99. when 3d animating, make it real

While animating a man slipping on a banana peel, it’s tempting to use shortcuts that look good from a specific camera angle.

avoid these shortcuts!

Instead I animate the scene “for real” which means the man actually steps on the banana peel and falls, sending the peel flying. This gives me the flexibility to move the camera freely, allowing me to explore more interesting angles. Realism in animation not only enhances visual quality but also allows for creative freedom in your shots.

I’ve recently embraced the power of simulation in my 3D animations which is a bit of a bonus tip. Instead of faking a wine bottle falling off a table (which involves a ton of keyframes and doesn’t look amazing) I instead run a physics simulation and drop the bottle at many angles. The tradeoff here is I’m relinquishing control of the animation - it won’t fall just the way I want it. Buuuut it can fall in much more interesting ways!

It’s funny, the role of animator is changing. Where I would once have to draw each frame, now I control the camera and story making me more of a director, writer and actor. The sad thing is we lose the artist’s hand in this process. I hope to improve my 3D animation skills so I can bring some of that back in future work.