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.
How do you animate your Minifigs? Do you pick them up between frames or do you keep them in there place and animate them that way?
-Jon64
I mostly keep them there, since I tend to loose where they're standing.
It depends; I usually just do what is easier to do.
Pick up! Pick up!
Honestly, though, it really doesn't matter. I just think that picking them up decreases the chances of bumping something while trying to move them.
- Leo
I agree, though if it is possible, I try to animate without picking the fig up, I find that it usually looks better. Except for walk cycles, I always pick minifigs up for walk cycles.
NXTManiac
When animating dialog, I find that there are slight back and forth movements in the animation if I pick the minifigure up. Usually they aren't very noticeable, but it bothers me quite a bit, so I try to stay away from situations where I can't move the characters in place. As far as everything else goes, I usually do pick them up.
I do the same as NXT.
When animating dialog, I find that there are slight back and forth movements in the animation if I pick the minifigure up. Usually they aren't very noticeable, but it bothers me quite a bit
I know exactly what your talking about and I too am bothered by it. The animation program I use has a function called "onionskin" which overlaps the frame you are about to shoot with a transparent skin of the last frame already shot, This allows me to pick up my mini figure while animating dialog. Thus eliminating any possibility of annoying back and forth movements 
Well either that or make the setting around the figure seem freezing so that it'll look like he/she is just shivering 
-Jon64
If I am doing something just involving the arms and/or head I try not to pick it up. Walk/Run/Jump cycles I always pick the minifig up. Other things depends on if I am in a cramped bump prone space.
I pick up.
I animate them by getting frustrated and punching the minifig in the face. Well that's usually how it ends up. I try to keep them in there place for doing stuff with there hands or face however when I try to a small movement with their hand or something I usually manage to make it fall over. For walking I do a mixture of both what ever is easiest for the the movement at the time. If I am going to pick them up I'll leave a little marker on the plate where they are meant to be standing.
I mostly keep them there, since I tend to loose where they're standing.
Yeah, same with me.
I mostly pick them up. But when I don't need to pick them up I keep them there.
Most of the time I try to animate the minifigure without taking it off the set only.
Sometimes if I'm animating a minifig putting up its arm I will take it off the board,
sometimes I don't though.
I usually remove it from the set while animating.
I usually pick them up. If I'm animating dialogue or something, the legs often won't be showing, so I'll replace them with a brick and two plates, making it possible for me to pick the minifig up and put it back without any small shifts.
Most of the time I pick them up .
I used to put a stud where they stood then pick them up but now I just keep my eyes on the spot they're on then pick them up. 
kind of both for me, i lose track of where they were alot.
but usually i would just keep them on the baseplate.
Posts [ 1 to 20 of 29 ]
