Animating Cartoon Characters in Maya

Learn a production workflow to character animation with an emphasis on toon, squash and stretch techniques, and the principles of story-telling through movement. Contains over 6 hours of project-based training for animators learning the processes of creating stylized toon animation. Perfect for experienced artists.

Popular highlights include: Staging; Anticipation; Follow-Through; Creating Appeal; Arcs; Timing and Spacing; Pose to Pose and Straight Ahead; Adding Personality; Exaggeration; Squash and Stretch; Secondary Action; Ease in and Ease Out; Animating Cameras; Motion Trails; Working with Storyboards; Key-frame Marking Menu; Adding In-betweens; Breakdown Keys; Muting Keys; Interacting with Props; Proxy Cage for Characters;

1. Introduction to training; preparing the scene 3. Blocking in the second and third extreme 5. Posing the sixth and seventh extreme 7. Posing the eighth and ninth extreme 9. Modifying the character as he is driving and as the cardboard falls 11. Blocking in the character's lower body 13. Adjusting the poses in the character's exit 15. Locking down poses to prevent major sliding 17. Wrapping up the camera's animation 19. Modifying the eyes and facial expressions (frames 1-120) 21. Adding anticipation to the poses (frames 40-164) 23. Adjusting the feet; lower body and arms 25. Adjusting the upper body and arms in the third polish pass 27. Refining the right arm as it adjusts the hat 29. Finalizing the third pass 31. Finalizing the hat sequence as it exits the shot 33. Finishing the animation on the upper body

2. Discussing the storyboards; blocking in the first extreme 4. Blocking in the fourth and fifth extreme 6. Adding a switch to constrain the hands to the hip 8. Finalizing the first blocking phase 10. Adjusting the fingers; adding a little bit of stretch and shock effect 12. Blocking in the character's upper body 14. Animating a cartoony run 16. Finalizing the fall of the cardboard cut-out 18. Adjusting the character's head and shoulders (frames 1-120) 20. Adjusting the arms and body (frames 1-120) 22. Modifying the arm and adding a jiggle to the upper body 24. Animating the hat as the character leaps into the air 26. Adjusting the upper and lower body in the third polish pass 28. Refining the left arm as it adjusts the hat and modifying the feet 30. Refining the final animation pass 32. Finalizing the arms as they exit 34. Wrapping up the animation / Conclusion