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Well, since #Titanfall2 is temporarily free-to-play starting RIGHT NOW through May 3rd on Steam, might as well share some old process vids from the Monarch Executions.
#gamedev #animation
Video thread below:
#gamedev #animation
Video thread below:
What's neat about this particular titan is that it has an execution that steals batteries from enemy titans ("Energy Thief").
The second execution was a derivative from BT's finisher against Ash in the campaign ("Checkmate").
The second execution was a derivative from BT's finisher against Ash in the campaign ("Checkmate").
Before diving into heavy animation, having a layout pass is key to rapid iteration. It doesn't have to be pretty, but getting it in game will allow the animator to quickly test out ideas and work out any technical issues associated with the performance or system.
By setting up your "technical canvas," you can quickly test out a variety of ideas in a short period of time. Throwing it in a playtest early is also helpful in getting feedback to help refine your idea.
We also use the motion capture stage to figure out ideas quickly. We kind of treat it like a fancy "reference video stage," except we have the option to use the data to help us with the end result. This is also a good opportunity to explore other performances as back up.
I particularly like to suit up and walk through the motions like an actor would when blocking out a scene on set. By allowing each beat to breath, it gives me wiggle room to edit the data to fit within the framework of gameplay later on, kind of like putting a puzzle together.
When working with data, I sometimes reverse engineer the traditional animation process. I first retime the whole anim in Maya. Once I test the new timing in game, I would then alter the spacing between the timed beats to help with the weight/rhythm that would get lost in capture.
Next, I bake everything down and proceed to clean up the data (feet sliding, pops, weird arcs). Then I delete sections in the animation and keyframe those areas to add some flavor to the piece, such as pushed breakdown keys or inbetweens (adding back in some of the craft).
Towards the end, I would slap a layer on and finesse the main storytelling poses, push some of the extremes to add more weight, key in additional overlap/offsets/overshoots/jolt & hold frames, sprinkle in some noise on top for texture, etc.
"But what if there isn't an enemy pilot in their titan?"
Well...
[highlight time frame in Maya -> delete]
There you go!
Well...
[highlight time frame in Maya -> delete]
There you go!
As always, these things are highly collaborative and a huge team effort between design, code, art, animation, vfx, audio, qa, production, etc.
Steven DeRose on design
@shirokumakun on art
Ricardo Hernandez for audio
@mreassassin manning the moCap stage
Robert Gaines on the VFX
Steven DeRose on design
@shirokumakun on art
Ricardo Hernandez for audio
@mreassassin manning the moCap stage
Robert Gaines on the VFX
Ultimately in the end, we combine motion capture data and keyframe animation to achieve the performances that we need to sell in a short period of time. Of course in a world with no tight production deadlines, I would animate by hand as that brings me much joy, haha!
For #Titanfall & #ApexLegends performance/feel/character/style are king. Whether it's captured or hand keyed, as long as it delivers an engaging experience for the player, then awesome! But remember, every project is different in what's considered "important," and that's okay!
