Animated | Critters and Creatures
A collation of creature animations in Autodesk Maya with Arnold, aimed at a VFX animation career (though I would love to branch out into other departments eventually!). Thank you for taking the time to stop by my page! Regards, Kirstie Scarlett-Bruff.
| Welcome!
Please double-check the video players are on max quality for best viewing~
| Sanctuary- Gecko project
Some chosen shots from my FMP, with and without some reference shown, this is the 2-3cm long Brazilian Pygmy Gecko, so light and hydrophobic they can float on water. We wanted to showcase one of the many amazing creatures solely of the Amazon Rainforest that few people know about and which we could lose within our lifetimes if habitat deforestation continues at the rate of 2019 onwards.
The first shot shown was animated in normal speed 24fps then the alembics (the leaf was also hand-keyed) taken into Houdini and retimed during the second half, into slow motion. This made adjusting speed easy but controlling those in-between frames was much trickier. What looked good in realtime turned out differently after Houdini made some guesses in-between. This affected the perceived weight of the gecko, so if I were to do this again I would animate in slow motion for better control and the ability to preview what viewers will see on screen.
The bump into the glass shot was one of the more challenging ones from my perspective as it was so tricky to find reference of how something so tiny would react to hitting something, let alone while swimming, taking into account how the water would carry him. A lot of earlier tests came out more stylised as I attempted some degree of squash, a pause, more or less scrambling, etc. A decision also had to be made as to whether or not the feet would slide off glass or stick to it and allow climbing, as through my research I learnt some geckos do have microscopic hairs that allow climbing, but I was unable to discover which type the Brazilian Pygmy's have. We decided since there are tiny hints of claws and the fact they are hydrophobic, we would go with the sliding-off type.
In preparation for the project, I collated as much footage as I could find of geckos this size (2cm) and weight running or swimming (which is not much, though we did investigate reptile stores and filmed hand-sized geckos) and analysed their movements, annotating stills for referring to later. This also helped me liase with our rigger to get as many features in as we could for accuracy, such as the dipping of the eye sockets and ensuring some of those interesting leg/feet poses would be possible.
|Wishbone- Fox project
Part of the short film 'Wishbone' from another University of Hertfordshire team. The inquisitive fox has just been startled to find the man in the alleyway- they look back at a house where they can see a family all together, then looks back here, wondering why this person is alone. They decide to venture closer, still holding the wishbone they picked up while scavenging.
Lots of subtle detail was important for this shot so I learnt a lot about moving holds and otherwise making the character feel alive. For this reason I decided to animate the face a little, as things such as blinking would be viewable on the silhouette and have an influence on the groom. I got some feedback that the breathing's influence could be reduced a little, but due to the depth of focus that will be on the final it was decided that would stay.
password: fox
The fox has just placed the wishbone on the ground as an offering to this human who is in the same situation they are in.
This shot went through quite a few changes, from different step patterns to adding and removing a section where the fox pauses to sniff the fellow's shoe. Ultimately it was removed to allow space for the other movements to be slower, more hesitant and cautious as the fox edges closer. I made use of a range of controls to add the impression of skin or muscle movement- not all of it is visible here except on the chest and stomach but it is also present on the neck, ear wobbles and elbow/knee controls to add weight on impact when they take a step. If I were to continue working on the shot I would progress the tail first, as it moves quite smoothly when viewed from most other angles as it swings side to side, but this could be reduced as foxes keep their tails more steady and the up/down movement could be refined.
Finally, we have a little exercise in horse locomotion, though I can see a lot of improvements to make that I will definitely implement soon! Y translation on the hip and chest, sideways rotation of chest, tail and back legs throughout the gallop and adjusting that large head movement are all on the list but it was quite enjoyable and I look forward to developing these skills further~
| Sanctuary Team|
Harry Jenner - Modelling and Texturing
Mitchell Lyons - Rigging (freelance)
Kirstie Scarlett-Bruff - Art Director, Animator
Connor Griggs- (freelance) environment help
|Wishbone Core Team|
Thomas Pugh - Modelling
Laura Karbauskaite - Groom
Tanner Dunworth - Rigging
Harry McCusker-Bland - Lead Animator
Richard Fry - Lookdev and Texturing
Lucy Coleclough - FX
Charlie Humphrey - Lighting and Rendering
Matt Hutchins - Lead Comp Artist
Horse rig | Mothman TD | Contreras, Ruiz and Jurczyk
Thank you~
Comments (1)