newartofanimation

Ah, technology…  so very useful when analyzing animation.

In this case the animation is from James Baxter’s work on Dreamworks ‘Spirit: Legend of the Cimarron’.

Here’s a look at a horse’s run cycle in motion and as a still of all nine image in the sequence.

And a shoutout to http://2dtraditionalanimation.tumblr.com/ for the original gif animation

For those that might have missed it, the latest release of Animation:Master is available for download.

What are you waiting for?  Go get it.

Click on the image or this link to go to latest release

If you are reading this and know anything about the contents of this book or better yet can point to a reproduction of contents those with interest in layout will be indebted to you.

I’m hoping to post some more information and examples of layout and in my review of available material one particular missing piece of reference is known as ‘The Layout Book’.

The Layout Book is referenced by Frank and Ollie in their book ‘Disney’s The Illusion of Life’ and examples from that reference can be seen therein especially noted on page 212 which begins their section on Layout.  The images are quite small and are only meant to be an example, mainly for historical purposes, of  what Disney was using in production, especially in the early years of feature animation.

I would not be surprise to find that portions of the book have been published in other places but… I’ve yet to see any place where the contents are collected together.

There are layouts… and then there are master layouts of the sort that immediately suggest how animated production will proceed.  Don Bluth learned from these masters of the craft and  I had the honor of seeing some of his layout prowess first hand as he sketched out layouts quickly and instinctively.

If you know anything about the contents of this book or better yet can point to a reproduction of contents (in whole or in part) those with interest in layout will be indebted to you.

Thanks!

-Rodney

Included (below):  an image of pages from The Layout Book out of ‘Illusion of Life’ page 212 entitled ‘Working Continuity’.

Layout from Jungle Book

Andreas Deja posted two images from a Jungle Book layout/background and I thought I’d put it into an animated version for comparison.

Note that the overlay and underlay don’t align… I’m not sure how much of that is my doing and how much is due to Disney’s multiplane camera view on the final scene.  You can see that the two primary trees and the village line up.  I haven’t tried but I’d guess the foreground elements align as well but were placed on a higher level (closer to the camera).

Read more about Andreas’s thoughts on Disney layout here:

http://andreasdeja.blogspot.com/2015/09/jungle-book-layoutbackground.html

And while you are at it consider purchasing Andreas’s new book on Disney’s Nine Old Men.  I plan to buy it too!  🙂

This is a blog you definitely should check out!

http://seymourkneitel.blogspot.com/

Maintained by the Seymour Kneitel’s daughter (and Max Fliescher’s grandaughter) this is a must read blog.

Here’s an expample of the cartoon animation goodness to be found on the site (circa 1940 no less!):

Click on image below for huge version that is easier to read!  🙂

A change worth noting…

Toon Boom, creator of a variety of software products for digital 2D animation, is apparently moving toward a single source approach with a focus on their top of the line product Harmony.

This is good on several fronts although I admit to feeling a bit sad that a few early entry points into digital animation are being abandoned.  Let me explain a little more about my internal conflict:  😉

First a little background.

I’m most definitely not a fan of hobble-ware.  Hobble-ware is my term for software that is like another product (by the same company) but with a limited feature set not found in the ‘full version’ of the top tier product.  These product are often intentionally restricted in order to maximize profit at the risk of the customer becoming disillusioned when they discover some feature that isn’t available in the product they bought but is available if they upgrade to another product .  Toon Boom has had a number of these products, Toon Boom, Toon Boom Studio, Animate, Animate Pro, etc. etc. some of which are still being sold as of this date but apparently will be fazed out by end of year (2015).  Almost all of these products have recently been purged from their website.

There are several reasons this move to streamline product makes sense and I won’t go into all the various aspects (pros and cons) unless asked to delve further but I’ll mention a few because they are relevant to current trends in software.

Toon Boom’s approach appears to be to get young animtors involved via their Flip Boom software which I posted on a very long time ago.  This is an excellent introduction to digital animation for those who might not have much interest or affinity getting started.  For most it’ll be too basic but for young animators a lot of experience can be gained without the unnecessary distractions of loaded-down-with-endless=features (read:  complex) software.  Toon Boom does have a nasty habit of having potential customers ‘contact us for more information’ which generally equates to ‘you can’t afford it.’  In this case it relates to their educational offering of Flip Boom (and… your guess is as good as mine.  I understand why they do this but don’t care for the practice.  On the plus side, it does cut to the chase and save everyone time chasing after products that no one wants.

The primary focus now for Toon Boom is Harmony and Storyboard Pro which I personally see as two parts of the same product.  In other words, if you purchase one you’ll likely purchase the other. These aren’t cheap but… guess what?  Toon Boom is yet another company that is embracing the software subscription model.  Folks should know that while subscription based software is not the end all and be all it does grant access to high end software that otherwise would not be affordable.

Toon Boom is obviously hoping to cover the full spectrum from start to finish they are also wise enough to recognize.

Rather than go into detail on information readily available online I’ll suggest those with an interest check out their site:

Harmony 22

Customers feedback doesn’t generally accomplish significant change like this.  This is more of a sign of embracing financial reality. Realignments of this nature often occur when a company is looking for a buyer or investor.  Perhaps that is that the case here?  Regardless, I hope the effort to bring their digital tools to a wider audience while consolidating products will prove profitable enough to continue in this direction.

Of late I have bemoaned the fact that several important blogs of the past have shuttered or closed.  Often this is due to the considerable work schedules of the authors and (thankfully much more rare) the death or ill health of the blogger.

There are occasionally new blogs that appear that delve deeply into the world of animation and renew that spark of life experienced in those other wonderful blogs.  Here’s a really nice one by James “JC” Chiang:

http://www.animatedspirit.com/

His most recent article explores the work of Milt Kalh:

Shot Analysis: 101 Dalmations

I love the overlap of shapes that Milt brings to his work that creates 3D space within the realm of a 2D plane (in this case specifically for viewing on a movie screen).

Best of luck in the endeavor James!

Want to bring computer animation into your workflow?

Get Animation:Master ($79)

Want to get up to speed quickly with Animation:Master?

Check out Barry Zundel’s series of video tutorials which he has now posted online for free:

http://barryzundel.blogspot.com/p/animationmaster-2005-tutorials.html

Just want a nice intro to animation workflow?

This is a bit out of order but…

Check out his video tutorial on Basic Keyframing.

Check out his ‘Introduction to Animation‘ for some setup and workflow tips.

You want to learn to animate right?

Buy this video course from Aaron Blaise:

https://creatureartteacher.com/product-category/tutorials-lessons/animation-tutorials/?src=hometop

60% discount ends tonight.  Regular price resumes tomorrow.

Still worth the full price of $129 but save yourself some cash today.