From the course: Advanced Mechanics in CG Animation

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Thinking in terms of form and force

Thinking in terms of form and force

From the course: Advanced Mechanics in CG Animation

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Thinking in terms of form and force

- [Instructor] Let's talk a little bit about note-taking. As you study the footage, I want you to focus on the movement and the force of objects, and not so much on the shape of her body. This technique of studying force was pioneered back in the 1920s when Walt Disney hired Don Graham to help this artist improve his craft. Let's dive in. One thing I like to do while drawing over my scenes is to find out what's driving the movement. More often than not it's going to be your hips, so I like to draw a little circle to identify the hips and watch them as they move through the space. Another thing I like to do is to also identify where major moments are happening. For example, here she's doing a full extension, which is right before she compresses downward at her lowest point, and then lifts off for yet another full extension when she's jumping up. Adding these little notes help me understand later on what's actually happening in the scene, rather than just seeing a whole bunch of line…

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