Rodalfi Heredia
Action in Motion
Action in Motion is a 3D animated piece using motion capture as well as 2D visual effects. The project consists of various short scenes that show off motion capture integration with 3D character creation and 2D animation techniques. The goal of the project is to fuse 2D and 3D together seamlessly.
Artist/Thesis Statement
I have always been fascinated with movement ever since I can remember. How distinctly human beings and animals move from point A to point B intrigued me. This was amplified further when I discovered cartoons. When observing living beings in real life move, it seemed that they had constraints-for example, you couldn't stretch your hand to the other side of the room because it was attached to your body. But in cartoons anything is possible. The artist doesn't have to follow the rules; they can make the movements of the character as minimal or as exaggerated as possible. This always brought a sense of awe to me as a child.
As the years passed by I would imagine and create new fighting scenes and scenarios in my head over and over again, the movement of it all was really fascinating . Out of all of my influences, Anime stuck with me the most and its animation style and visuals are what defined a lot of my interests. 2D animation was my most consumed medium, and it still is today.
It was only until I got into college that I really discovered 3D animation. The workflow of 3D is what really fascinated me; I had seen 3D works before but never understood how they were made. Creating models in 3D intrigued me more than the process of creating 2D animation, even though visually I liked 2D animation more. So for this project I just thought to myself, “Why don't I explore movement with 3D Animation and make it visually 2D?”.
Action in Motion is this idea manifested. I use motion capture technology with the flexibility of 3D animation, rendered with 2D elements to create interesting scenes. I chose motion capture since I wanted to experiment with it and I also thought it would capture my subtle movements best.
