Our friends from Focal Press have given us four copies from their How to Cheat in Maya series to give away to you. They have also shared a chapter for you to immediately download.
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Simply complete the form to access a free chapter from the Maya series. Here’s a small sample:
Squash and Stretch
LAUDED AS THE MOST IMPORTANT PRINCIPLE, squash and stretch gives characters and objects a sense of flexibility and life. Also, this principle dictates that as characters and objects move and deform, their volume generally stays the same. Some of squash and stretch can be dictated by the object actually smooshing into something, such as a ball bouncing on the ground. With characters, squash and stretch can mean many different things. It can be combined with anticipation to make a character “wind up” for an action in a visually interesting way. One example would be as a character prepares to move, he may squash his spine, making his figure bulge out. Then as he springs into motion, his form elongates and stretches thin to retain the same volume. Whenever possible, use squash and stretch on your characters to give a sense of strain (a character reaching for something high overhead), or to give a sense of fear (a character squashes into a little ball in a corner to avoid being seen by a predator). Start looking for squash and stretch in professional animation and in life, and you’ll see quickly how much this simple principle adds to the illusion of life we give objects and characters.
Win a Free Copy
Now comment below — and share your favorite 3D animation tip — to be automatically entered for your chance to win one of the four free copies of How to Cheat in Maya. Be sure to post your comment by Friday, May 17. Animation Mentor will select four random winners and notify them by email.
Good luck and see you in the Studio School.
— The Animation Mentor Crew
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