Project 5 - Sam Cohoon

Project 5

• What specific use did the shape tween serve?

It allowed me change the shape of the 'character' in my animation (kirby) in a fluid, and effective way. Without it the animation that it creates instantaneously would probably take around 30minutes-1hour to create.

• What challenges did you have using the Bone tools

My only issue was getting a shape tween applied to a boned object. The object that i was working with had a motion tween applied to it. I ended up duplicating my symbol, breaking it apart, and then creating a shape tween. I then cut the motion tween short and placed the shape tween right at the ending point (on the stage) so it could transform at just the right time. If that makes sense.

• After creating the IK with shapes and symbols, which did you prefer? Why?

Symbols! I prefer symbols for many reasons, and when adding a complex tool, such as the bone tool, to the mix it's always nice to have an easily editable instance at the ready. It does away with fused joints (that have to be fixed with that one secondary bone tool) and makes organization, which is paramount, simple.

• What benefit did you find from the nesting an IK within a movie clip?

It made animating a lot easier. Nesting a tween inside another can lead to problems when you continue to stack multiple animations deeper and deeper inside the symbol like Russian nesting dolls; IK allows you to manipulate multiple symbols that are connected with the bone tool at the same time, with a smooth and appealing outcome.

• Please share anything else regarding your experience.

I actually enjoyed this Project. It didn't involve any tools that were hard to grasp or use, and i was able to call upon the knowledge from past lectures to complete some of the more difficult aspects. That's not the only reason i enjoyed this project, though. I needed to get a few reference images for kirby, so i pulled out the old gamecube and played some Super Smash Bros. Melee. Great game, glad I choose the subject for my project. Also, the jiggle-bone leafs are just there so i could get the bone/spring animation in there...

-Sam