Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
In a nutshell, that is the CG process. You'll need to practice planning and patience,
because CG follows conventions that are different from those for painting programs and
image editors. The CG workflow is based on building, arrangements, and relationships.
But it's an easy workflow to pick up and master in time. It can be learned by anyone with
the desire and the patience to give it a try.
Animation
Animation
is
change over time
. In other words, animation is the simulation of an object
changing over a period of time, whether it's that object's position or size, or even color
or shape. In addition to working in the three dimensions of space, Maya animators work
with a fourth dimension: time.
All animation, from paper flipbooks to film to Maya, is based on the principle that
when we see a series of rapidly changing images, we perceive the changing of the image
to be in continuous motion. If you have a chance to pause and step through an animated
film, frame by frame, on your DVD player or DVR, you'll see how animation comes
together, literally step by step.
To create CG animation yourself, you have to create scene files with objects that
exhibit some sort of change, whether through movement, color shift, growth, or other
behavior. But just as with flipbooks and film animation, the change you're animating
occurs between static images, called
frames,
a term carried over from film. You define
the object's animation using a
timeline
measured in these single frames.
You'll learn more in the section “Basic Animation Concepts” later in this chapter. For
now, let's move on to the stages of CG production.
The Stages of Production
The CG animation industry inherited a workflow from the film industry that consists of
three broad stages: preproduction, production, and post production. In film,
preproduc-
tion
is the process in which the script and storyboards are written, costumes and sets are
designed and built, actors are cast and rehearsed, the crew is hired, and the equipment is
rented and set up. In the
production
phase, scenes are taped or filmed in the most efficient
order.
Post production
(often simply called
post
) describes everything that happens after-
ward: The scenes are edited into a story; a musical score, sound effects, and additional dia-
logue are added; and visual effects may also be added. (In a film that has special effects or
animation, the actual CG creation is usually completed in post production. However, it
may start in the preproduction phases of the film or project.)
Although the work performed at each stage is radically different, this is a useful
framework for understanding the process of creating CG as well.
