The final outcome of my character animation is in the highest quality it could be given the time frame. If I were to improve my animation over all, I would like to have had more time to add a simple landscape and flooring, as well as lighting which suggests sunny weather. Sound effects would have also been created for my animation, such as Baby crying out, Baby running and the rat squeaking when bitten. I feel I could have experimented more during the first stages of my animation, rather than creating an altogether final decision of how each model I have created will look on the first try. Considering this module has been accomplishable since the beginning of the year, I feel my time management skills has proven to be poor for Character animation thus far. Only taking the first steps of the animation process a couple of months prior to hand in, where time from earlier could have been used learning the software and creating the above desirable improvements to the outcome.
However the strengths within this module over all include how I have handled issues and how problem solving has taken place, the script has been rewritten a total of three times due to working around technical issues and keeping up the quality of my animation. Models alone have also been fixed from each problem that has been a part of the rigging process, this including painting weights for each character, converting each character from sculptris to Maya (as well as each characters textures) and even adding more suitable eyes for the main character, rather than giving him inanimate eyes for the final outcome. Lagging issues were also fixed, lowering polygon count and even quadrangulation on other accounts.
Another strength within the animation could be the visual aesthetics and the anatomical strength within each rig. Having a thorough understanding of the canine body and skeletal system has been of great help, the rig can run smoothly and leap. The models themselves also show strength in similarities to original concepts (See sketchbook) to the 3D outcome. I feel that I found my own way of how to create models which best suited my abilities, rather than staying within Mayas realm and proving the process difficult for myself.
Lack of background within my animation is a weakness, however due to it not being a part of this modules marking, I feel I can have Baby dragon in a background that I wish to create and see for the second half of the module. some walk cycles and run cycles also show lack of fluency, one limb not hitting the ground as it should as others accomplish hitting the ground, however this is due to the IK handle issue. (see previous posts) Some areas of Baby dragon could also not be fixed, where he stretches his neck and looks up, just one polygon moves out of place from his chest and follows, through several attempts this could not be gotten rid of - as the polygon hadn't identified itself through painting weights, though the area around it had. If I were to improve, I feel that I would quadrangulate Baby dragon within Zbrush, repaint a new texture and import it into Maya. (Due to not beginning earlier I hadn't the time for this to be done) This way out of place polygons will reveal themselves easily and the surface will be more clean to work with. if I had the time to gain the knowledge, I would also have added colour to Baby dragon eyelids. Previous attempts to doing so had not worked - as the sphere is animatable and therefore could not be exported and given a fully workable UV texture map. I'd have also fixed the broken rigs if I had given myself the time to do so, The tortoise being the most physically textured model to begin with, followed by the Forest guardian - and finally the mother dragon. I would also have liked to have given the baby rat an operable jaw, so it could move like Baby dragons does.
Conclusively, the first half of the module has taught me the basics of the animation process, as well as how to problem solve and learn timing in animation for the first time. Using my fast learning skills has also allowed me to create a standard which I have for both animating and model creating. I feel I have successfully created mood into my animation, as well as the light heartedness that I wanted to go with it. Areas which I would like improvement in are not major and are not required for fixing to the point it's an issue that needs fixing. (For example, lack of sound effects, lack of background...) The timing and frame rate is very smoother, being a total of 4444 frames - and the target time being three minutes in total.
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