Animation Basics

Okay, I lied. It’s not quite time to animate. Going into it, there are a couple of things you should know.

This book is not meant to be a stand-in for a good education in the basics of character animation. Entire tomes have been penned by master animators of which you are encouraged to avail yourself. If you’re the diligent sort who already has that covered, or if you’re the type who hasn’t but figures you’ll just plow straight ahead anyway, here is the briefest rundown of what you need to keep in mind while animating.

Computer animation is a combination of puppetry, engineering, and acting. It is a performance. And, just like an actor’s performance in a movie or on the stage, the goal is not to exactly mimic reality. The goal ...

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