This week’s task was to plan and animate a simple pendulum motion, keeping the movement side-to-side only, in side profile, within a 100-frame limit. The focus was on planning the timing clearly before animating in Maya.
I planned the pendulum by drawing key positions across the timeline, marking important frames where the pendulum reaches each extreme and passes through the centre. The spacing between drawings changes to show how the pendulum moves faster through the middle and slows down at the ends. I noted that longer spacing means more frames, which helped me visualise timing and rhythm more clearly.
This exercise helped reinforce the importance of planning motion paths and timing before animating. Keeping the shot simple made it easier to focus on weight, flow, and realistic movement, which I can now apply when animating the pendulum in Maya.
I need to focus more on creating clear C-shapes and S-shapes in the motion.
The small ball should always follow the top part of the pendulum, not move ahead of it, otherwise the motion feels illogical.
The top section must always lead the movement, with the rest of the pendulum following afterwards. The secondary parts should never be positioned ahead of the leading part, as this breaks the sense of physical logic and weight.
Feedback of the bouncing ball (Week1)
I need to clearly define the arcs of the movement. Each bounce should have a smaller arc and a shorter gap than the previous one, as they are currently too large or remain the same size.
I also need to use the motion trail correctly, making sure it matches exactly what is shown in the Graph Editor, so the motion reads clearly and consistently.