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We will learn the fundamentals of character animation and game development in this foundation course. (This method is intended for the Unreal engine, but it will also work for other game engines such as Unity.) Learn everything you need to know about character animation with Autodesk Maya from a AAA game professional with university-level accreditation! We'll start with the basics, such as the Ball Bounce and Pendulum, and then move on to how to apply the 12 principles of animation to the human form.
Autodesk Maya is the industry standard 3D animation software; understanding the concepts in this course will help you land a job in the game, film, television, or music industries. In this course, you will learn how to animate your custom-created character from the ground up.
In this course, you will learn :
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Animating with keyframes using Autodesk Maya
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Learn from an accredited university instructor with nearly a decade of experience teaching and working in the industry
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Getting started with Maya and understanding the interface
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Complete fundamentals of animation principles
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Understanding the importance of the bouncing ball with weight
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Fundamentals of motion capture and how to edit motion data
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Learn industry game standard animations: Walk, Run, Jump, Idle, and more
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Export your animations for game engines such as Unreal and Unity
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How to create industry standard animations for demo reels to apply for jobs
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Learn hotkeys and best practices to succeed with Maya based on industry experience
Syllabus :
1. Introduction to Maya for Animators
- Maya Interface
- Setting Maya Preferences
- Default Hotkeys and Camera Manipulation
- Customizing Hotkeys
- Referencing A.R.T. Tool Rigs
- Image Plane Reference
- Saving the Scene
- Setting Keys
- Intro to the Graph Editor
- IK (Inverse Kinematics) FK (Forward Kinematics)
2. Animation Theory
- 12 Principles of Animation
- Line of Action
- Straights Vs. Curves
- Silhouette
- Ease In/Fast In
- Follow Through and Overlap
- Secondary Action
- Arcs
- Contrast in Posing
- Animation Offsetting
- Pushing Poses
3. Bouncing Ball
- Overview of the Bouncing Ball
- Smaller Ball with Different Weight/Timing
- Squash and Stretch
- Creating Playblast
4. Pendulum
- Intro to the Pendulum
- Animating the Swing
- Animating Drag, Overlap, and Follow Through
- Modifying Existing Animation to Forward Settle
- Applying Concepts to the Human Body
5. Pose to Pose | Overlap | Breakdowns
- Key Poses and Building Overlap in Pose
- Fingers, Polish, and Additional Breakdowns
6. Idle Animation
- Saving Pose to Library
- Importing Pose from Library
- Lower Body Root Animation
- Lower Body Hip Animation
- Animating Foot/Knee Controllers
- Upper Body Torso Animation
- Animating the Shoulders
- Right Arm Animation
- Copying Animation to Left Arm
- Neck and Head Animation
- Right Hand Animation
- Left Hand Animation
- Animation Editor Curve Loops
- Animation Export Process
7. Run Animation
- Lower Body Side View
- Lower Body Copying and Pasting Second Leg
- Lower Body Front View
- Upper Body Torso Front View
- Upper Body Torso Side View
- Right Arm Animation
- Right Arm Breakdowns
- Left Arm Copy Paste Method
- Neck and Head Counter Animation
- Animation Polish Best Practices
- Export Process
8. Walk Animation
- Lower Body Side View Contact Position
- Lower Body Side View Down Position
- Lower Body Side View Passing Position
- Lower Body Side View Up Position
- Lower Body Side View Copying Animation to Opposite Side
- Lower Body Front View Translations
- Lower Body Front View Hips
- Lower Body Front View Knees
- Upper Body Torso
- Upper Body Shoulders and Arms
- Upper Body Copying Animation to Opposite Arm
- Upper Body Drag Follow Through
- Upper Body Neck and Head
- Upper Body Hand Animation
- Upper Body Hand Animation Cleanup
- Animation Export
9. Jump Animation
- Start Pose/Anticipation/Jump
- Land Animation
- Upper Body Posing
- Shoulders/Arm Posing
- Neck and Head Animation
- Animation Retiming
- Animation Overshoot for Landing
- Squash and Stretch | Finger Animation
- Export Animation Process
10. Intro to Motion Capture
- Importing Motion Data to Character
- Working with Layers to Create Override Pose
- Modifying Motion Capture Curve Basics
11. Applying for Jobs in the Animation Industry
- Creating a Great Animation Demo Reel
- Best Practices for Job Hunting
- Power of the Network
- Studio Animation Art Tests
