Animation course

Lesson 1 • Timing, Spacing, and Weight

Explore how frame intervals and object spacing define perceived mass. Correct timing transforms mechanical movement into convincing physical action.

Lesson 2 • Pose and Silhouette Design

Strong poses communicate character intent at a glance. Silhouette clarity is analysed as the primary test of readable, expressive animation.

Lesson 3 • The 12 Core Animation Principles

Introduce all 12 principles defined by classic animators. Each principle is examined as a practical tool for communicating weight, emotion, and intent.

Lesson 1 • Background and Environment Design

Environments establish mood, scale, and spatial context for characters. Perspective and value control ensure backgrounds support rather than compete with action.

Lesson 2 • Gesture and Figure Drawing

Rapid gesture drawing builds fluency in capturing motion and weight. These skills directly feed into expressive character animation poses.

Lesson 3 • Storyboarding for Animation

Storyboards translate scripts into visual sequences before production begins. Shot composition, camera angles, and action staging are planned at this stage.

Lesson 4 • Model Sheets and Turnarounds

Model sheets standardise character appearance for multi-animator productions. Turnarounds define volume and structure from all viewing angles.

Lesson 1 • Rendering and Output Settings

Rendering converts scene data into viewable frames or video files. Resolution, frame rate, and codec choices affect quality and delivery compatibility.

Lesson 2 • Graph Editor and Curve Manipulation

The graph editor gives precise control over interpolation between keyframes. Curve shaping directly implements slow-in, slow-out, and easing principles.

Lesson 3 • Software Interface and Navigation

Master viewport navigation, tool panels, and workspace customisation. Efficient interface use reduces production time and prevents workflow bottlenecks.

Lesson 4 • Keyframing and the Timeline

Keyframes define start and end states of motion; the timeline controls their sequence. Proper keyframe placement is the foundation of all digital animation.

Lesson 1 • 2D Character Rigging

Rigging replaces redrawn frames with reusable articulated parts. Proper rig construction speeds production while preserving expressive range of motion.

Lesson 2 • Scene Assembly and Compositing

Animated elements, backgrounds, and effects are combined into final scenes. Layer order, blending modes, and camera moves complete the 2D production pipeline.

Lesson 3 • Facial Animation and Lip Sync

Facial performance drives emotional storytelling in character animation. Phoneme shapes are mapped to dialogue tracks for accurate, expressive lip sync.

Lesson 4 • Frame-by-Frame Animation

Drawing each frame individually produces organic, expressive motion. This technique builds deep understanding of timing and spacing before rigging is introduced.

Lesson 1 • Organic Character Modeling

Character meshes require edge flow that supports natural deformation at joints. Head, torso, and limb topology conventions are applied to a full character.

Lesson 2 • Polygon Modeling Fundamentals

Polygon modelling constructs 3D forms by manipulating vertices, edges, and faces. Clean topology at this stage prevents deformation problems during animation.

Lesson 3 • Prop and Environment Modeling

Props and sets establish scale and context for character performance. Hard-surface modelling techniques differ from organic workflows in edge flow priorities.

Lesson 1 • Facial Rigging and Blend Shapes

Facial rigs drive expressions through blend shapes and bone-based controls. Combining both systems achieves the range needed for dialogue and performance.

Lesson 2 • Skinning and Weight Painting

Skinning binds the mesh to the skeleton so joints deform geometry. Weight painting refines influence zones to eliminate pinching and collapsing.

Lesson 3 • Skeleton and Joint Placement

Joint placement determines the pivot points of all character movement. Accurate anatomical positioning prevents unnatural deformation during animation.

Lesson 4 • Control Rig and Animator Interface

Control objects expose rig functionality without revealing underlying complexity. A clean animator interface reduces errors and speeds up production.

Lesson 1 • Polish, Spline, and Final Review

The polish pass refines curves, removes pops, and adds micro-detail to performance. Final review criteria ensure shots meet professional production standards.

Lesson 2 • Dialogue and Lip Sync in 3D

3D lip sync integrates blend shapes with body performance for unified acting. Audio analysis guides phoneme timing and emotional facial transitions.

Lesson 3 • Acting and Performance Animation

Character acting translates subtext and emotion into physical performance. Shot analysis and reference study inform choices about gesture and timing.

Lesson 4 • Blocking and Pose Planning

Blocking establishes key poses and overall timing before detail work begins. Strong blocking prevents fundamental performance problems in later passes.

Lesson 1 • Colour Grading and Final Delivery

Colour grading unifies the visual tone of a sequence and prepares it for delivery. Output formats and colour space management ensure consistent viewing across platforms.

Lesson 2 • Lighting Fundamentals for Animation

Light placement, colour temperature, and intensity define mood and readability. Three-point lighting and its variations are applied to character and environment setups.

Lesson 3 • Compositing and Visual Effects

Compositing assembles render passes into a unified image with added effects. Depth of field, motion blur, and lens effects are applied non-destructively.

Lesson 4 • Render Passes and AOVs

Render passes separate scene elements into individual image layers for compositing. AOVs give compositors precise control over beauty, shadow, and reflection layers.