12 Principles of Animation for CG Animators

Course details

The 12 principles of animation underlie everything animators do, from making movies to video games. These principles are the same regardless of the software you use—2D or 3D, open source or advanced suite. In this course, award-winning animator David Andrade takes traditional student assignments (a bouncing ball and a lowly flour sack) and translates them into digital animations that illustrate each of these principles in detail. He uses Maya and Blender, but the focus in not on software mastery; it's about the techniques, not the tools. Follow along as he introduces the history of character animation and explores each of the 12 principles, from squash and stretch and anticipation to timing and follow-through. Take the challenge exercises to practice what you've learned along the way.

Animation has evolved tremendously in the last century, but some principles always stay the same. This foundation will serve you for a lifelong career.

Learning objectives
A history of character animation
Squash and stretch
Anticipation
Staging
Pose-to-pose animation
Secondary action
Timing
Exaggeration

Concepts

Introduction

Welcome
How to use the exercise files

An Overview

A brief history of character animation
Think physics and art, not software

Squash, Stretch, and Anticipation

Principle 1 - Squash and stretch
Principle 2 - Anticipation
Challenge - An exercise with a ball
Solution - An exercise with a ball

Staging

Principles 3 - Staging
Challenge - An exercise with a flour sack
Solution - An exercise with a flour sack

Straight Ahead and Pose-to-Pose

Principle 4 - Straight ahead
Principle 4 - Pose-to-pose
Combine them to form copied pairs

Follow Through and Slow In and Out

Principle 5 - Follow through
Principle 6 - Slow in and out
Using tangents to control slows fasts

Arcs and Secondary Action

Principle 7 - Arcs
Principle 8 - Secondary action
Challenge - An exercise with a flour sack
Solution - An exercise with a flour sack

Timing

Principle 9 - Timing
Principle 9 - Spacing
Challenge - An exercise with a ball
Solution - An exercise with a ball

Exaggeration, Solid Drawing, and Appeal

Principle 10 - Exaggeration
Principle 11 - Solid drawing
Principle 12 - Appeal
Challenge - An exercise with a flour sack
Solution - An exercise with a flour sack

Conclusion

Next steps