Final Design – Lucy's Ideas

The Animation Process

The process of animating into a 3D model had its positives and negatives throughout. I am very new to this particular software and its features so I had to ensure my animation could link to my skills and not become overcomplicated. The reasoning behind choosing simple models is so I could emphasise my time working on the animation process instead of using a lot of my time of the original model creations. I found the transition slightly difficult and I was using features of the software that I had never come across before but slowly learnt how to come over each barrier independently. When watching back the final piece, I was very happy with the outcome and how each element has been portrayed just how I had planned it in my final storyboard.

Figure 1 and 2 – Figure 1 (on the top) demonstrates all of the 3D modelled planets coloured and attached to a mobile frame in Maya. Figure 2 (on the bottom) shows some of the final frames where the planets have morphed into a tree displaying the metamorphic transition.

I managed to stick to my final plan vigilantly and made very minimal changes that affected my piece. The main area being the jump from texture to colour as I was unable to find a solution to my problem. I only made changes when I felt that a different design choice would positively impact the piece and the audience’s reaction. Each transition that was explained in the plan was followed through and allowed the message of the animation to be portrayed. The purpose was stuck to and positively impacted by the use of envisioning information theories which allowed for a meaningful animation to be created. Further, the target audience I was aiming for also was thought about the entirety of the process and I altered certain decisions with them in mind.

Figure 3 – A screenshot of the very last few frames produced which explores the finality of my animation and the thought that leaves the viewers with two contrasting beliefs.

Reflection on the Finished Animation

My final metamorphosis animation had an overall positive outcome when producing the final piece. The conceptual transition is clearly displayed and the purpose of the piece can be heavily explored and linked back to the target audience. The majority of design choices had the audience and Tufte’s theories in mind ensuring that each transition had a meaningful reason behind it. For example, I spent a considerable amount of time choosing the perfect colours and textures for the apple tree so that certain areas would stand out and be relating back to Edward Tufte’s colour theory. I felt the application from 2-Dimensional plans to the 3D modelling software was extremely efficient due to the large amount of research and revising sketches to ensure I had a solid method when going forward.

There was numerous difficult areas and tasks I faced throughout the creation process too. I hit a stump when attempting to animate a texture into a colour in Maya which had a very difficult and complicated solution. I had to overcome this barrier so resolved for a jump-cut that allowed the textures to convert to similar colours before transforming to the bright apple red. I could not find a suitable solution so I had to make do with what skills I already had and move on with my work. This was not ideal however, it was necessary in order to complete the final composition.

Figure 4 – This screenshot from Autodesk Maya displays a difficult area of where I had to animate separate textures into colours which I was unable to achieve. I had to overcome this barrier with methods I was capable on achieving.

Reflecting on Incorporation of the Theories

I managed to stick heavily to my original planning of Edward Tufte’s theories and incorporated three key ones into my final metamorphosis animation. I used the previous annotated storyboard as help when deciding where the key theories will be placed throughout the 30 seconds. The colour theory maintained highly through the whole duration by using the bright red as symbolism for the apples and planets forming. The layering and separation again was highlighted at the beginning and the ending of the animation which explored the complexity that the universe consists of. The final theory I included was Tufte’s comparison of small multiples which the apples and planets played a key point in; they maintained similar proportions throughout the transitioning but the key differentiation for the audience is the separate textures and colours at the beginning. The overall impact that Tufte’s theories had on my animation was giving it a further purpose and reminding myself to evaluate every design choice with reasoning.

Figure 5 and 6 – Figure 5 (on the top) is a screenshot taken to explain Edward Tufte’s colour theory incorporated in my work and sticking to the original sketched plan. Figure 6 (on the bottom) shows another one of Tufte’s theories and further demonstrating the application to my own animated work and overall relating back to the purpose and auidence.

If I could change anything about this piece in the future, I would attempt to add further detail and meaning by incorporating the remaining 2 of Edward Tufte’s theories. I feel like this is possible and would expand the purpose of my animation. I would have also conquered the previous hurdles that I faced throughout the software to ensure swift transitions during the animation.