Character: singer/dancer animation

[Lynx75]

:eek: :eek:
ive got noo words about.
Amazing job...

ps.: ive ordered the cd with your tutorials from an italian magazine! 8)

cool job!!

[Laa-Yosh]

Well, I'm going to risk my neck here and honestly speak out what I think...

Your abilities in character modeling, rigging and shading outshine your abilities as a character animator. I can't see the facial part well enough because the screen is small, but the body animation is not good... Let's face it, it's bad; it's jerky at times, the transitions are unnatural, the feet slide on the ground a lot and so on - it is very unnatural. Not that I could do better, mind you.

I really think that you should team up with someone who's got the talent to bring your pretty models to life. Or do some mocap. I mean, you raise the bar pretty high with the model and so it's pretty hard to deliver animation good enough for it.
I absolutely don't want to offend you but all the work you've put into this character is almost ruined by the animation right now. There are only a few of the very lucky people out there who are equally good at modeling, texturing animation, and even technical stuff like rigging... I'm sorry but I don't think that this clip would make you one of them.

All of the above is just my opinion though. And the girl still looks fantastic :)

[samartin]

I find this quite hard 2 crit 2 b honest... I think the the girl on the TV is really well done, the tune fits 2 the actions she is carrying out... However the dancing girl just does not fit the mood of the song IMO, and like the post b4 she doesn't give the impression she's a slick/relaxed dancer... (I know both girls r the self and same)

Not that I've been 2 many pole dancing places but the song does seem 2 fit that kinda environment, and may make animating a tad easier !?!?!?

Awesome work on the texturing/modelling but the dancing girl, not sure...

[Hexodam]

Agree with everyone here,
Modeling = Exceptional
Texturing = Exceptional
Facial Animation = Exceptional
Rigging = Exceptional
Character Animation = Needs some work

Could you post the animation of just the face singing?

[e338]

hey master!

it's the first time i feel to say something "bad" about your work man.
As usual, what you give us here is a beautiful model, perfectly skinned.
And the force of your work is to give sensuality to a mesh.

Laa-Yosh is wright when he says that your animation kills the rest of your work. I won't give details about this.
You'd better find your half (is your wife involved in animation ? :) ).

Now, considering the "no budget" detail...

For me, you want to show too much things in the meantime.
She standing in front of us, dancing, and, as we can't see her face enough, you give us a close-up in a TV. Like in a U2 concert.

Hide her, swap beetween tv and "real", close-up and medium shoots, etc... From the lips to the eyes.
Then, to the mouth. a detail on the shoulder, zou! to the belly.

She needs a little help to be more... lascive, sensual,...


I say that because... i love your work. (why do i justify myself, it's like i was goin' to date!!! )


thanks

[FloydBishop]

What package are you using to animate with? I agree about the somewhat jerky movement, although you've got the poses pretty well nailed... and that's half the battle. She looks balanced in every frame of the animation.

Teaming up with an animator for the project would be a good idea. I don't know any animators who wouldn't want a character like this on their reel.

Maybe a post to the "Collaborative Team Projects" board or the "Animation" board is in order?

[Neural Riptide]

I have to agree with the others about the animation, though it seems to be just a matter of smoothing out the edges.

As for the facial animation, going by what I've seen at your site, I 'm pretty sure all you would need to do is do a close up of it, and it'll be obvious that it's really well done. :)

I agree with what Samartin said about the mood of the song vers. the mood of the dance. Perhaps a bit slower. Not so many quick movements with the arms.

Another suggestion would be to zoom out on the vocal animation, and give her a little arm movement. That thing that a number of women are so good at when they are longing for something. Hands crossed or clasped up against the lower throat/top of the rib cage (whatever that little dish like thingy is called). No need to show a lot of the arms, but just enough so that the hands can be seen in that position. Obviously she wouldn't keep them there all the time, it's an action of desire, not a permanent position, so you'd want to have her do that only at certain lyrical points in the song. You could also cut to and from that scene (on the video screen) to closeup shots of her face, so you basically see the eyes, nose, and mouth.

Just what I see though. I'm not really in a position to even critique about the motion of the dancer (scale of 1 to 100 I'm about a 3 when it comes to character modeling)

Keep at it though, I've always liked the facial animations you've done, and I think it will probably only take a few pointers from others who are good with movement, and you'll master that art as well. :)

[-=InQ=-]

2Steven:
This absolutely super-mega-beautiful! I don't know english well enough to express my impression!
I'll never be able to do such a things :hmm:

2All:
Come on people! Not everyone can hire a choreographer
like Britney Spears! There are a lot of singers that dance like damaged vacuum cleaners

[j3st3r]

2InQ: It`s not about choreography, but about the animation itself. The choreography doesn`t fit well to the song, that`s one thing, the animation itself is bad, with sliding feets, and strange movements. The girls herself is extremely alive, but the animation doesn`t support the illusion. That`s why it`s ok to use mocap. Currently I don`t think that any animator can give her the same quality animation as the model. Use mocap...

Jester

[Volker]

"Currently I don`t think that any animator can give her the same quality animation as the model. "

That's ridiculous j3st3r! That's like saying no modeler can do justice to real objects? Animation is an extremely difficult art to master, and has a very high learning curve in my opinion. Most people can dabble in modeling and get something ok, but it takes sweat and tears to get anything close to looking good in animation! Down with Mocap!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Long live the creative animator!

~Zach
Character Animator

[j3st3r]

Babyhopper, I don`t understand you...That`s what I told. Animation is very hard art, maybe the hardest among the visual arts. And I do admire all animators, who has the talent of animating, giving life to the characters.

What I told with my bad Eastern European English is that I don`t think, that any animator could make a believeble (in this case PHOTREAL) animation for this chick. I`m not against mocap, if it serves ME. Although, you are right about the creative animator. I don`t like stuffs like Poser, FaceGen, Creature Genrator etc. because it`s not art to press a key, and recieve a full character. But behind the mocap, there is the ACTOR. Or you think, there were no creativity behind Gollum?

[urgaffel]

The animation is down?

Looks as great as always. Can't really think of anything to crit...

[Stahlberg]

Thanks for taking the time to tell me your opinions, it's always helpful, and appreciated. Hehe, still, I was hoping this wouldn't come to the front page again...
Sorry the animation's down now, the reason is I deleted it... ahem. I want to improve it before I show it again... :)

Yes I agree with all the criticism on the whole, though I do want to point out a few things.
The oscillating - running the animation backwards after it's reached the end, then forwards again etc - isn't helping. I guess most of the 'strange movements' would be when she's moving backwards. Shouldn't have done that, but I only had 320 frames... also we slowed it down by about 20%.

And the floating feet - I know exactly where that is, it's from frame 90 to a 100 (at the original speed), where I had managed to get gimbal-lock on the feet so I had to rotate the 'Top-Translate' node (which rotates everything, feet included), and then try to counter-move the feet... well we all know this is futile and never ends well. :) At all other times the feet are rock-solid, they are separate skeletons (using the Detached Foot method, the one part of my rig I really like).

About realistic human animation - I would tend to agree it's just about impossible to pull off a complex extended full-body movement to a 100% without mocap. It's quite different from any other animation, like the wonderful work of Pixar for instance.
Take my character. It has 62 separate channels to keyframe for just the body movements, not including any shoulder-blade movement or finger-movements or eye-movements or facial expressions... maybe my rig can be simplified a little, but on the other hand maybe the problem is it's too simplistic - the human body does contain over 200 bones after all, most of them able to move with respect to all the others. And it's the old problem, the closer to human we get, the more obvious any mistake will be.

But of course that's a lot of excuses - I did screw up, in several ways - the animation, the editing, even the decision to show it... I'll try harder next time. Or maybe I'll just get mocap. :)

[KingMob]

don't sweat it not being perfect...tho I didnt get to see it. Crit's make things better, and by the sound of it, you will have it improved for the enxt version...which is why these forums exist.

Great modeling and texturing, can't crit the animation caus eyou took it down :(

tho I think the underpants witht he shirt is an odd fashionstatement...but I kinda like it.


Now where do I get one of them silver shirts?

[gnarlycranium]

Originally posted by Stahlberg
But of course that's a lot of excuses - I did screw up, in several ways - the animation, the editing, even the decision to show it...
Dood, WIP is WIP, that's why it's WIP... don't let them get to ya. Wish I could've seen it. Hey, if it wasn't perfect-- I'd be reassured, personally. ;)

The model is just plain stunning, as always... I mean.. what else is there to say... so I'll just skip that and try to find something to complain about. Okay, I can't find any modeling or texturing or other CG issues to complain about, so I'm reduced to fashion crits, heh... The outfit. The shirt's alright, but really she looks like she kinda forgot to FINISH getting dressed below the waist. *edit* waiiitasecond... I just reread the first post and saw what you said about shorts. There IS something missing! Nevermind!! :D I'm silly!

[PAL]

Some bugs, BUT I love her movements!!!

Keep it up!

[king of tartine]

Fantastic job, very amazing i think...
:eek:
please more pictures...

[Viper]

Too bad the anim is down....

The images look great though!! Really inspiring! :thumbsup:

[Julez4001]

Hey Could You please repost it. I know How u feel but the SuperBowl was on and I .....

[samartin]

But of course that's a lot of excuses - I did screw up, in several ways - the animation, the editing, even the decision to show it... I'll try harder next time. Or maybe I'll just get mocap. :)

u certainly didn't screw up... the girl on the TV was of high quality with top notch lip synching... and it's nice 2 c no-one's a perfect allrounder 4 now, can't wait 2 c the new improved version... :applause:

[sanciok]

Well, i saw the animation... :) before u deleted it, and... yes u can do better! The problem is u choose a difficult subject... i mean u CAN create sexy woman, but animating them is quite difficult. I agree with the mocap thing!

Anyway, great job on the character as always!!!

applause: :applause: :applause:

[forve]

Well done, Steven, amazing work. Model is very and very good. She looks like a real girl. Only a mouth at mouth corner, IMHO,must be more slim.
As to animation ... I can't download mpeg. The link is broken. :(

[RISKBREAKER]

dude, you rock:buttrock:

awesome!!!!!!

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