Lit and rendered from the Shot Camera

ZombNorman - splined, cycled, blendshape geo-mod reference applied

Zombie walk - blocking and cycle test

Getting the hang of blendshapes in Maya

Norman rig mod early test

Blendshape geo modification early test, following Vaughan Weigert's tutorial at: http://is.gd/d99De-

Meet Norman

ZombieWalk animation clean-rough storyboard

Rough storyboard/leica reel for zombie walk

A quick leica from my story thumbnails to see what works.

Project1 story development

All right then. So this will be more a record, recounting my progress throughout producing material for my demo reel.

The initial goal was to develop a series of three works to comprise the reel.  On choosing animation as my focus, I started sketching/storyboarding ideas for short 10-30 second pieces that would showcase animation principles. To be manageable in the time allotted, the ideas had to be technically feasible, entertaining, and not containing plot points that would lead to over-long story setup sequences or "mushrooming" overall duration.

The first idea - that didn't included cloth or rope - was a good ol' timey zombie walk cycle, utilizing the tried-and-true Norman rig, but modded to my designs.  Now, as it turns out, a zombie walk is a limp/stagger.  The timing/spacing of the quick transfer of weight from the one leg to the other that defines a limp can be a tricksome thing.

I found a nice zombie limp reference example in a short film by Animation Mentor student, Bobby Pontillas:

http://www.animationmentor.com/newsletter/0210/feature_short.html

Hello World!

The entries of this blog are a diary of my student work progress, during the Spring term, at Capilano University.