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Animation for Beginners

Animation for Beginners

A 4-week walk-through of the animation basics designed for people with little to no previous animation training
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Overview Instructors Pricing Benefits Testimonials

An animation starter

An animation starter
The animation industry has revolutionized storytelling not only in feature animation but also in live-action film, games, commercials and most recently AR/VR experiences. This course will walk through the basics of animation; the goal is to ultimately decide if animation is for you. Animation for Beginners serves as a foundation for all Animation Master Academy courses, and is meant to be followed by Intro to Animation in Maya.
Registration Now Open
Registration Period
Jan 31, 2024 - Apr 22, 2024
Course Start
Apr 21, 2024

Course Format

Special Workshop: recorded lecture videos; feedback is not guaranteed for all students every week

Skills Level

Beginner

Duration

4 weeks

Q&A

Once a week

Feedback

Individual Recordings

Lecture Type

Pre-recorded
Assignment
Due each week. Expect to spend 10-20 hrs/wk viewing lectures, Q&A, and time on assignments.
PREREQUISITES
Installation of Maya. The starting .mb file downloaded to the scenes directory.
MATERIALS
Autodesk Maya, Bouncer rig (provided)

The more you know, the better.

Why animation? |Overview of the class and its goals | An introduction to Maya, timeline, keyframes and the graph editor/curve | Introduction to the basic translation controls of the ball rig | How to set keyframes (translate y only.) | Bonus content – An introduction to Ease Ins and Ease Outs and breaking tangents
Continuation- Ease Ins and Ease Outs and breaking tangents | Moving the ball along a path (translate x) and an introduction to Arcs | Copying and modifying curves. Breaking up the cycle and varying/reducing the height of the bounces | Introducing some additional controls in the ball rig | Adding some squash and stretch | Bonus content – Adding some complexity in the ball’s path
Continuation- adding more complexity to the ball’s path interacting with the set | Make the ball come to a stop and demonstrate the difference between a bounce and a jump | An introduction to anticipation | Bonus content – reveal full ball rig. An introduction to secondary action and follow through
Continuation-secondary action and follow through | Blinks and look direction | A quick demonstration on how to render

Your Journey Starts Here

Lukas Niklaus
Senior Animator
LECTURES BY Todd Elliott
Course Start: Apr 21, 2024
Lukas Niklaus grew up in the small town of Uffikon in Switzerland. After an apprenticeship as a Typographer/Graphic Designer he found his true passion, CGI, and was hooked right away! He started learning on his own and took courses both in person or online. After completing his studies with Animation Mentor he traveled to California to attend their graduation ceremony. As luck and preparation would have it, he met a recruiter from Pixomondo who invited him to join their newly formed studio in Toronto and this became the start of his career. This beginning later led him to Montreal and eventually to beautiful New Zealand.

Lukas has animated at some of the top visual effects houses like Weta Digital, ILM, Animal Logic, Framestore, MPC and other studios and contributed to several Oscar winning or nominated movies. Most recently he has joined a small startup called Lost Cosmonauts located in Wellington, New Zealand.
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Instructor's Gallery

VFX

PRICING SCHEDULE

Even though our courses are the most affordable for the quality of education, these finance options allow you to focus on your goals instead of the barriers that keep you from reaching them.

3x Payments

$50

2x Payments

$75

Full payment

$150

Spring TERM REGISTRATION Now Open
Jan 31, 2024 - Apr 22, 2024
COURSE BEGINS on Apr 21, 2024
Animation for Beginners

What makes this learning experience unique?

PERSONALIZED FEEDBACK

Receive personalized feedback on all assignments from the industry’s top professionals.

LIFETIME ACCESS

Enjoy lifetime access to the spectrum of course content, including lectures, live Q&As, and feedback sessions.

CERTIFICATION

Show off your Certification of Completion when you turn in 80% of course assignments.

FLEXIBLE LEARNING

Learn anywhere, anytime, and at your own pace with flexible, online course scheduling.

Testimonials

The course helped me be more familiar with the Maya program and animating techniques.

Chase

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