Sunday, December 27, 2009

Game vs Film

Been interested in a lot of gaming studios recently, and been reading up on what the difference between film and game animation. I thought this article was a neat find. While it doesn't give a lot of specific information, it sure does has some important points.

"Game animations are created in loops, where the action sequence starts and ends with the same pose, then is looped to the next action sequence. The trick is in creating a seamless transition between one loop cycle and the next. One possible series of actions a player may take is to run, jump, pause and run again. Another potential sequence is a character that runs, walks, stops, and lies down. An animator must consider multiple combinations of actions that can be taken. "A good animator knows how to support that kind of open-endedness," says Petty."

"In addition, games offer unique challenges to the animator. "Your animation can usually be seen from all angles in the game so it must look correct from all points of view," says Dave Vasquez, Animation Mentor graduate and animator at Electronic Arts. "Another big thing with games is that you are making an enormous number of animations which are sometimes shared with multiple characters."

"Studios seeking talented character animators -- whether in films or games -- are still looking for a strong foundation in animation fundamentals. A solid understanding of body mechanics is a must. "

"Gaming characters often leap, climb, sprint and soar through their environments, so animators with a core understanding of movement are better prepared," says Quesnel. "Animation Mentor’s character animation program gave me the foundation in weight, balance, force, anticipation and overlapping that I have used constantly in the gaming industry."


http://www.animationarena.com/character-animation.html