Lynda.COM Flash Professional CS5: Character Animation

Author:
Dermot O' Connor

Duration:
09h 19m

Released on:
11/17/2010

Exercise files:
Yes

Software works on:
Windows only


In Flash Professional CS5: Character Animation, Dermot O' Connor explains the process of character animation in Flash, using nested symbols and motion and shape tweening to create believable characters. The course covers the process from start to finish, from rigging a character to creating a walk cycle animation. Along the way, Dermot demonstrates techniques such as animating eye blinks, head turns, and mouth movements during dialogue. Exercise files accompany the course.
Topics include:

    Rendering in SWF or AVI
    Creating vectors for the the character body
    Coloring the body
    Rigging a mouth in Flash
    Posing the rig
    Animating head and body movement
    Creating hands
    Understanding facial expressions
    Making the contact poses
    Creating passing poses
    Animating in-betweens



Introduction
Welcome           01m 09s
Using the exercise files           00m 39s
Prerequisites           01m 37s

1. Setting Up the Project
Creating Flash-friendly character design           04m 57s
Animation rendering: SWF or AVI           02m 24s
Understanding line tool drawbacks when animating           07m 07s
Using uniform project scales in Flash           03m 40s
Finding helpful extensions for Flash           02m 46s
Using commands and keyboard shortcuts           09m 53s
Setting up your workspaces           04m 11s

2. Character Rigging
Understanding character rigging           02m 00s
Exploring underlying structure in character rigging           04m 27s
Vectorizing the character body           06m 22s
Outlining colors in an animated character           06m 15s
Vectorizing the hands           06m 43s
Vectorizing the head           04m 47s
Outlining the head           08m 20s
Adding finishing touches with hair           02m 11s
Colorizing the character head           07m 28s
Colorizing the body           05m 33s
Applying gradients           06m 18s
Symbolizing and pivoting the body parts           10m 47s
Pivoting the head           04m 42s
Rigging the mouth           10m 49s
Rigging the eye           08m 33s

3. Creating Comps
Tween types: Shape vs. motion           05m 41s
Combining motion and shape tweening           04m 31s
Animating an eye blink using shape tweening           10m 02s
Rigging a mouth in Flash for dialogue and expressions           05m 30s
Creating a D mouth           12m 29s
Creating an F mouth           06m 58s
Getting the polished look           07m 11s

4. Animating a Head Turn
Overview of the head turn           02m 13s
Preparing the rig           08m 15s
Posing the rig           07m 17s
Animating the head movement           11m 05s
Animating the body movement           12m 09s
Animating the head turn           11m 28s
Adding finesse to the head turn           09m 34s

5. Animating a Walk Across the Screen
Introducing the walk           01m 05s
Creating a profile view           08m 30s
Creating the head in profile           10m 10s
Creating the hand           06m 57s
Creating hand symbols           08m 32s
Reviewing the walk           03m 06s
Prepping the walk           08m 33s
Setting up the contact poses           06m 45s
Creating secondary contact poses           09m 38s
Finishing up the contact poses           06m 48s
Creating the passing poses           09m 39s
Finishing the passing pose           05m 56s
Animating the recoil position           10m 09s
Animating the high point of the walk           09m 24s
Adding in-betweens           08m 31s
Rigging the shoes           08m 27s
Animating the shoes           11m 58s
Animating the character's head movements           08m 29s
Fine-tuning the animation           09m 00s
Nesting the hand symbols           08m 39s
Repositioning the walk           04m 11s

6. Animating a Walk Cycle
Introducing the walk in place           01m 30s
Setting up contact poses           10m 04s
Creating the passing poses           07m 14s
Creating the recoil positions           08m 11s
Animating the head's high point           04m 09s
Tweening the legs           05m 11s
Tweening the arms           10m 27s
Setting the placement of the foot           09m 09s
Animating the shoes           07m 52s
Animating the hair           06m 09s
Creating secondary hand actions           08m 48s
Animating the torso           06m 27s
Repositioning the walk           07m 17s

7. Animating Dialogue
Understanding dialogue           00m 49s
Using the A-F system of six set mouth shapes           04m 23s
Animating dialogue using the mouth rig           14m 30s
Integrating the dialogue with the head turn           05m 35s
Animating the jaw           06m 59s
Creating an angry dialogue mouth           07m 43s
Finishing the angry dialogue mouth           06m 38s
Integrating acting techniques           01m 51s
Tips on facial expressions           05m 41s

Conclusion
Goodbye           00m 36s