secondary animation can mean a whole number of things, which is why I doubt I will have it all covered, this is also more research based than practical as it would take forever to animate everything there is to know about secondary animation, but the reason I decided to look into this was strictly because of my short film in Mike's project.
So firstly i went round searching for the definition of secondary animation (i always do this out of habbit but mainly so that i have a clear view of what it is exactly, I've always known the basics but to get a full understanding of the meaning i always feel the need to look it up!)
Anyway, i came across this website http://tysonibele.com/Main/Tutorials/Secondary/secondary.htm and read this really interesting and simple rule of thump when it came to secondary animation:
"The Key: As stated by a balding genius many years ago whose name eludes me at the moment, "For every action, there is an equal reaction". By far, this is one of the most important things to remember when animating. Without remembering this very basic thing, your animation will lack proper weight and motion, and therefore will lack believability."
Obviously i am aware this is Newtons theory but i never thought to incorporate it into animation, and i always find with theories like that in mind it makes the process of animation so much easier!
Another thing i read off of the site is:
"The idea is, that as animate things move around in world-space, there are some motions that can be controlled, and there are some motions that cannot be controlled. The motions that cannot be controlled (or at least controlled easily) fit nicely into the catagory of "secondary motion". "
So basically secondary animation could be described as an involuntary reaction to a voluntary action.
ITS ALL PHYSICS!!
Another thing i read off of the site is:
"The idea is, that as animate things move around in world-space, there are some motions that can be controlled, and there are some motions that cannot be controlled. The motions that cannot be controlled (or at least controlled easily) fit nicely into the catagory of "secondary motion". "
So basically secondary animation could be described as an involuntary reaction to a voluntary action.
ITS ALL PHYSICS!!
At the bottom of the page on the website it shows some beautiful examples of how secondary animation can make a HUGE amount of difference when it comes to animating, but to look quickly i've put the links below! :)
Below are some more examples of secondary animation, this time from the book "The illusion of life" by Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston.
"According to Ollie Johnson and Frank Thomas who were Disney animators, “DRAG," in animation, for example, would be when Goofy starts to run, but his head, ears, upper body, and clothes do not keep up with his legs (Lightfoot par.6). They state ‘Drag’ as example of how secondary animation is an important aspect of their animations created within the Disney studio."-reference from Nathan Millar
THE TAIL
THE BOX
THE LAMP
With secondary animation
But there's more to secondary animation than just flopping about from front to back, below is a list that i have come up with that i believe to be secondary animation:
- MOVING HAIR
- MOVING CLOTHES
- FROWN MARKS
- CHEEK MOVEMENT
- INVOLUNTARY EYEBROW MOVEMENT
Below are some more examples of secondary animation, this time from the book "The illusion of life" by Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston.
"According to Ollie Johnson and Frank Thomas who were Disney animators, “DRAG," in animation, for example, would be when Goofy starts to run, but his head, ears, upper body, and clothes do not keep up with his legs (Lightfoot par.6). They state ‘Drag’ as example of how secondary animation is an important aspect of their animations created within the Disney studio."-reference from Nathan Millar
the blog also explains the aspects of secondary animation in detail:
"Follow Through depends on:
• Primary action of the character
• Weight and degree of flexibility of appendage
• Air resistance• Follow Through is how you terminate the motion (par. 7)
Not only does the speed, direction and weight of the primary motion effect the secondary motion but the environment it is situated within does as well.
Overlap depends on:
• Force transmitted through a flexible joint
• Progressively Breaking Joints
• No complete stop, before another action is started
• Nothing happens at the same time, this will give a feeling of solidity and weight (Jones par.7)
By placing the begging and end of secondary animation on separate keys than the primary animation, the animation as a whole will be more believable because secondary movement in reality. Also, because it ends after the end of the primary movement it continues despite if the primary object has stopped dead. According to Ollie Johnson and Frank Thomas, “Overlapping action is when the character changes direction while his clothes or hair continues forward” (Lightfoot par. 6). The animation not only is more believable but more visually stimulating because of the extra movement.
Follow Through: Posing Overshoot
Posing Overshoot:
• Natural motion does not stop abruptly or it will look mechanical
• Organic motion moves a little past the termination point before the “settle” pose…this is called “overshoot”
• Like a pendulum swing, the joints will over compensate for the motion and settle; then come to a complete rest
• Overshoot and Settle add accent and weight to your moves
• General Rule: 6-8 frames to settle, and at least 8 frames for the overshoot. If its only a hand gesture use less time (Jones par.10)
Here Jones explains where to situate the keys of the secondary movement on the timeframe. ‘Settle’ is the end of the secondary animation situated after the primary motion.
Overlapping Motion: Progressively Breaking Joints
Using Timing for Overlap:
• Each part of the hierarchy must stop at a different time to achieve overlapping motion = Progressively Breaking Joints
• The “lag” in timing of each joint in the hierarchy creates a whipping motion
• The breaking of each joint works well for cloth or appendages that are light enough to demand the fluid action
• The end of the tree is the last thing to come to rest and usually moves more than the rest of the tree
• Can help eliminate twinning, through delayed parts (Jones par. 12) "
Here are some examples that i find show good evidence of secondary animation:
"Follow Through depends on:
• Primary action of the character
• Weight and degree of flexibility of appendage
• Air resistance• Follow Through is how you terminate the motion (par. 7)
Not only does the speed, direction and weight of the primary motion effect the secondary motion but the environment it is situated within does as well.
Overlap depends on:
• Force transmitted through a flexible joint
• Progressively Breaking Joints
• No complete stop, before another action is started
• Nothing happens at the same time, this will give a feeling of solidity and weight (Jones par.7)
By placing the begging and end of secondary animation on separate keys than the primary animation, the animation as a whole will be more believable because secondary movement in reality. Also, because it ends after the end of the primary movement it continues despite if the primary object has stopped dead. According to Ollie Johnson and Frank Thomas, “Overlapping action is when the character changes direction while his clothes or hair continues forward” (Lightfoot par. 6). The animation not only is more believable but more visually stimulating because of the extra movement.
Follow Through: Posing Overshoot
Posing Overshoot:
• Natural motion does not stop abruptly or it will look mechanical
• Organic motion moves a little past the termination point before the “settle” pose…this is called “overshoot”
• Like a pendulum swing, the joints will over compensate for the motion and settle; then come to a complete rest
• Overshoot and Settle add accent and weight to your moves
• General Rule: 6-8 frames to settle, and at least 8 frames for the overshoot. If its only a hand gesture use less time (Jones par.10)
Here Jones explains where to situate the keys of the secondary movement on the timeframe. ‘Settle’ is the end of the secondary animation situated after the primary motion.
Overlapping Motion: Progressively Breaking Joints
Using Timing for Overlap:
• Each part of the hierarchy must stop at a different time to achieve overlapping motion = Progressively Breaking Joints
• The “lag” in timing of each joint in the hierarchy creates a whipping motion
• The breaking of each joint works well for cloth or appendages that are light enough to demand the fluid action
• The end of the tree is the last thing to come to rest and usually moves more than the rest of the tree
• Can help eliminate twinning, through delayed parts (Jones par. 12) "
Here are some examples that i find show good evidence of secondary animation:
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