Animation Mentor

Nicholas De Lotto, an animator at DreamWorks Animation currently working on Shrek 5, walks through how he uses his own video reference to block out a shot. In this tutorial, Nick shows why shooting yourself acting out a scene removes a lot of the guesswork from animation, then breaks down a real shot from a piece of self-shot reference all the way through a Maya blockin...

Natasha Krinsky, an Animation Mentor mentor who teaches in the Game Animation and Character Animation programs, walks through how camera placement works in video games and why modern game cameras have started to feel more like film cameras. She covers the history of game cameras, the film techniques studios borrow from, and how developers blend cinematic shots with ever...

Discover why timing and spacing are the first big steps to believable animation in this free workshop with DreamWorks character animator Robyne West.

Using a classic bouncing ball exercise in Maya, Robyne demonstrates how to create distinct senses of weight, speed, and personality. You’ll see how subtle changes to curves translate into more convincing motion, ...

In this tutorial, Animation Mentor graduate Nathaniel Seymour walks through a two character shot that pairs a small, fast rig with a large, heavy one. Using his own video reference, he shows how animation layers can add variety on top of a run cycle and how starting a walk from the midsection out can give a giant character believable weight. Viewers will come away with ...

In this tutorial, Animation Mentor Game Animation and Character Animation mentor Natasha Krinsky breaks down how to animate climbing and hanging shots so they read as physically believable. Using student examples and a full blocking to spline pass of her own, she covers how to sell body weight, use momentum, and keep IK hands from feeling stiff and glued in place.
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