animation


The process of creating and animating a scene in a 3D program is one that is extremely intricate and complex. It is comparable to the many jobs involved in the construction of a house. In a construction project you would have an architect, a carpenter, an electrician, etc. In the development process of a 3D project you also have different jobs that are all equally important and all require different skills:

  • Modeling. This is the process of creating and molding geometry in a 3D environment until that piece of geometry resembles a desired final shape. Every object modeled starts out as a simple shape such as a cube, sphere, cone, cylinder or torus. It is up to the modeler to manipulate these simple shapes in such a way as to have the final product look like a tree, dog, person, building, car, or whatever else one can imagine.

  • Rigging. Rigging can be as simple as creating the ability to turn a door handle or as complicated as giving a human body the ability to move like a human body. It is the process of setting up a hierarchy with the models you are given in such a way that everything moves the way it should.

  • Texturing. When a model is made it is a flat grey color. The texture artist then selects which shader to apply to the model based on what material the model is supposed to be made of. After the shader is selected a texture is either applied or created from scratch. This is how a model of a tree can go from a simple grey to looking as though it has detailed leaves and intricate bark.

  • Lighting. Applying lights to scene can be an extremely complicated task. There is a technical side and an artistic side. On the technical end, one has to take in to account many different environmental factors, such as the light that is being bounced around by everything from the floor and walls to the books on a desk. On the artistic end, lighting sets the mood for a scene.

  • Animation. Giving life where there was none before! Technically it–s just making an object move. Artistically, it–s adding a dart of the eye to insinuate a nervous thought. It–s making a character–s walk appear heavy and lethargic to give the appearance of sadness or depression. A good animator doesn–t just make an object move, but rather gives it a personality and a soul.