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Animation & VFX · MS elective · 3 credit hours · 16 sessions

Character Animation

This course is dedicated to the art of bringing digital puppets to life. Focusing on the “12 Principles of Animation,” students will study body mechanics, weight, and timing before advancing to acting and performance. The curriculum emphasizes the animator’s role as an actor, teaching students to convey emotion, thought processes, and dialogue through 3D characters.

§ 01 By the end you can
  1. Apply the 12 Principles of Animation (Squash & Stretch, Anticipation, etc.)
  2. Master Body Mechanics: Walk cycles, run cycles, and lifting weight
  3. Convey weight, balance, and gravity in digital movement
  4. Execute believable "Pantomime" acting (storytelling without words)
  5. Create synchronized facial animation and Lip-Sync for dialogue
§ 02 Sixteen sessions

The whole semester.

  1. 01Review: The 12 Principles & The Bouncing Ball
  2. 02Timing, Spacing & The Graph Editor
  3. 03Body Mechanics I: The Walk Cycle
  4. 04Body Mechanics II: The Run Cycle
  5. 05Weight & Balance: Lifting Heavy Objects
  6. 06Overlapping Action & Follow Through (Tail/Hair)
  7. 07Posing: Strong Silhouettes & Line of Action
  8. 08 · MidtermMidterm Examination
  9. 09Advanced Body Mechanics: Parkour/Stunts
  10. 10Pantomime Acting: Emotion through Pose
  11. 11Facial Rigging & Expression Library
  12. 12Introduction to Lip-Sync & Phonemes
  13. 13Acting for Animation: Subtext & Eyes
  14. 14Two-Character Interaction
  15. 15Polish: Splining & Micro-Movements
  16. 16Final Project: The Acting Monologue

Midterm around session 8. Final project briefed at session 8 or 9 and developed in stages until the juries.

§ 03 Final project

Final Project: The Acting Monologue

How it’s judged

Recommended reading
  1. The Illusion of Life: Disney Animation by Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston
  2. The Animator's Survival Kit by Richard Williams
  3. Acting for Animators by Ed Hooks
  4. Timing for Animation by Harold Whitaker and John Halas
  5. Character Animation Crash Course! by Eric Goldberg
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