Let the Pendulum Swing

Well Spring Break is over and so is my

break from animation.  I shouldn't have

taken one in the first place but I really

just couldn't find the time over the break. 

Now that I am back at school I'm back at

it again.  I'm starting pendulums now and

have drawn out the animation before

actually animating it.  I think this method

is easier and by drawing it I can visualize

it better.  Tomorrow I plan on going to the

lab to get it started, wish me luck :D

The Beggining

Ball Bounces, the first and most fundemental thing to learn.  I started off by reading Richard William's book "The Animators Survival Kit".  I then drew out the picture above using his book as a reference.  I tried to make the movements closer together at the top of the ark and more spaced out at the bottom.  Looking at the sketch now I realize I probably didn't do the best job of it.  Last night I went to the computer lab and my friend Jeff had me do a Ball Bounce my way first, then looking at what I had done he asked me how I went about it.  I admitted I had try to create my own math to it, he chuckled and said "OK well don't do that."  The showing me about contact positions he told me to animate the in between s.  The again showed me where I was wrong, and after repeating this several times I started to feel like he was doing all the work.  Tonight I'm going back to the lab and this time I'm on my own, and hopefully I remember everything Jeff taught me.