Ayca's Blog

Author: Ekin Ayca Demirli

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Design for Animation

Week 10 – 24/11/2025 – Design for Animation

This week in class we continued with different writing approaches and the guidelines for referencing, thesis writing and citations. The session was productive, and after the class I had a chance to discuss my research proposal topic with Nigel.

I originally identified a few key topics, but this would be too broad for a 1500-word research project. So, I will keep looking for resources for all of them. Once I have a better idea of what is out there, I will choose two or three to study in depth.

• The rise of cross-cultural storytelling in globalized animation industries

• When stylization becomes stereotyping in 3D character modeling and world-building

• The role of cultural consultants, community involvement, and diverse production teams

• Economic power imbalances and Western profit from cultural borrowing

• Positive examples of authentic cultural appreciation in 3D animation

• Negative examples where cultural motifs are used superficially or commodified

In the next few weeks, I will keep gathering academic resources and case studies that are related to these points so that I can choose 2–3 of them to write about in my final essay.

Categories
Unreal Engine

Week 9 – 17/11/2025 – Unreal Engine

In this week’s Unreal Engine class, we explored the application of LUTs to improve the visual aesthetic of our scenes.  We utilized a LUT template provided by Serra and imported it into Adobe Photoshop for further modification.  In Photoshop, we utilized various alteration layers such as curves, hue modifications, and contrast adjustments to develop a customized color grade. After saving the edited LUT, we imported it back into Unreal Engine. Using a Post Process Volume, we applied our LUT and immediately saw how it transformed the mood of the scene. 

LUT
LUT Photoshopped
The scene before

We also learned how to effectively render our scenes in Unreal Engine, emphasizing the parameters that influence the final output. The class addressed the configuration of the Movie Render Queue, selection of appropriate output formats, and performance optimization while maintaining visual quality. By experimenting with these tools, we gained a better understanding of how rendering transforms a real-time scene into a polished final video. 

The scene after rendered with camera movement

We also had a chance to talk about our project progress. She showed me a few techniques to create an environment. I have 2 main scenes: a forest and a “hidden paradise”. I started creating the forest scene using a rain forest asset, and adjusted the lighting.

For the other scene, I decided to create it in landscape and foliage mode to match exactly what I had envisioned. Finally I decided on the shots and finished the storyboard. 

Categories
Maya

Week 9 – 17/11/2025 – Maya

with George

We got feedback on the body mechanics planning. Based on that feedback I decided on the key poses and posed them on the body rig. 

I determined the timing according to the reference in stepped mode. Then I moved onto spline mode, I will continue to refine.

with Ting

This week we got feedback on the body mechanics blocking shots. I focused on the COG and weight shifts. I refined the rotation of the hips and shoulders to avoid the jitters between the key poses. I also switched to working in IK for the arms and I received a better result. 

I’ll send the current version to get more feedback and polish the shot even more.

The current version with the adjustments:

Categories
Design for Animation

Week 9 – 17/11/2025 – Design for Animation

This class introduced the basics of how to write a clear, well-organized literature review. We learned how to find useful sources, spot gaps and themes, and put the review together in a way that tells a clear story. The focus was on combining research, not just summarizing it, and using outlines to help with good academic writing.

This week, I kept working on my topic by doing more research and looking into more detailed sources. After reading the literature, I finally decided on the topic and started to get a better idea of where I wanted to go with my project. I’m starting to see stronger connections and arguments coming together. I’ll talk about them more in next week’s one-on-one tutorial.

Categories
Unreal Engine

Week 8 – 10/11/2025 – Unreal Engine

This week in our Unreal Engine class, we explored lighting and got an introduction to post-processing. We learned how different kinds of lights, like Directional, Point, and Spot Lights, can change the mood and make a scene look more real. We learned more about how to make atmosphere and depth by playing with shadows, intensity, and color. We also used a material to add texture to a spotlight.

We also saw some post-processing effects for the first time. These effects, like bloom, color grading, and ambient occlusion, help make a scene look better and feel more like a movie.  It was fun to see how these tools can change the look and feel of a project completely!

This week I’ll be starting to collect the assets I found and narrow it down to the essential ones. Once I collect them, I’ll start creating the environment.

Categories
Maya

Week 8 – 10/11/2025 – Maya

with George

This week we started talking about body mechanics. We learned that body mechanics are about how the body moves (weight shifts, posture, and balance) and that these movements have to feel real before we can add any acting choices. The most important thing to remember is to shoot video reference to study timing, posing, and motion in real life before animating. We can get realistic motion and learn how things like hips, feet, and center of gravity work together by looking at reference video one frame at a time.

Our assignment this week was to plan our shot. I did 2d animation planning. Here’s my reference and my planning I did accordingly:

The feedback I got for my walk cycle animation was about refining the contact poses and fixing the small movements in the feet. I fixed the contact poses and polished the small details. Here’s the updated, refined version:

with Ting

This week, we had an industry talk from Ting, she gave us valuable insight into where animators fit within different animation roles. She explained us the creative process and mentioned how team structures can differ between big companies and smaller studios. We also discussed what working in the industry is really like and reflected on our own expectations.

Ting finished the session by showing us a variety of showreels, from character animation to gameplay cinematics. This gave us a better idea of the many different career paths available in the field.

Then we received feedback on our handposes, I’ll be refining my poses based on that.

Categories
Design for Animation

Week 8 – 10/11/2025 – Design for Animation

This week we had our 1-1 tutorials with Nigel to discuss our Research Proposals. I did some research and decided on the topic of aesthetic orientation and how it’s formed. After my discussions with Nigel, I focused on the cultural appropriation vs cultural appreciation in 3d animation.

After my research, I formulated a new critical report topic which is “Cultural Appropriation vs. Cultural Appreciation in Contemporary 3D Animation: Ethical Boundaries, Industry Practices, and the Impact on Global Audiences”

I want to look into how modern 3D animation deals with the tricky line between cultural appropriation and cultural appreciation. It will look at how studios use cultural elements like character designs, clothing, architecture, mythology, and storytelling traditions, and it will also look at where respectful representation ends and exploitative borrowing begins.

In the next week’s session I will be sharing this idea with Nigel to be able to move forward with my research.

Categories
Maya

Week 7 – 03/11/2025 – Maya

with George

This week, we focused on reviewing our weight shift and walk cycle animations.

For the walk cycle assignment, we had worked in the blocking phase to check the poses and make any necessary adjustments. The feedback I got was that my animation was missing a key pose, so I redid it this week. Here’s the refined version in spline:

For the weight shift animation, George advised me to pay more attention to the arcs. To improve this, I used the motion trail tool to track the head movement, smooth out the motion, and create a cleaner line of action. Here’s the updated version:

with Ting

This week started off by talking about hands in animation. We discussed how hands can be used in order to tell the story. They can be used to cue an action, as a secondary action, to show an emotion and to reveal the personality of a character. The lecture emphasized the importance of shape and silhouette, as well as keeping them basic and readable. We also went through organic posing, gesture flow, interconnectivity, and the concept of a leading finger to help make movement feel natural.

We reviewed some of the hand poses and gave feedback based on these principles, discussing how to improve each pose. Finally, our assignment was to create 1–3 expressive hand poses that clearly convey emotion without showing the character’s face or body. I’m sharing the poses I did for this assignment with the references.

We also had the chance to get more feedback on our Franky assignments, I needed to work on the COG to show the weight shift when he’s taking a step. After refining that, I’ll focus on adjusting the timing to make it more dynamic and engaging, rather than keeping it evenly paced.

Categories
Design for Animation

Week 7 – 03/11/2025 – Design for Animation

In this class, we learned how to choose a research topic and turn it into a clear argument. You should pick a topic that interests you, fits with your subject area, and is narrow enough to be researched well. It shouldn’t be too general or too easy.

We also talked about how the whole project should be based on a research question. You shouldn’t just be able to describe it; you should also be able to explore it and argue about it.

It’s important to use your own voice when making an argument. You need to show what you think and give proof from trustworthy sources to back it up. A good argument has a clear structure, it introduces the problem, reviews what others have said, presents your findings, and ends with a conclusion.

Based on this knowledge, I’ll conduct some research to select a topic and construct an argument. I will be preparing resources and filling up the Research Outline for our one-on-one sessions next week.

Overall, I realized that great research starts with a strong question and proceeds through clear thinking, credible sources, and belief in one’s own views. That’s what I’ll be keeping in mind during my research.

Categories
Unreal Engine

Week 7 – 03/11/2025 – Unreal Engine

In Unreal class this week, we learned how to use Control Rigs to make procedural animations right in Unreal Engine.

We started by working on a snake rig. We made the snake move in a smooth, wave-like way by connecting joints and using nodes like For Loop, Transform, and Spring Interpolation. The head control moved the rest of the body, making it move like the pendulum.

Then we made a hyena rig to see how well it could move on four legs. We used the Locomotor node to control the feet, set up phase offsets for the legs, and add ankle bone data to help with balance and stepping.

Working on these rigs really helped me learn how animation logic works behind the scenes. I liked seeing how math and motion are related, and it made me realize how powerful Unreal’s Control Rig system is. I feel more sure about trying out procedural animation now.