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| Animation for AN4001 by Maria Robertson |
AN4001 is a 15 Credit module that teaches all our first year students the fundamentals of character and creature animation.
AN4001 lasts four weeks, and covers the basic principles of animation. To see some of the best work done by our first year undergraduate animators, watch the short video below, cut together by Escape Studios' animation tutor Marc Stevenson.
Autodesk Maya
The main software we teach is Autodesk Maya, still the global leader and industry standard for animation and visual effects. Students can download an educational license of Maya for home use here.
3D Animators should learn to light and render their shots. To learn some super simple (easy to learn) basic lighting setups, see the resources below:
Students studying VFX and Games will likely want to tackle some of our FX animation tutorials, which you can find here. Learn how to animate flags, falling dice, cloth, hair and muscle simulations.
In UG shares you will find plenty of free assets to get started. UG shares is where we keep most of our production assets, including character rigs, sets and props for student use. Looking for a cartoony landscape, a friendly cartoon cat, a robot or a prison cell? We've got an asset for you.
Final Deliverable - Portfolio
AN4001 Animation Reel
Introduction to Maya
AN4001 is where our students first tackle Autodesk Maya, and the basics of character animation.
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| Clown walk by Ben Swallow |
Bouncing Ball
The class starts with the basics - the "Bouncing Ball", then the Lamp Hop, then a Walk Cycle, then Character Walks
and a Run Cycle.
Tutor Steve Lall
This year the lead tutor for AN4001 is Steve Lall. Steve is an experienced animation who teaches both 3D and 2D Animation, in both Maya (3D) and Toonboom Harmony (2D). You can read more about Steve Lall here.
AN4001 - Animation Basics
AN4001 is a 4 week introduction to animation module, where our first year undergraduate students explore the basics of animation, from a bouncing ball through to sophisticated motion.
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| "Monty" in the gym by Sam Baker |
Assignments include walks, runs, jumps and FX animation.
You can see an example of AN4001 animation by Sam Baker on the right.
Autodesk Maya
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| Maya - still the Leading Animation Package |
Toonboom Harmony
Our students studying 2D Animation may use Toonboom Harmony, Adobe Animate or Photoshop. The class is being taught in Maya in the mornings and Harmony in tour he afternoons - ensuring that our growing number of 2D Animation students are fairly represented.
Vimeo Channel
We have hundreds of animation tutorial videos available at our Vimeo Tutorial Channel. They are all password protected, so ask us for the password.
Escape Method
These videos form part of what we call "The Escape Method", intensive classroom teaching combined with online support and industry engagement to mimic as closely as possible the experience of working in a real animation studio.
3D Animation Tutorials
To find the Vimeo Tutorial Channel, follow this link.
Vimeo Channel
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| 100s of Videos Available at our Vimeo Tutorial Channel |
Escape Method
These videos form part of what we call "The Escape Method", intensive classroom teaching combined with online support and industry engagement to mimic as closely as possible the experience of working in a real animation studio.
3D Animation Tutorials
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| Run animation by Jake Roberts |
Start with the following key tutorials:
Harmony Tutorials
To gets started with Toonboom Harmony, and learn the interface with these Harmony tutorials.
Runs and Jumps
For runs and jumps, try animating a run with "Heavy" and also animate a jump.
Lighting & Rendering
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| Basic Lighting in Arnold - Sky Shader |
FX Animation
YouTube
To see more examples of work done by students on AN4001 Locomotion & Mechanics, see our YouTube Playlist here.
UG Shares
UG Shares
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| The Animator's Survival Kit |
We have dozens of books available to borrow from the Animation & VFX Library on the 11th Floor.
Animator's Survival Kit
The key textbook for this module is The Animator's Survival Kit. We have many copies in the library.
We also have books on storyboarding, games, 3D VFX, 2D VFX and much else.
10-15 Seconds of Locomotion Animation
Students should create a short animation around 10 to 15 seconds long. The animation should feature a biped (or perhaps a lamp) doing a cyclical action (running, walking, sneaking, etc) and another action, which may or may not be cyclical (a jump, fall, punch, etc).
Important Note: This is a keyframe animation class, designed to teach the art and craft of animation with timing and spacing. Therefore, no MoCap (and No AI) is permitted.
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| Lamp Animation by Kamile Pranckunaite |
The actions should be combined in such a way in order to tell a simple story. Basic props can be made or downloaded from Turbosquid.com if necessary. You can find useful rigs at UG Shares.
Development PDF
Students should also include a single PDF document (1-2 pages) showing development, such as thumbnail sketches, storyboards, links to live action reference - anything that helped with the development of the shot. This could also be a blog and/or website.
No MoCap & No AI!
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| No MoCap! No AI! |
Using MoCap or AI to pass this Module is cheating, and will result in an automatic fail.
First year at Escape Studios - and 2nd, 3rd & 4th years
To see more detail about how undergraduate animation and VFX works at Escape Studios, follow these links:
- First Year of Study at Escape Studios
- Second Year at Escape Studios
- Third Year at Escape Studios.
- Fourth & Final Year at Escape Studios (Integrated MArt)
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.
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