Then all you might need is a little tweeking in between frames. I don't have Maya, but most of the 3D programs will fill in the sequence between frames. the big thing is speed of one step to another. This usualy runs between 15 to 25 frames (at 30 frames per second rate) between each pose with the fill ins in between. Most animators use this techenque. Once you get use to doing it you will start getting the feel of how many frames between frames to space each pose.

Yup, looks like that's what I'll have to do; I just can't seem to find any reference material online, so it seems I'll just have to do it the old-fashioned way. Thanks anyway guys.

Spend the weekend at my house with a video camera - all you'ld ever need. JP

LOL

Attached Link: http://www.renderosity.com/messages.ez?Form.ShowMessage=1217016

Now THAT'S what I'm talking about!! Many thanx caulbox!

Ah, the Cliff Notes of Animation Class - BVH files! If you were my student! But really, GO OUT to your local BAR at about 1:00 am and watch people coming out to their cars - then wait a half hour or so before you drive home - ya don't want to be on the road with a bunch of drunks. If you are LEARNING - then put yourself in situations where you can draw on real life - your skills as an "Animator" will be "Learned" rather than borrowed, and will, in the end serve you much better in the future. JP

NO WAIT, a Better Idea. Go in the bar, find the hottest girl there and tell her your a computer Animator doing research. Slip in that "The Incredibles" is projected to make a BILLION dollars in the next 24 months - and you've got points on the next Pixar blockbuster. Two birds with one Stone! JP