Bricks in Motion
We are a friendly filmmaking community devoted to the art of stop-motion animation using LEGO® and similar construction toys. Here, you can share your work, join our community of other brickfilmers, and participate in periodic animation contests!
A place to discuss, share, and create stop motion films.
Ad
You are not logged in. Please login or register.
Is there a way to gain smoother animation? I have tried slight movements but it doesn't work that well for me.
Please help!
The only ways to get the smoothest animation is to slow down the movements, and increase the frame rate.
Thanks... Maybe its my webcam.
You must watch human motion carefully, and copy it.
Example: when a minifig is about to move his arm up, first frame must move very little, then the next frame a tat more than the last, and again. After you get half ways to where you want to move, then gradually make smaller movements each frame. I hope this is understandable, I've never been the greatest with explaining things. Anyway I learned this by watching Mindgame's films frame by frame on Quicktime. 
WOW.
Thanks so much VN!
(Just so you know, your one of my favorite Brickfilmers, along with Mind , and Lord_Of_the_LEGO, and Lieberman Bros.)
Also, at the end of the faster movements, you'll want a 'rebound' type thing. After the arm has swung down, it will swing back the other way a little bit.
Anyway I learned this by watching Mindgame's films frame by frame on Quicktime.
I learnt it from some really good Pivot Animations. (I was a -bad- Pivot animator before I was a brickfilmer.)
Last edited by Hazzat (December 30, 2008 (04:53pm))
(I was a -bad- Pivot animator before I was a brickfilmer.)
Me too.
Do better lamps help? I just got a new tripod lamp instead of that stupid dinky one I used to use. 
Do better lamps help? I just got a new tripod lamp instead of that stupid dinky one I used to use.
No, better lamps would just help gain greater lighting and camera quality.
Ok. Good. That means I'll have better quality! 
I think you're missing the point they were trying to make. You could have a professional-grade film camera and still have below-average animation. Hazzat and VN are giving you tips for more realistic and smoother animation, and for the time being, I would worry about the quality of animation, not the picture.
Oh... I get it now... Thanks ManVan.
Remember, smooth doesn't always mean life-like, and it's better to achieve life-like animation than smooth animation. Anybody can move a piece in even increments one frame after another, but it takes a lot of thought and attention to detail to achieve realistic, natural looking motion. VN's post explains the basic principles behind this.
I just tried animating with monkeyjam, and now its MUCH MUCH MUCH easier to animate. I dunno why, but it works! I think the onionskinning made it harder for me, or something...
Remember, smooth doesn't always mean life-like, and it's better to achieve life-like animation than smooth animation. Anybody can move a piece in even increments one frame after another, but it takes a lot of thought and attention to detail to achieve realistic, natural looking motion. VN's post explains the basic principles behind this.
This.
I think you have to pratice a lot to be better...
when a minifig is about to move his arm up, first frame must move very little, then the next frame a tat more than the last, and again. After you get half ways to where you want to move, then gradually make smaller movements each frame.
I believe in animation circles, what you're describing is referred to as "easing in" and "easing out" of motions. Without this "easing", even smooth motions can appear to start and stop in a jerky fashion, even look robotic.
There is a difference between lifelike and smooth animation.
Smooth animation can be lifelike but not all the time. You need to know that when you use very small movements in a motion, the movement when played back at 15 FPS will be slow and smooth. The smoothness is not lifelike unless the object would normally move very slowly. For example, a person jumping up and down excitedly would use bigger increments of motion to become lifelike. When someone jumps, the jump is fast, it isn't very long and only needs a couple of frames to do the job. If you used very small movements, the jump would be smooth, but unrealistic.
Lifelike movement is the ability to manipulate your "actors" (Lego figures, vehicles) in a clever way that appears lifelike. Remember this, lifelike is smooth, but smooth isn't lifelike. Actual movement is smooth, not jerky. Even someone shaking appears smooth, because it looks natural. However, just because animation is smooth, doesn't mean it is lifelike. This goes back to the person jumping.
To help you with your animation, try watching a video of the action you are creating frame by frame. It works best when the video is at the same framerate you are using. You can copy the action by posing your actors in the same manner. When done correctly, you will usually get lifelike animation. Hope this helps! 
NXTManiac
That helped a lot! Thanks!
Posts [ 19 ]
