Week 10 - The First Ident is (fundamentally) complete!

I wanted to create my first Ident this week and, as I had a rough idea of the positioning of the camera would be during the animation (yes, just one camera for these Idents!), I would need to draw out a 'line' path for the camera to follow - heres what happened...

The image to the left shows how I was to go about tracing the 'Path_Constraint' for the camera to follow from the archway in the kitchen up towards the drainer on the worktop
The line was roughly drawn as I imagined the camera would trace the line, with 'initial' and 'drag' type both set a 'smooth'


Once I was happy with the individual vertices (Id made sure Id included one every couple clicks along), I then could drag the line into the kitchen area and begin to re-position each vertex
The camera would have to follow the line tightly to achieve the effect I was hoping for the animation - sweeping around the room freely and not focusing on any particular item until it reached Si's head level


I double checked the settings for the 'Time_Scale' as I knew that I would need to define how long I considered the animation to last in real-time, as I had set the 'frame_rate' to PAL for 25fps, so I selected frame count at 335 for 334 frames long
I did consider speeding up playback 2x, but avoided when I realized that 'Rendering_Rates' would be hit hard...


I then needed to elevate areas of the path - the camera would pan through the kitchen and then needs to reach Si's eye level to then lower and rise as it nears the worktop

As I created so many vertices, I was able to easily adapt the line to the route I wanted, as the image shows


^ I attached the camera using the 'Path_Constraint' tool, from which Max added a 'Set_Key' to the first frame and the last-but-one. By maintaining the weight of the 'kitchen_camera' to 50, I didn't have to re-align it when it reached a corner (it wouldn't bank)^



At this point, I knew that, as the camera would be panning across the window, the screen outside which has the moon/earth material on it would need to be moved consciously as the camera moves from the doorway through to when it reaches Si (shown to the left)



I returned to 'kitchen_camera' view and, turning 'auto-key' on, I then selected the textured-screen outside.
As I pulled the 'timeline_tab' along as monitored how the pitch of the viewport changed, I could then match the positioning of the screen to appear centered and reactive to the cameras adjustments.


^Above and below are the final two positions of the camera during the last 100 or so frames of the animation. The camera will reach the apex of the path and then slowly arc its way over the drainer where the to plates will be liaising, one of which will have the Sci-Fi logo^



^ The Curve Editor is useful in that it is possible to affect all three co-ordinates of the camera pitch, curve and arc, as well as depth of field parameters also noticeable within this window^



Before I could attempt to animate Si and, I needed to gather up all his physical parts and his many bones required to animate him
As the image shows, by sorting them aphabetically, I was able to easily find the un-named 'bones' for his tentacles, as well as the named 'bones' for his arms - I hit select and all objects/bones were selected

Now named 'alien_complete', Si is grouped and can now be moved backwards away from the sink in position for when the animation begins

I also re-adjusted all the tentacles in preparation for them to be animated as he walks to the sink again.



Moving into the 'Track_View' of the 'Curve_Editor' mean that although the movements were small and almost unnoticeable on the timeline, I was able to make fine adjustments to each of the two rear flippers throughout the 80 frames from when he begins to move towards to worktop and beginning to wash up, at that point moving his front flippers instead


The nubs, on the end of the 5-bone structure, were all that were needed to adjust the relevant flipper to appear as though Si were using them to push himself along the floor towards the sink

Having them slightly bent upwards also gives the impression he is resting his weight on them when stationary


^Even though I managed to add many set-keys and auto-keys onto the timeline by the time he reached the required position, the 'Curve_Editor' only registered a low adjustment percentage - mind you, they were only moved upwards and downwards by very small margins anyway!^


Frame 80, and Si begins the washing up process
Having timed as well as I could, I only intended this to be in progress once the camera had reached Si's face level and then it would creep downwards and up again as he moved from one plate to the other
I selected the 'wrist' bone and rotated it to make him appear to reach for the first plate on the worktop as shown here


Now that rotational adjustments were being made, the 'Curve_Editor ' came into high importance as I returned to it time and again to make sure there were no sudden changes in the movements Si was performing.
Of course, the animation wouldn't be precise as if a human were to wash up but then who know how aliens would wash their dishes!?


^This was one of the problems I came up against - certain objects would collide with one another and cause a certain amount of disappearance. The solution was to just monitor the plates thorough their path and readjust when needed^

^My timing worked out acutely accurate, as when the final plate is placed on the drainer by Si and goes to move away from the sink, the camera dips and rises up to hover over the resting plate. I had a previous idea of the plate sliding off onto the floor, but the flow and feel of the Ident didn't fit the almost posthumous comedy that that scenario would create^

Although final tweaks were needed after this post (and alot of time spent rendering the 335 frames - 2 and 1/2 hours!) , a preview video is posted below (audio will be imported and added in Premiere at a later date)