8FramesIn - Cardboard Box Animation

Final Render

My first pass has been keyed with an even timing on fours. Curve Interpolations at this point are set to STEPPED.  All I’m looking for during this pass is the basic elements needed to tell my story. The motion at this point is at it’s most primitive level.  Your Keyframes should communicate the (Beginning/Middle/End).  This is called Blocking in the Animation.

Pass 1 - Stepped

For the next steps the principles that need to be developed are:

Timing - Ease In Ease Out - Arcs - Settle In

Cardboard Box – Pass 2

My second pass now contains all of the contacts.  I have changed my curve interpolation to Linear.  I like moving into this type of curve calculation because it helps me to see the timing on the actions in it’s base form.  

With a constant rate of change: If the character/object seems to move to quickly then the keys that I have set need to be spaced out so that the action will happen over a longer period of time.  Remember.... If a key had a voice it would say: “Be in this position at this point in time”.  If the character/object seems to be moving to slowly, then the keyframes need to be brought close together in time.

First Edit: I changed the timing in the beginning by compressing the first few keyframes so that they are in twos. 

Second Edit: Added Keys for the top box to hit the corner in the back then the first edge and then flat. Made the settle in faster by changing the timing to two frames for the last hit and stopping point.

Third Edit: Added a few keys to the middle box for the extra corner impacts and a few slight rotation and distance tweeks.  The timing for the impact to the stopping point was sped up so that the keyframes are on twos.

Fourth Edit: Went back and extended the first frame of the top box so that it is on 8eights for a long ease out.  Not happy with the rate of fall.  It should drop harder because it starts out higher than the middle box.

Pass-2a

Fifth Edit: Move the top box keys for the first hit and the settle in onto twos and ones for intial look of a harder hit..

Pass - 2b

 Principles to Focus on: 

1.) Timing

2.) Anticipations

Principles to be developed further:

1.) Continue developing timing

2.) Ease In / Ease Out - Hard In / Hard Out

3.) Arcs

4.) Overlapping actions

Pass 3 - Spline

 I have decided to start keying in the box flaps secondary movement.  I have been spending a fair amount of time getting the right timing and overlap for them to feel natural.  I am stopping to put in the breakdowns for the boxes.  Then I will continue to tweek the box flaps.

Pass - 3a

 

Notice the pop that happened with the bottom box flap… This is ok at this point because I will convert to spline later and tweek further.

Breakdowns:

I have put in my breakdowns and have decided to go subtle with them.  This is supposed to be a natural box fall and settle in.  If there was to be more character I’d push them further but for now I’m leaving them where they are.  I have converted to plateau to see how things look… Still looks  good so now it’s time to overlap some be offsetting keys and breaking some tangents to get things to accelerate into the contacts…..

I have overlapped to create small slides and the end of the boxes settle in.

I eased up on the bottom box with it’s rotation and slide… about half the distance and turn…

I also added a keyframe to extend the breakdown on the top box… this give a little hang time…..

I offset the box flaps in on the bottom box because they needed more overlap and they were tweening…

 Pass - 3c

 

I overlapped the middle boxes star of its fall two frames later….. feels better.

Cardboard Box – Pass 4

I have started the curve tweeking process here.  Everything has been put into spline and I am using a curve script called –  TangFix.  Place it in your scripts folder/Source it/and run it.  Select your curves and Press Fix It.

Then I went in and broke tangents that I did not want to ease in.  Generally you would do this for any motion that needs to me a medium or fast acceleration to an impact.  I created some overshoot by pulling tangents and allowing it to accelerate through a key and then return to a then next. Some tangents will be flat between two keys… I didn’t want for it to hold still but to be more of a moving hold…. Example: The top box holds a little before falling.

You can E-mail me and I will send you the Script!

Pass - 4

 

Pass -4a (curve tweeked)

I still see something that I don’t like on the bottom box flaps.  Need to look closer at that.

I fixed the flaps for now and then pushed the hold on the middle box for two frames.  I think I’m going to let this right for now.

Pass - 4B

 Next to see if there are any interpenatrations.  I found a few to fix!

Finished

Final Render is at the top of this post..... Enjoy!

Craig Bowman