Ayca's Blog

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Design for Animation

Week 12 – Critical Report and Audio Visual Presentation

For this critical report, I first identified my key topics and collected relevant quotes from academic and critical sources I had previously researched. I structured the main body of the report by analysing these quotes and building connections between them. To determine positive and negative case studies, I researched which films had been most widely reviewed in terms of representation and where public and critical consensus clearly identified them as either successful or problematic. Based on this, I selected Coco as a positive example and Pocahontas as a negative one, and completed the report by analysing both films through the same critical framework and supported by sources.

This project proved to be genuinely eye-opening. After completing the report, rewatching these two films made the differences in cultural representation between them much more apparent. Moving forward, I believe I will continue to apply this analytical framework when engaging with media that represents cultural communities, evaluating such works not only critically but also ethically.

I would like to thank our tutor, Nigel, for his guidance throughout this process.

AUDIO VISUAL PRESENTATION:

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3D Animation Fundamentals Maya Unreal Engine

Week 12 – Project Completion

For the final stage of my project, I reviewed all of my Maya projects and revised them by carefully applying the feedback I received throughout the term, making appropriate adjustments across each project. I then focused on polishing the scenes that were nearly complete, paying special attention to details such as motion arcs and overall animation clarity.

Since my Unreal project was designed from a first-person POV, I adjusted the scenes that were already mostly finished to work properly with the camera. I then rigged a character I found on Fab using a Control Rig. Because I mainly needed to animate the arms, legs, and head, I focused the rig on those parts and set it up with IK so I could control the hands and feet more intuitively. After completing the rig, I created animation sequences based on the camera’s position.

Once the animations were done, I built a Blueprint camera to achieve a first-person walking effect, including bob and tilt. I also created Blueprint camera sequences for both scenes. To connect the two scenes, I added a short transition sequence using the asset’s landing animation.

To draw attention to the walking targets in both scenes, I placed light sources and used a Post Process Volume with bloom to create a blinding effect as the character approached. Finally, I added ambient bird and water sounds to both scenes, rendered everything, and edited the final result in Premiere Pro.

This term was extremely productive for me. I learned many new techniques in Maya, a software I was already familiar with, and reaching a point where I could complete a project in a completely new engine like Unreal was very rewarding. Using the techniques discussed in the workshops helped me reinforce my skills and become more comfortable with the interface. This process completely changed my perspective on animation and showed me how deep and present it is in everyday life. I would like to thank my tutors, George, Ting and Serra, for all these valuable gains.

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Unreal Engine

Week 11 – 01/12/2025 – Unreal Engine

This week I started working on the paradise scene in landscape and foliage mode using the scenes I found as an inspiration.

My reference/inspo scenes:

Paradise scene initial creation:

Next week I will look for a waterfall asset to add to my scene and discuss with Serra about the character animation and how to work on the rig.

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Maya

Week 11 – 01/12/2025 – Maya

This week I went into detailed polishing of my body mechanics shot. I focused on the hand and feet movements motion arc and refined it. Then I went frame by frame and fixed the body parts that stayed still when the whole body was in movement.

Current version:

I got more feedback from Ting to polish the little details and I will work on it this week.

Categories
Design for Animation

Week 11 – 01/12/2025 – Design for Animation

This week during the session we talked about the audio visual presentation we’re going to do as a part of our final assignment. 

I’m currently in the research phase for my critical report. I found useful articles and videos about my topic. I will be continuing my research and narrow my key topics down to 2-3. Next week, I’m going to discuss these resources I found with Nigel.

Cultural diversity in communication:

Ethical guidelines for animated videos:
https://www.mooviemakers.co.uk/ethical-guidelines-for-animated-videos-for-your-business/

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Unreal Engine

Week 10 – 24/11/2025 – Unreal Engine

This week I started creating the forest scene by working in landscape and foliage mode for the ivy covered wall, and the rain forest assets I found on the fab for the forest. 

wall covered with ivy
camera view

For the paradise scene, I started creating the landscape and gathering the necessary assets to start building the scene.

After finishing the scenes, I will focus on working with the rigs.

Categories
Maya

Week 10 – 24/11/2025 – Maya

This week I went into polishing the body mechanics, focusing on the feet movement and the COG weight shift. Once my animation matched the reference, I added exaggeration to the kick (more upper body rotation and higher kick) and adjusted the timing in order to add character to the animation. 

I also focused on the hand movements and went beyond the reference video.

The refined realistic version:

The exaggerated final version:

I’m looking forward to getting more feedback on my work because it helps me focus on and detect the details in my own work.

Categories
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: