Summary
Follow Through and Overlapping Action are two similar techniques that provide some additional realism to animations and create the impression that the characters are interacting with real laws of physics.Follow Through
Follow Through is what happens at the end of and after an action, and adds resolution to the scene as a whole. Some examples would be during a baseball swing when the player continues to move the bat around their body after they hit the ball, or a soccer player that keeps their foot moving after they kick the ball. Without the ending the action loses it's strength and looks like it was effortless for the character.Overlapping Action
Overlapping Actions are the smaller parts that supplement the main action that don't happen at the exact same time. This gives the impression that different parts of the character or clothing are separate from the main driving force of the action. A common example is the tail of an animal, the main body of the horse is the driver of the action while the tail reacts to it by dragging behind and generally starts and stops moving after the body. Nearly any part of a character can be used for overlapping action as long as it isn't the main driver for it.Slow in and Slow Out
Slow in and Slow out is the spacing of in-between frames so that the velocity of an object isn't constant throughout. This generally means making an object spend more time at the beginning and ending of it's motion and less time in the middle so that it emphasizes the more extreme poses and creates a more appealing action. Without it the character's motion seem too linear and and mechanical.
Sources:
Williams, R. (2001). The animator's survival kit. New York, NY: Faber and Faber Limited.
Goldberg, E. (2008). Character animation crash course!. Los Angeles, California: Silman-James Press.
Blair, P. (1994). Cartoon animation. Tustin, California: Walter Foster Publishing Inc.
When creating a robotic or slow-motion animation, would it be best to completely ignore some of these principles?
ReplyDeleteFor example, a robotic crane moving a building block, or a slow motion soccer kick. It seems like there would be no point in slow-in or slow-out.
in animation it will still be slow picking up the block, inertia would take over and move the block at a faster pace. Then slow down as its placing it. Animating such a sequence you would exaggerate this to add drama to the movements.
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