Animation Reference and Inspiration

slipsius

I think we need a thread for inspiration and reference. A place to go if you need a creative jump start. If you come across a great reference video, post it here! Great reference site? I`ll add it to this post for all to see.

League of Legends model/animation viewer
http://www.lolking.net/models 

Mostly Animals
http://www.gettyimages.ca/ (my fav.)
http://www.gettyimages.ca/bbcmotiongallery?Language=en-GB (use to be bbc motion)
http://www.greenscreenanimals.com/
http://footage.framepool.com/en/home/
http://www.pond5.com/

Front and Side videos
https://www.youtube.com/user/endlessreference
http://www.referencereference.com/

Paid
http://www.rhinohouse.com/

slipsius

Slow-mo Dog jump

(pic of the vine)


https://vine.co/v/e0XiJxnbrq2

Hito

Youtube is my go to source.
https://www.youtube.com/user/5MinuteHorseLessons
Riding; different Horse gaits

heboltz3

Great Idea Slip!

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fz9V8EKXe74[/ame]

Here's a super slowmo Crossbow firing.

http://www.hippydrome.com/

Hippydrome is an AMAZING reference for images of the deformation of the body, and how rigs/models should properly deform realistically in certain areas. Its a bit more technical, but still super rad.

Ill try to post more as I see em!

Intermission14

This is the best one I've happen to come across. It's $40 a year for an educational licence and it has a ton of videos from the front/side view and it comes with a player tailored to animation.

http://www.rhinohouse.com/


Also this youtube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/user/endlessreference


This website has some quality stuff from front/side views including combat for free.
http://www.referencereference.com/

Arturow

I love the work of Eadweard Muybridge http://www.muybridge.org/

PeteHawk

Rhinohouse as mentioned by slipsius was pretty damn worth it when I had my subscription.
And if you haven't seen this at Spungella or anywhere else, great reference for anticipation!

JearBear The Mighty

Not sure if this is fully relevant, as I'm not posting any content or any links to content, but rather some advice. If anybody owns a PS4 or Xbone (PC with recording software works too), then I would suggest loading up your favorite game or a game that has beautiful animations and record side/front views of you playing the game animations from directly within the game. After which just plug in your flashdrive, place the files on your PC, setup your rotoscope scene and have at it! Personally I'm doing this with the combos and anim cycles in DmC The Definitive Edition and its great reference material and great practice.

If anybody needs any help with this I'd be glad to lend a hand. Here's one of the source captures I made from my PS4 to illustrate my point. I recorded the side, front, and back view. After this I would then transfer them to my PC and import them as a material onto a plane to use for rotoscoping. Happy animating:poly124:
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bQ6ArHCbQA[/ame]


Here's my current inspiration vid btw:
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixF6PXdIBmo[/ame]

Hito

Physics... how does it work?!
i.imgur.com/aPxRjDV.gifv

slipsius

New to curves? This might help understand the correlation between the curve and in this case, the y-translation. 

Hito

A process step by step from Marcellis Wentz
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Js23ZWcs4z4

slipsius

https://giant.gfycat.com/FragrantBelovedGrosbeak.gif

Done by http://animatorsteve.weebly.com/

PeteHawk

Nice post HITO.
And god damn it Stephen Vyas...that guy

limeforce

Very cool posts throughout the thread! Also, the original speed animation thread that preceded this subforum was a huge source of inspiration, thanks everyone who contributed to that!

I tend to collect movement and animation that I find exciting to Pinterest boards (like probably many here?), maybe these are of value to someone else too. Mostly sports and body mechanics stuff. Also, link your own and your favorite boards guys and gals.

https://www.pinterest.com/limeforce1/moves/
https://www.pinterest.com/limeforce1/poses/
https://www.pinterest.com/limeforce1/animgifs/

cambamkaboom

Question... I've always wondered how do I gather and clip together reference for stuff that only super heroes can do? For instance, if I wanted to do a Spider-Man web swing, where would I gather reference for that?

PeteHawk

Look for things like these:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XneAxqv89g

tuna

I love to be inspired by choices people make to do things the way THEY do it, rather than the most obvious (to me or you) way.
Here is a video that could be described as simply as "man ties up a shoe lace".

It has so much character that it is just really inspiring to me, this is this guy's life 100% of the time and it's dripping with character that is honestly hard to come up with sometimes, but it's out there.

Hito

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndOmxVsUvMc

JamesGammans

I found this GDC talk on Overwatch's animation to be awesome and inspiring. 

http://www.gdcvault.com/play/1023473/Animation-Bootcamp-Overwatch-How-A

slipsius

Fantastic video about posing!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmLkVtqjf1A

WeatherMan

Excellent video!

slipsius

Great reference library! 

Svalinn

Nice curve and posing  

MiAlx

Just found this video of Rory Alderton showing some of his work on league of legends:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnKUI7sRaPE

Really cool!

Arturow

A man vs 100 mph wind :P
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezIqFyjAUP4

Arturow

A quadruped tutorial from Felix Sputnik:

Arturow

Cool article by "Bioshock Infinite" animation director Shawn Roberson https://80.lv/articles/animation-theatre-in-video-games/

AGoodFella

Arturow said:

A man vs 100 mph wind :P
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezIqFyjAUP4

Nice, that would be a fun and challenging shot to animate for sure.

Arturow

Aaron Blaise did a Live stream video from facebook while animating a bear walk cycle:
Link to the stream: https://www.facebook.com/TheArtofAaronBlaise/videos/1926616310908772/
Link to the final animation: https://www.facebook.com/AaronBlaiseArt/videos/10211760076371908/

Hito

Nier Automata combos. amazing stuff.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAU_8GEgSwI

Hito

Clip on Maya layers

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIiG1i-iWSs

AnthonyAnimation

slipsius

slipsius

Arturow

Animation tips from Brian Mendenhall - Animation Supervisor at Tippet Studio

http://blog.animationmentor.com/7-things-all-animators-need-to-start-or-stop-doing-right-now/

Hito

slipsius said:

It's great way to get reference for a sequence you need, just have to be extra careful to maintain continuous momentum in the action. very easy to ref the breaks between different clips into the animation.

Hito

Arturow said:

Animation tips from Brian Mendenhall - Animation Supervisor at Tippet Studio

http://blog.animationmentor.com/7-things-all-animators-need-to-start-or-stop-doing-right-now/

I think I'm reading it for the 4th or 5th time since you posted it. It's really good, specially #3. Tattoo this on my forehead so I see it every morning... "purpose of the overlap is a cushioning effect on the head. It means that when you track the path of the head it has a softer action than the other parts of the body."

AGoodFella

Arturow said:

Animation tips from Brian Mendenhall - Animation Supervisor at Tippet Studio

http://blog.animationmentor.com/7-things-all-animators-need-to-start-or-stop-doing-right-now/

"If you draw a straight line roughly from the feet to the shoulders, that (almost) indicates the direction the body is going to go, and the line of the resulting extension pose."

This is a cool trick, going to keep an eye out for this in future.

AnthonyAnimation

http://www.cgsociety.org/news/article/3260/behind-the-animations-of-horizon-zero-dawn-with-niek-neervens

An interview with a Sr Animator at Guerilla about Horizon's animations.

Fabulous_Fab

Animation Mentor is holding an hour long webinar with Riot Games animator Skylar Surra on May 17:

http://www.animationmentor.com/resources/webinars/animation-webinar-sign-up/

Arturow

Reverse reference haha , a guy recreates Street Fighter Ken movements
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZ67ByLSmfs

AGoodFella

AnthonyAnimation

"Great documentary on making Disney's Emperor's New Groove and the meltdown of Feature Animation (via @mikeyface)"

https://twitter.com/nickconfalone/status/864529386703171584

Arturow

awesome cameras https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bn6b36Z4kl8

_adamturnbull

To add to what @Arturow posted here is the official page including a new cinematic for Zed

http://universe.leagueoflegends.com/en_GB/collection/animation-workshop/

Hito

Know your gaits! it's not just a Run or Walk.

Arturow

All the final moves from the game Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4InC-XphZg

AnthonyAnimation

https://youtu.be/HEoUhlesN9E

Green_Cheek_Conure

@AnthonyAnimation Thanks for sharing this. This is an amazing reference pile! Kevin Parry is a godsend!

Arturow

Another great commercial for Noodles, this is with some recognizable characters https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWCUrr6kUTc

Hito