One of the most common mistakes junior animators make when staging their shots is to position the camera above the action, looking down on the characters. This can be tempting to do, because it is an easy way to capture everything that is going on.  However "CCTV Camera" is usually a mistake (though you might need to create a particular effect in certain circumstances). A better choice is to position the camera at eye level - where the camera becomes a non-participant observer in the scene. Watch this very short video to see why. Keep the Camera at Eye Level Camera generally wo ..read more

In this super simple beginner animation tutorial we show how to animate a vehicle coming to a sudden stop. The free tutorial uses the free "AnyCar 3.1.4 for Maya" rig, downloadable here from Creative Crash.   This is a fun, simple tutorial that is aimed at animation beginners in Autodesk Maya, part of our series of animation basics for students who have never used Maya before.   Yellow Beetle Rig The Beetle rig, snappily titled ""Swappable Car Rig with Ubershockies - The AnyCar 3.1.4 for Maya" is a great way to get some fun, cartoony vehicle animation into your demo reel. It ..read more

Animate a Traffic Cone Being Knocked Over In this beginner's animation tutorial we show how to animate a traffic cone being knocked over by a speeding car.  It's based on the Yellow Beetle animation tutorial - which you can find here.   You can however use any vehicle, and animate it by simply setting a keyframe at the start and the end of the motion.  The timing of the traffic cone is very simple; with just a few keyframes and we can add texture to the scene.  Animate a Traffic Cone Being Knocked Over You can find the free ten minute tutorial below.  Wo ..read more

https://anim-matt.gumroad.com/ We're loving this new source of Free Rigs and Sets for Maya Animators at Animation-Matt https://anim-matt.gumroad.com/.  It's a great resource, packed with free (and low priced) rigs for character animation.  Anim-matt also has plenty of sets for animators to work in, including interior and exterior shots such as street, bars and living rooms, for characters to act and perform in. Rigs and Sets Other places to look for great free animation rigs, sets and props include: Free Sets and Props at Turbosquid Free Assets from Paragon Anim ..read more

  Animated characters need to look at each other, so their eyes don't wander around screen.  Watch the short video above with acting legend Michael Caine for some tips from the master of screen acting.  The video itself is a little dated (1980s) but the lessons remain just as important today.  According to Caine, the number one lesson for stage actors is to "hold on to each others' eyes".  And, what is true for stage actors is true for animators too.  You can watch Caine's acting advice in the video above - the important part is all in the first 5 minutes ..read more

Eye direction matters. If animated characters aren't looking at each other, or if the motion of the eyes feels weird and lifeless, the animation will lack believability.  Fortunately, most character rigs come with a "Look See" or "Eye Direction" controller, which control the character's eye direction, so that the eyes always seem to be focused and alert. To see how to use the "Look See" control with the Kayla rig (one of the rigs we recommend for learning animation), watch the short video above.  Create a Character Offscreen One of my favourite tricks when animating ..read more

Above is a selection of the best acting and performance animation created by students at Animation Apprentice. The "Character Performance" reel includes work created by many of our talented students. All of our graduates should have at least one compelling acting shot on their reel, and one of the best ways to do this is to enter the monthly 11 Second Club.  Congratulations to all our students and recent graduates on their excellent work. Animation Apprentice Demo Reels Our students have been producing excellent animation at Animation Apprentice since our founding in 2012.  To ..read more

Children's Media Conference 9-10-11 July 2024  The Children's Media Conference (CMC) in Sheffield wants your animation pitches.   In the "Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is" pitch sessions, animation creatives pitch to the animation industry, much like on the BBC's "Dragon's Den".   The CMC takes place from 9-10-11 July 2024. The deadline for submissions is 13 June 2024.  Children's Media Conference At the Children's Media Conference in Sheffield in July, Animation Dragons assemble at CMC to option the next big commercial kids property. Wh ..read more

Above is a selection of the best work done on animals and creatures at Animation Apprentice.  The "Animals & Creatures Animation Reel" includes work created by many of our talented students.  Animals and Creatures are tough to animate - the mechanics of the motion need to be accurate and believable, especially so on high visual effects feature film work.  Congratulations to all our students on their excellent work solving the peculiar problems of animal and creature locomotion and performance. Animation Apprentice Demo Reels Our students have been producing excellent an ..read more

We're recommending this new animation script "Lock to World", available for download at Gumroad.  The Lock to World tool does the same job at the Anchor Transform Tool, which no longer works in newer versions of Maya - since the upgrade to Python 3.  Sliding feet can be a problem when animating a character walk or a walk cycle.  Fortunately for Maya animators, the Lock to World tool created by Jesse Ong Pho offers a simple solution.  Rather than manually tweaking your animation to stop the feet sliding, this script lets you anchor a transf ..read more