12 Principles of Animation for CG Animators

Course details

The 12 principles of animation underlie everything animators do, from making movies to video games. These principles are the same regardless of the software you use—2D or 3D, open source or advanced suite. In this course, award-winning animator David Andrade takes traditional student assignments (a bouncing ball and a lowly flour sack) and translates them into digital animations that illustrate each of these principles in detail. He uses Maya and Blender, but the focus in not on software mastery; it's about the techniques, not the tools. Follow along as he introduces the history of character animation and explores each of the 12 principles, from squash and stretch and anticipation to timing and follow-through. Take the challenge exercises to practice what you've learned along the way.

Animation has evolved tremendously in the last century, but some principles always stay the same. This foundation will serve you for a lifelong career.

Learning objectives
A history of character animation
Squash and stretch
Anticipation
Staging
Pose-to-pose animation
Secondary action
Timing
Exaggeration

Concepts

0. Introduction

01 - Welcome
02 - How to use the exercise files

1. An Overview

03 - A brief history of character animation
04 - Think physics and art, not software

2. Squash, Stretch, and Anticipation

05 - Principle 1 - Squash and stretch
06 - Principle 2 - Anticipation
07 - Challenge - An exercise with a ball
08 - Solution - An exercise with a ball

3. Staging

09 - Principles 3 - Staging
10 - Challenge - An exercise with a flour sack
11 - Solution - An exercise with a flour sack

4. Straight Ahead and Pose-to-Pose

12 - Principle 4 - Straight ahead
13 - Principle 4 - Pose-to-pose
14 - Combine them to form copied pairs

5. Follow Through and Slow In and Out

15 - Principle 5 - Follow through
16 - Principle 6 - Slow in and out
17 - Using tangents to control slows fasts

6. Arcs and Secondary Action

18 - Principle 7 - Arcs
19 - Principle 8 - Secondary action
20 - Challenge - An exercise with a flour sack
21 - Solution - An exercise with a flour sack

7. Timing

22 - Principle 9 - Timing
23 - Principle 9 - Spacing
24 - Challenge - An exercise with a ball
25 - Solution - An exercise with a ball

8. Exaggeration, Solid Drawing, and Appeal

26 - Principle 10 - Exaggeration
27 - Principle 11 - Solid drawing
28 - Principle 12 - Appeal
29 - Challenge - An exercise with a flour sack
30 - Solution - An exercise with a flour sack

Conclusion

31 - Next steps