Submission, Conclusion and Reflection

Well, the project is submitted, it's all done and dusted. Now all that is left is for me to reflect on what I have accomplished and learned.

I have mixed feelings on the results of this project. I wanted to specialise on 2D conceptualization and animation. At the end of the project I am supposed to submit Character Designs, Model Sheets, Rigged Models in Maya and some expressive animation.

The early character design I am quite happy with. I think I came up with nice characters that could stand up to the benchmarks I set myself. I am pleased with the way they came out. I would be more than happy to put these on my show reel. I enjoyed this stage very much.

I discovered something about modelling and rigging from this project. I dislike it with great intensity. The models were problematic, and rigging was a colossal pain. On the plus side, having to re-model, I learned a much quicker and more cost-effective form of modelling. I tried to use spline curves and IK handles to make my rig easier but learned that they are very hard to set up correctly. Paint-Weighting is annoying too. I am not quite sure what happened but the cute design I had for the little girl has come across quite scary in the model. For some reason the translation into 3D turned it lost the cuteness.

The animation I am not so pleased about. The first point is, due to the massive problems, I didn't do enough animation. I had to essentially make a film out of a walk cycle. There are some point that I like, Cornelius came off quite well, especially in certain shots. Pocahontas however didn't come off so well. She vibrates around like she's hyper on sugar. I don't know exactly what caused this. Also the hair rigs were awful, I did my best, but the hair animation is bad. I did learn how to use the Trak Editor though.

My few thoughts about the project are that the actual character design process went well, I dislike modelling and rigging and that I didn't do enough animating. I also learned that, even though I enjoy working by myself, animation is not something one can do well alone. If someone is much better at modelling and rigging than I am, by all means model away.

In conclusion, do I think the project was a success. In some respects yes, but in other respects no.