• Location: In The Mouse Hole
  • Joined: December 5, 2011

Topic: Animating An Air Duct, Help!

In my current project I have the character crawling through an air duct and upon reaching the end dropping out of the ceiling into a kitchen but I cannot seem to get the look I want for the air duct, I have tried doing my hindged roof thing on that but it creates to much light flicker because it reflects off the walls as they are REALLY close together. Does anyone have any tips/rig ideas for animating in such a tight space, I need to to look confined.

AngryMouse - Youtube
  • Location: Tokyo, Japan
  • Joined: December 27, 2008

Re: Animating An Air Duct, Help!

Try a cross-section side-on shot instead, maybe? Animating in a space only just large enough for a minifig sounds impossible to me. If you do have to show the minifig fully enclosed though, you could experiment with LEGO sticks to push him around. Or really thin string, move it like a puppet. (The string could be edited out later.)

https://i.imgur.com/1JxY79v.png

Hazzat's Website

  • Location: gone
  • Joined: November 27, 2010

Re: Animating An Air Duct, Help!

Maybe you can build it so the walls you don't want moving are really secure and the hinge is really steady and sturdy.

Are you using a frame capture program with onionskinning?  Using that would really help.

Not literally dead, just no longer interested in Lego or animation.
  • Location: In The Mouse Hole
  • Joined: December 5, 2011

Re: Animating An Air Duct, Help!

I capture the images on the LQ9000 then import them to Monkeyjam, I then edit it with Sony Vegas 10.0, I don't really know if any of those programs have onion skinning, also I may have come up with the solution, but I cannot test it until tommorow, I will animate a side shot with the minifig crawling on a line of 2x2 grey bricks then hopefull position the wall and ceiling of the air duct in the background and HOPEFULLY make it look like the are connected through the cameras perspective.

AngryMouse - Youtube
  • Location: USA
  • Joined: May 9, 2009

Re: Animating An Air Duct, Help!

If the minifig is in a "laying down" or prone position within the confines of your air duct-using multiple minifigs would be a cool way to bypass this quandary.

With the side shot method Hazzat recommended just swap out one minifig for another every time it moves. You can set up ten minifigs in advance articulated the way you want. All you have to do is somehow mark where the action happens so you won't lose your place.

I hope this helps.
(It probably doesn't.)

Jared

legogod's Website

  • Location: gone
  • Joined: November 27, 2010

Re: Animating An Air Duct, Help!

AngryMouse wrote:

I capture the images on the LQ9000 then import them to Monkeyjam, I then edit it with Sony Vegas 10.0, I don't really know if any of those programs have onion skinning, also I may have come up with the solution, but I cannot test it until tommorow, I will animate a side shot with the minifig crawling on a line of 2x2 grey bricks then hopefull position the wall and ceiling of the air duct in the background and HOPEFULLY make it look like the are connected through the cameras perspective.

You mean you take frames with the webcam software?

Onionskinning only works if you take frames with a capture software.  Monkeyjam is a capture software, but not a very good one.  I've heard you can't get a high resolution without the viewing window getting huge.  If you want something free, Heluim Frog is your better bet.  I use Stop Motion Pro myself.  It's not free, but I think it's definetly worth it.

Not literally dead, just no longer interested in Lego or animation.
  • Location: Some Pond
  • Joined: May 16, 2010

Re: Animating An Air Duct, Help!

I have a small idea for an air duct if you aren't terribly far in production, I'll take pics later.

"Of The Pond Films"
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