Advanced Animation (Final_Physical Action)
23/4/2025-23/7/2025
Ruthlene Chua Zhen Si 0365222
Bachelor of Design (Honours) in Creative Media
- Instruction
- Task
- Final_Physical Action
- JUMPLINK TO:
- Reflections
INSTRUCTION
Task Final_Physical Action
For this project, we need to create a 5-10 second physical action animation using either the Snow or Rain rig in Blender. Facial expressions, dynamic timing, and exaggeration should be added to make the action visually engaging. Different shot framings are required, and we can incorporate free 3D props or backgrounds to enhance the scene. Lighting must be set up appropriately, and the animation should be rendered at 24fps with a resolution of 1280 x 720. The final submission includes storyboards and a video compilation showing the progression from blocking, through polishing, to the finished animation.
For this particular assignment we should first gather video references to guide the motion, therefore I go through Mr. Kamal recommended video. I found something that I like, but I tried to do make some changes on the front of the body structure/language. Reference:
The front I was trying to do like the Maui squad ( From Moana ) , but yeah maybe was the size of the protagonist it doesn't look alike haha.
For me, this assignment was quite challenging, and I feel that my result was not as strong as I would have hoped.
Initially, I followed the workflow taught by Mr. Kamal, using video reference to match the protagonist’s motion and pose. I focused on adjusting the rig’s rotation and transform controls, but I encountered difficulties because my mouse movements sometimes caused the joint rotations to unintentionally flip from 180 to 360 degrees, which resulted in multiple errors that I only noticed after playback. This made the process somewhat frustrating but also highlighted the importance of careful manipulation in Blender’s 3D viewport and keeping an eye on the transform values.
After blocking the general poses, I designed the protagonist to perform a bare-handed martial arts action sequence without props. I included a rolling/tumbling motion, which required careful attention to pose-to-pose keyframing and refining the F-curves in the Graph Editor.
I noticed that minor adjustments in the Graph Editor sometimes led to the automatic correction of rotation or location values, causing subtle details I had tweaked to be reset. This taught me the importance of incremental adjustments and constantly checking local vs. global rotation modes to maintain intended motion arcs.
I also made small changes to the facial expressions using shape keys, emphasizing a look of determination and slight anger, which helped convey that the character is facing a formidable opponent. This reinforced my understanding of how subtle facial animation can enhance storytelling in a physical action scene.
For the assignment requirements, I completed three progression videos: Progression 1 – Blocking, Progression 2 – Polishing, and Progression 3 – Final Animation. Blocking helped me establish the major poses and timing, polishing refined the arcs, spacing, and exaggeration, while the final animation incorporated all adjustments with proper camera framing and movement, lighting setup using point and area lights, and render.
Progression 1 – Blocking:
Progression 2 – Polishing
Progression 3 – Final Animation : Scroll down ;)
I also imported a background image for the battle arena and set it up using image planes, which helped situate the character within a believable environment. Controlling the camera rig was initially difficult, but after studying tutorials and applying camera keyframing and constraints, I managed to achieve dynamic camera movements that complemented the action.
Finally, exporting the animation as an .mp4 file completed the process.
Reflection
Observation
This assignment made me realize how important it is to pay attention to small details in animation. Using video references really helped guide the character’s movements, and even tiny changes in rig rotation or transforms could make the motion feel off. The Graph Editor was super important for smoothing out timing and arcs, and I had to be careful about local versus global rotations to keep everything consistent.
Experience
Honestly, this project was pretty challenging, but I learned a lot. Blocking the key poses helped me figure out the rhythm of the martial arts action, and polishing in the Graph Editor let me add personality with facial expressions and subtle body movement. Setting up the camera and lighting was tricky at first, but after watching tutorials and following the teacher’s guidance, I managed to get dynamic shots that worked with the action.
Findings
I found that smooth, believable animation comes from making small, careful adjustments, especially in the Graph Editor. Even a tiny mistake in rotation could mess up the whole movement. Adding facial expressions, exaggerating motions slightly, and placing the character in a proper environment really helped the scene feel more alive. Overall, this assignment gave me a much better understanding of Blender’s workflow, and it showed me areas I want to keep improving for future animations.
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