Character animation
The challenge I was tasked to solve was to create a more advanced and complete animation than I had done before. I could either animate a full short film with multiple scenes, characters, or physical simulations, or integrate animation work into another ongoing project. The focus was on timing, camera work, and expressive motion with a clear sense of progression and complexity. I chose to create a short animation featuring an original round character performing expressive actions in a small enclosed scene, focusing on personality through movement.
Development
I designed, modeled, rigged, and animated the entire character in Blender. The character walks, runs, expresses emotion, and interacts with objects: first kicking a small ball, then approaching a large cube and poking it, causing the cube to levitate, change color, and shake in response. The model was built with clean topology to deform smoothly, and the rig was carefully weight-painted to maintain natural movement despite the stylized proportions.
All animations were keyframed manually, including camera motion and zooms, to create a dynamic presentation. I excluded sound and music intentionally to focus fully on believable motion and subtle detail in the animation.
Challenges
Animating a perfectly round character in a convincing way proved difficult. Weight painting and maintaining natural deformation required extensive iteration. Time constraints also forced me to shorten the narrative I originally planned, focusing instead on motion quality and pacing.
Result
The animation succeeded in conveying emotion and curiosity through motion and eye direction. I was particularly satisfied with how natural the character’s reactions felt, especially during the interaction with the cube. With more time, I would refine the pacing of movements, add more secondary actions, and explore additional interactions to make the narrative feel fuller.
Project Details
Blender
Animation
Solo project
Project Lenght
3 weeks
Completed
Jan 8, 2025
Kick animation
A frame captured right after the character kicks one of the balls. The pose highlights timing, weight, and follow-through in the animation.
Emotion through camera and eyes
This shot demonstrates how eye movements and a carefully chosen camera angle convey emotion and curiosity.
Topology view
The character seen from the front with wireframe enabled, showing clean topology optimized for deformation and smooth animation.
Rig structure
Display of the character’s full armature, illustrating control bones and deformation hierarchy used for animation.
Keyframe timeline
An overview of all keyframes driving the character’s motion throughout the sequence, emphasizing that every movement was hand-animated.
Character animation
The challenge I was tasked to solve was to create a more advanced and complete animation than I had done before. I could either animate a full short film with multiple scenes, characters, or physical simulations, or integrate animation work into another ongoing project. The focus was on timing, camera work, and expressive motion with a clear sense of progression and complexity. I chose to create a short animation featuring an original round character performing expressive actions in a small enclosed scene, focusing on personality through movement.
Development
I designed, modeled, rigged, and animated the entire character in Blender. The character walks, runs, expresses emotion, and interacts with objects: first kicking a small ball, then approaching a large cube and poking it, causing the cube to levitate, change color, and shake in response. The model was built with clean topology to deform smoothly, and the rig was carefully weight-painted to maintain natural movement despite the stylized proportions.
All animations were keyframed manually, including camera motion and zooms, to create a dynamic presentation. I excluded sound and music intentionally to focus fully on believable motion and subtle detail in the animation.
Challenges
Animating a perfectly round character in a convincing way proved difficult. Weight painting and maintaining natural deformation required extensive iteration. Time constraints also forced me to shorten the narrative I originally planned, focusing instead on motion quality and pacing.
Result
The animation succeeded in conveying emotion and curiosity through motion and eye direction. I was particularly satisfied with how natural the character’s reactions felt, especially during the interaction with the cube. With more time, I would refine the pacing of movements, add more secondary actions, and explore additional interactions to make the narrative feel fuller.
Project Details
Blender
Animation
Solo project
Project Lenght
3 weeks
Completed
Jan 8, 2025
Kick animation
A frame captured right after the character kicks one of the balls. The pose highlights timing, weight, and follow-through in the animation.
Emotion through camera and eyes
This shot demonstrates how eye movements and a carefully chosen camera angle convey emotion and curiosity.
Topology view
The character seen from the front with wireframe enabled, showing clean topology optimized for deformation and smooth animation.
Rig structure
Display of the character’s full armature, illustrating control bones and deformation hierarchy used for animation.
Keyframe timeline
An overview of all keyframes driving the character’s motion throughout the sequence, emphasizing that every movement was hand-animated.
Character animation
The challenge I was tasked to solve was to create a more advanced and complete animation than I had done before. I could either animate a full short film with multiple scenes, characters, or physical simulations, or integrate animation work into another ongoing project. The focus was on timing, camera work, and expressive motion with a clear sense of progression and complexity. I chose to create a short animation featuring an original round character performing expressive actions in a small enclosed scene, focusing on personality through movement.
Development
I designed, modeled, rigged, and animated the entire character in Blender. The character walks, runs, expresses emotion, and interacts with objects: first kicking a small ball, then approaching a large cube and poking it, causing the cube to levitate, change color, and shake in response. The model was built with clean topology to deform smoothly, and the rig was carefully weight-painted to maintain natural movement despite the stylized proportions.
All animations were keyframed manually, including camera motion and zooms, to create a dynamic presentation. I excluded sound and music intentionally to focus fully on believable motion and subtle detail in the animation.
Challenges
Animating a perfectly round character in a convincing way proved difficult. Weight painting and maintaining natural deformation required extensive iteration. Time constraints also forced me to shorten the narrative I originally planned, focusing instead on motion quality and pacing.
Result
The animation succeeded in conveying emotion and curiosity through motion and eye direction. I was particularly satisfied with how natural the character’s reactions felt, especially during the interaction with the cube. With more time, I would refine the pacing of movements, add more secondary actions, and explore additional interactions to make the narrative feel fuller.
Project Details
Blender
Animation
Solo project
Project Lenght
3 weeks
Completed
Jan 8, 2025
Kick animation
A frame captured right after the character kicks one of the balls. The pose highlights timing, weight, and follow-through in the animation.
Emotion through camera and eyes
This shot demonstrates how eye movements and a carefully chosen camera angle convey emotion and curiosity.
Topology view
The character seen from the front with wireframe enabled, showing clean topology optimized for deformation and smooth animation.
Rig structure
Display of the character’s full armature, illustrating control bones and deformation hierarchy used for animation.
Keyframe timeline
An overview of all keyframes driving the character’s motion throughout the sequence, emphasizing that every movement was hand-animated.
