Vimeo Channel - Character Animation Tutorials

Animation by Sunny Asadi

Our Vimeo Tutorial Channel is a hub for our animation and VFX video tutorials, making it easier than ever for our students to find tutorials to support their classroom studies.  

Tutorials begin with the basics, such as the bouncing ball, and progress through to complex character and creature animation.  Start at the beginning, and work your way though.

Animation Tutorials at Vimeo

You can also find more animation tutorials here:

• All Animation Tutorials (includes 2D and 3D Animation)
• Animation Tutorials - Locomotion & Mechanics
• Character Animation Tutorials
• Animal & Creature Animation Tutorials

Character Animation Tutorials

Character Animation is at the heart of what animators do. There is no skill more vital to animators than learning how to bring a character to life and create a performance that captures the audience's imagination.  Important tools include creating thumbnail sketches to planning your animation, and also learning how to how to use live action reference to create believable animation. 

PLANNING & BLOCKING ANIMATION

Creating Thumbnail Sketches to Plan Animation

How to create thumbnail sketches for planning animation - even if you don't draw well. With Alexander Williams.

Also see this blog post.

http://escapestudiosanimation.blogspot.com/2022/04/create-thumbnail-sketches-to-plan.html

Phone Booth: Planning & Blocking a Pantomime Shot
Planning & Blocking a Pantomine Shot with Alex Williams. How to create a series of poses on stepped curves that tell a story. 
https://vimeo.com/showcase/7317763
Also read this blog post on Planning & Blocking a Dialogue Shot and
this post on planning pantomime animation on stepped curves.


Planning & Blocking a Dialogue Shot

Planning & Blocking a Dialogue Shot by Alex Williams, showing how to use live action reference to create character animation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=682&v=eD2PxUtBpKs

Also read this blog post on Planning & Blocking a Dialogue Shot

Using the Tween Machine to Break down Key Poses
Using the Tween Machine by Alex Williams
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8WvsX1CQfs
Also read this blog post on How to Use to Tween Machine



REACTION SHOTS & TAKES

Animate a "Take" with the Pixo Lamp

nimate a "Take" reaction shot with Pixo Jr

Animate a "Take" reaction shot with the Pixo Jr lamp, with Alex Williams
In this simple free tutorial we show how to animate a "take" (a reaction shot), with the Pixo Jr lamp rig which you can download from highend3d.com.

Our tutorial uses the Pixo Jr lamp rig, which you can read about here. You can also find a tutorial on how to animate the lamp hopping here, and a troubleshooting video (2024) here. Our students can also find a copy of the lamp rig in UG Shares. You can also use this free lamp rig created by Mangesh Kondalkar.
 

Animating a "Take" with Monty

Animate a cartoon "take" with Monty, with Alexander Williams.
https://vimeo.com/showcase/7265672

For more on how to animate a "take" with "Monty", read this blog post. 

Animate a Cartoon "Take" with a human biped with Alexander Williams

https://vimeo.com/showcase/7585922

This tutorial uses the free "Willy" rig, which you can find out more about here. 

Animating a "Take" Reaction Shot
Animate a "Take" with Mr Buttons with animation director Simone Giampaolo
https://vimeo.com/album/5761140

Also read this blog post on how to animate a "take".


DIALOGUE - NO LIPSYNC!

These simple tutorials show how to animate a character with no mouth animate a line of dialogue.

Animate a Sneeze with Monty 

Animate Monty Sneezing: "Achoo!"

Learn to animate Monty sneezing. You will need a copy of Monty, some thumbnails, and also download some audio. Start with this blog post. 

Sneeze Tutorials at Vimeo

Sneeze Part 1: https://vimeo.com/video/1016775510
Sneeze Part 2: https://vimeo.com/video/1016775597
Sneeze Part 3: https://vimeo.com/video/101677566

Monty has no nose, and no mouth. The idea is to make the sneeze feel believable anyway. 

Animate Monty "Smokin!" 

Animate Monty "Smokin!" with Alexander Williams

https://vimeo.com/showcase/10468912

Animate a dialogue shot with a character that has no mouth - no lipsync allowed. Monty says "Smokin" (Jim Carrey from "The Mask").  Also see this blog post here for more information.

Animate "Monty" Singing "Oh Yeah!"

with Alexander Williams

https://vimeo.com/showcase/10468907

Animate a dialogue shot with a character that has no mouth - no lipsync allowed.  Monty sings "Oh Yeah!" (Ferris Buehller's Day Off)

To see more about how to follow this tutorial, read this blog post.

Dialogue Tutorial with Monty: "I'm Outta Here!"

Monty: "I'm Outta Here!"

In this tutorial we animate "Monty" saying a line of dialogue - "I'm Outta Here" - from Disney's Aladdin.

Monty "Outta Here" Pt 1

https://vimeo.com/966665368

Monty "Outta Here" Pt 2

https://vimeo.com/966665884

Monty "Outta Here" Pt 3

https://vimeo.com/video/966666553

To get started, read this blog post.

DIALOGUE & LIPSYNC

Dialogue shot with "Willy"

with Alexander Williams

https://vimeo.com/showcase/7607996

Learn how to animate a short piece of cartoony dialogue with a cartoony character: "Willy".

This tutorial includes dialogue and lipsync.

How to animate "Head Muppeting"
Hitting the accents in lipsync animation, or "head muppeting", by Alex Williams
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKoXTE-WCQc
Also read this blog post on the purpose of Head Muppeting.

Animating Dialogue & Lipsync
by Simone Giampaolo 
https://vimeo.com/album/5803470

For more on animating dialogue and lipsync with Simone Giampaolo, read this blog post.

Animating Lipsync with Marc Stevenson

Lipsync with Twigs

Undergraduate Programme Leader Marc Stevenson has created a series of Lipsync Tutorials for our students working on character animation.  

The tutorial uses the free "Twigs the Cowboy" rig which you can download here. You can also find a copy of Twigs in UG Shares.

To get started, read this blog post. 
 

SMEAR FRAMES

Smear Frame Tutorial
by Simone Giampaolo
How to animate a "smear" transition in Maya
https://vimeo.com/album/5913129 
For more on how to animated a "smear frame" with Simone Giampaolo, read this blog post.

Smear Frame Tutorial with Alex Williams

Smear frame tutorial

Animate a "Smear frame" with "Willy", as he exits the screen in a big hurry.

"Willy" Rig:

This tutorial uses the Willy Rig. You can find a copy in UG Shares. 

Tutorial:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXuE2hSnFrQ

Blog:

To get started with "smear frame" animation, read this blog post.

FACES AND EYES

How to Animate Eye Darts
Eye Darts by Alex Williams
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbLXBmkZJs8
Also see this blog post on Eye Darts and how to animate them.  

How to add a Blink on a Head Turn 

Always add a blink on a head turn

Always add a blink on a head turn - by Alex Williams.

When we change eye direction we almost always blink - without being aware of it. Animators should always add a blink on a head turn - unless there is a really good reason not to. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vyr-dLY61iE

Also see this blog post on why we blink when we turn our heads.

How to Use the Eye Direction Controller in Maya
by Alex Williams
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymAdDwCYY8U
Also see this blog post on Eye Direction in animation 

How to create a Face Camera in Maya
by Alex Williams
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-H8ovX-wWws
Also see this blog post on creating face cameras to make facial animation faster and more efficient.

MAYA TECHNIQUES, PLUGINS & BEST PRACTICE 

Setting Up Your Shot - File Referencing

How to Do File Referencing Right by Amedeo Beretta
https://vimeo.com/album/5874233
For more on file referencing, read this blog post.

Maya Grease Pencil Tool
Using the Grease Pencil Tool in Maya - by Amedeo Beretta
https://vimeo.com/showcase/5874233/video/332675669

Also read this blog post on the Grease Pencil tool.

Baking Curves in Maya

How to bake curves in Maya, and what "baking" actually means

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fot0D5AU_Cg&feature=youtu.be

Escape Studios' Animation Shelf
Learn how to install the Escape Studios' Animation Shelf, a special shelf put together by UG Program Leader Michael Davies.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1S8WBU1D7LitUWXBeerSXRB1_gN1X5HeK/view?usp=sharing

Working with Animation Layers

How to animate with Animation Layers with Amedeo Beretta. 

https://vimeo.com/576760099

It has been added to the Animation Best Practices showcase:

https://vimeo.com/manage/showcases/5874233/

How to Animate with Animation Layers with Lee Caller

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngMORO7EAqo

CONSTRAINTS, ATTACHES & PARENTING

These videos focus on how to attach and un-attach objects in Maya. There are a number of different ways to do this in Maya.

How to install the ParentMaster Plugin (Maya 2019)
Installation of the PaentMaster Plugin by Alex Williams
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5R1X2qXv1g
To see how the ParentMaster works in detail, see this blog post.
Also download the  ParentMaster Plugin from HighEnd3D.com

Animating with Constraints by Marc Stevenson
Animating with Constraints by Marc Stevenson
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxIzoEJ0jom1fWGC90iL9exlp3xnoQoZc

For more on animating with constraints, read this blog post.

WEIGHT & BALANCE

Animating a Character Throwing a Box
Animate the character "Heavy" from Team Fortress throwing a box - with Marc Stevenson
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxIzoEJ0jom2RfJeAVwfkj5kRbQw8ztza

To see more about how to animate a character throwing a box with Marc Stevenson, and about the Heavy rig, read this blog post.

Animate a Character Throwing a Ball
Learn how to animate a character throwing a ball with Alex Williams
This tutorial uses the free Morpheus rig, and also explores how to use live action reference to create believable animation.
https://vimeo.com/showcase/7385962

To see more about how to animate a character throwing a ball, read this blog post.

Animating a Character Lifting a Heavy Object
Animating a character lifting a heavy object, using "Heavy" from Team Fortress, with Alex Williams.
https://vimeo.com/showcase/7306818

To see more about how to animate a character lifting a heavy object, read this blog post.


Flour Sack Suicide 
Animating a Flour Sack in Maya with Alex Williams
https://vimeo.com/showcase/7306827

For more on Animating a Flour Sack in Maya, see this blog post.


Animation - Motion Capture & Live Action Reference

How to Import Live Action into Maya 
Importing live action onto an image plane into Maya for use as reference, by Alex Williams
https://youtu.be/xaO6PQ6C940
Also see this blog post on the use of live action reference in animation

Using and Adapting Motion Capture
Animating with Motion Capture data by Steven Lall
https://vimeo.com/album/5605446
For more on the Motion Capture tutorial by Steven Lall, read this blog post.

Motion Capture Retargeting
MoCap retargeting with Amedeo Beretta
https://vimeo.com/356232162
For more on MoCap retargeting, read this blog post.

Use Live Action to Animate a Character Dancing

Use Live Action to Animate a Character Dancing - with Alex Williams

https://vimeo.com/showcase/9364237

For more details on how to animate a character dancing, read this blog post.

Vimeo Channel

You can find the rest of our Vimeo Tutorials at the main Vimeo Channel page here.

Resources on Planning Character Animation

"A Long Way Home"

For more resources on how to plan character animation (including how to use thumbnail sketches and use live action reference), follow these links:

• How to Plan a Pantomime Shot
• How to Animate a Dialogue Shot
• Body Language for Animators
• Nine Ways to Create a Great Animation Pose
• Why thumbnail sketches need facial expressions
• Medusa Thumbnails by Milt Kahl
• Thumbnail sketches by Pixar's Victor Navone
• Thumbnailing Mrs Copperbottom from "Robots" with Alexander Williams
• Thumbnailing "Boog" from "Open Season" with Alex Williams
• How to Use Live Action Reference to Plan Animation

The Escape Studios Animation Blog offers a personal view on the art of animation and visual effects.  

To apply for one of our courses, follow this link.