Improve your Creature Animation for Film & VFX
The Gnomon Workshop has released Creature Animation for Film & VFX, a guide to professional creature animation workflows, recorded by Senior Animator Francesco Barbera.
The workshop, which is aimed at junior-to-intermediate-level animators, provides over four hours of video training in Maya.
Discover a professional creature animation workflow for VFX
In the workshop, Barbera explores what is expected of an animator working in a visual effects studio tasked with delivering a shot for film or television.
As a practical example, he creates a documentary-style dinosaur animation shot, taking it from initial reference selection through final animation over the course of seven lessons.
Barbera begins by analyzing references and identifying the key elements needed to build an engaging performance while still satisfying a client’s brief.
He then shows how to develop the shot through blocking, followed by a simulated client and supervisor review, using their feedback to move the shot to primary, then final, animation.
Since the workshop focuses on creature animation, it does not cover the interaction between the creatures and the water in the shot, since this would be handled by the effects department.
As well as Maya, the workshop uses Maya animation toolset animBot, with Barbera discussing the tools he personally finds most useful for speeding up animation production.
However, its goal is not to teach a specific set of tools, but to give insight into the professional animation process, and the decision-making required to deliver a production-ready shot.
The workshop also uses Andy J. Latham’s free Maya add on Image Plane Loader, and character rigs created by Truong CG Artist.
About the artist
Francesco Barbera is a Senior Animator at Frame by Frame. He has over a decade of experience in the film and VFX industry, working with studios including MPC, Framestore and DNEG.
His film credits include Project Hail Mary, The Fantastic Four: First Steps, and Masters of the Universe, and his television work includes Prehistoric Planet and House of the Dragon.
Price and availability
Creature Animation for Film & VFX is available via a subscription to The Gnomon Workshop, which provides access to over 300 tutorials.
Subscriptions cost $57/month or $499/year. Free trials are available.
Read more about Creature Animation for Film & VFX on The Gnomon Workshop’s website
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