Here, I did some quick ball animation tests. These were done using Adobe Animate (2019) and the reference I used for inspiration was sourced from YouTube. I found this activity rather simple to do as it was quick and didn’t involve anything complicated. The only thing I did find challenging, however, was figuring out the program. At first, the layout really confused me. I did eventually begin to work out the basics though I do plan to sit down a day and learn the specifics. Ultimately, this activity was rather fun to do and has allowed me to think more about weight and physics in animation.
What I have learned this week:
That Timing refers to how long it takes for an object to start and finish an action. This is solely dependent on Spacing, which relates to how much space is between frames and this will determine how fast or slow the animation will be. These are also linked in with Extremes (frames that are the highest point of interest) and In-betweens (frames that act as middle frames, providing smooth and consistent movement between key actions)
Here is an example of 1’s at 24fps, made by my tutor. I ensured to keep this diagram in mind whilst animating my bouncing balls shown further down below.
So basically,
1’s → 1 frame per drawing
2’s → 2 frames per drawing
3’s → 3 frames per drawing
The breakdown of sequences…
The above image is taken from Chapter 4 of ‘The Animator’s Survival Kit- Richard Williams’. It helped me understand visually how these transitions worked. Specifically, I wasn’t entirely sure how in-betweens were used until I saw this diagram. Prior to this, I had thought an in-between consisted of a singular frame in a sequence- this isn’t the case.
The outcomes:
Tennis ball
Bowling ball
Pingpong ball
YouTube videos that were referenced: