Video Tutorial Library at Panopto

Tutorial Videos at Panopto at our Student Portal

Introducing the Escape Studios Video Tutorial Library at Panopto.  Escape Studios' Tutorial Channel at Panopto is now our main hub for our animation and VFX video tutorials, making it easy for our students to find tutorials to support their classroom studies. 

Lipsync Tutorial with Marc Stevenson

Lipsync with Twigs the Cowboy rig

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.  This tutorial is aimed at our animation students learning the art of dialogue and lipsync. 

Animate a Slow Sad Walk with Monty

Animate a sad walk with Monty

Every animator needs to learn how to animate a character walk; fortunately we have 100s of animation tutorials for our students at our Vimeo Channel

In the tutorial below, we show how to take a basic walk cycle using the marvellous "Monty" rig - and then make Monty sad and depressed - with just a few clicks.  The video tutorial is recorded in Autodesk Maya, and is aimed at animation beginners. 

Compositing Tutorial Videos from Lorenzo Maniccia

New Compositing Tutorial Videos

We've uploaded a new series of Compositing Tutorial Videos from Escape Studios' compositing tutor Lorenzo Maniccia, to support our students studying VX4001, our first year compositing module.

These new Compositing Tutorial Videos add to our exisiting tutorials in Compositing, Nuke and 2D VFX.  

Nuke tutorials can all be found here at our Vimeo Tutorial Channel, a large and growing resource for all our students.  Students can find the videos here: https://vimeo.com/showcase/10970075

Video Tutorials for Character & Creature Creation

Lizard Man by Paul Strachan

Escape Studios Head of Creative Technology Michael Davies has curated a list of online resources for our BSc/MSci in Character Creation, our MA in Character & Creature Creation, and our Evening Class in Character & Creature Creation. 

Our new BSc/MSci in Character Creation for Animation builds on our successful MA in Character & Creature Creation.  In both courses, students learn the character creation pipeline from concept to final implementation.  The video tutorials are intended to complement our classroom teaching. 

Maya Basics Tutorials From Escape Studios

Maya Basics Playlist

Welcome to Escape Studios' Playlist of Beginner-Level tutorials in Autodesk Maya. 

These Maya tutorials date from 2016, and are free for everyone to enjoy. 

Maya Basics by Escape Studios is a complete introduction to 3D Basics in Maya in a series of 36 short videos, recorded at Escape Studios in Maya 2016, including modelling, lighting, animation and rendering.

You can find the Maya Basics Playlist here. 

"Previs Chess" with Sagar Rathod

In this short video tutorial titled "Pre-Vis Chess", Escape Studios' VFX tutor Sagar Rathod explains how the previsualisation ("previs") process works in vfx film-making.  What is previs? What is it for, and how do digital artists use it to solve practical film-making problems? This video forms a part of our growing library of video tutorials on Cinematography, 3D Layout, and Previs, which you can find at our Vimeo Tutorial Channel here. 

How to Animate a Bouncing Ball

In the video below we show how to tackle the entry-level "Bouncing Ball" exercise.   Students at Escape Studios, like students at almost every course in animation, start off with the bouncing ball. This simple exercise introduces the principles of timing, spacing, paths of action and weight - four of the Twelve Principles of Animation.  Even a simple exercise like the bouncing call can be entertaining and interesting, and can be completed to a demo-reel level of skill.  You can download the rig for free at highend3D.

 

Animate a Run Cycle with "Monty"

Monty runs for the bus

In this tutorial we show how to animate a simple, basic run cycle with "Monty".  The tutorial uses the excellent "Monty" rig - which you can read about here - and which you can download for free from highend3d.com.  

This tutorial is part of our large and growing library of animation and vfx tutorials at our Vimeo Channel - free for all our students. 

Lights & Render in Unreal Engine with Paul Harrison

Lighting & Rendering in Unreal Engine with Paul Harrison

Escape Studios' Head of Animation Paul Harrison has prepared a new series of tutorials on Lighting and Rendering in Unreal Engine, available to our students at our Vimeo Tutorial Channel.

Unreal Engine renders shots in real time, allowing our students to focus their energy on animation and character performance. https://vimeo.com/showcase/10581878

Maya to Unreal Engine Pipeline with Paul Harrison

https://vimeo.com/showcase/10558978

Escape Studios' Head of Animation Paul Harrison has prepared a series of six tutorials on the Autodesk Maya to Unreal Engine pipeline, available to our students at our Vimeo Tutorial Channel.

Unreal Engine renders shots in real time, allowing our students to focus their energy on animation and character performance.

Realtime rendering is a growing part of the animation production pipeline. Whether our students are studying VFX, animation, or games, Unreal Engine offers big savings in render times.

Horse Trot Tutorial at Our Vimeo Channel

We've added a new tutorial to our expanding Vimeo Channel showing how to animate a horse trotting. A trot is an intermediate gait between a walk and a run; all quadrupeds trot in the same way (allowing for anatomy).  The Escape Studios Vimeo Tutorial Channel is our main hub for our animation and VFX video tutorials, making it easy for our students to find tutorials to support their classroom studies.

Animate Monty "Smokin!"

In the short beginner's animation tutorial below we show how to animate a character with no mouth saying a line of dialogue.  But how can you animate dialogue and lipsync - with no lips?  The answer is - it's all in the acting and the performance.  If the body language is working, then the audience will believe that the character is speaking - even if the character itself has no mouth.  In this tutorial we animate "Monty" saying a line of dialogue - "Smokin!" - the line originally delivered by Jim Carrey in the 80s hit movie The Mask. 

Animate Monty Singing "Oh Yeah"

In the short animation tutorial below we show how to animate a character with no mouth saying a line of dialogue, part of our series of tutorials on character animation and performance.   But how can you animate dialogue and lipsync - with no lips?  The answer is - it's all in the acting and the performance. If the character's body language is working, then the audience will believe that the character is speaking - even if the character itself has no mouth.  In this tutorial we animate "Monty" saying (well, singing) a line of dialogue - "Ohhh Yeahhh". 

Understanding Scale When Animating

In this short video, animation tutor Marc Stevenson explains the importance of scale when making choices in animation.  Why do big monsters appear to move more slowly than small ones?  Do big things fall slower than small ones? (answer: no).  In the end, it's all to do with perception. Watch this intriguing video to find out. 

Baseball Pitch Tutorial with Marc Stevenson

Learn to animate a baseball throw with Marc Stevenson in the free video tutorial above.  This new tutorial is part of our series of animation tutorials hosted at our Vimeo Tutorial Channel; our central hub for our animation and VFX video tutorials, making it easy for our students to find tutorials to support their classroom studies. In this tutorial, Marc shows how to animate a baseball pitch using live action reference, and also how to attach and un-attach the ball from the pitcher's glove.

Using Live Action to Create Great Animation at Vimeo

Edward Muybridge led the way in the 1850s

The Escape Studios Vimeo Tutorial Channel is our main hub for our animation and VFX video tutorials, making it easy for our students to find tutorials to support their classroom studies.  

One challenge for all of our animation students is how to use live action reference to create great animation - as well as MoCap animation. 

Below is a list of our animation tutorials showing how live action reference and MoCap can be the animator's best friend.

Marc Stevenson Splash and Wave Effect Tutorial

 

Escape Studios' animation tutor Marc Stevenson has created a new tutorial on how to animate a splash and wave effect - quickly and easily.  You can find the tutorial at Marc's YouTube channel here.  Marc has built up a comprehensive library of animation video tutorials, which can be found at his personal YouTube Channel: Marc has created dozens of animation tutorials, mostly aimed at animation beginners.

ToonBoom Harmony Tutorials at Vimeo

As part of our new 2D Animation Pathway at Escape Studios, we've curated a list of helpful tutorials in Toonboom Harmony, to support our new 2D animation students in their classroom studies.  

Veteran animator and Escape Studios tutor Steve Lall has curated a playlist of resources to help get our students up and running with Harmony. 

Today, Harmony animators are much in demand, as 2D animation experiences a significant revival.

Animating Transitions: Walk to Run Tutorial

Learn how to animate Locomotion Transitions with Escape Studios' tutor Marc Stevenson - How to Blend from a Walk to a Run.  This tutorial is especially useful for any of our students studying locomotion and mechanics. It is also useful for a demo reel to show that you can successfully blend from one gait to another.