Week 7: Spin Kick 2.0

This past week for Senior Portfolio, I decided to expand a bit more on the Spin Kick study from last week. I took the feedback given to me and decided to push the poses for the kick, more specifically with the COG movement and hip rotations. I feel like I was able to get a smooth kick arc, more so now that there is a target (boxing dummy) for the attacks.

To really define the kick and the swing to the original pose, I added more C-curves to the blocked out poses. From the tip of the foot all the way to the spine, I adding more curves made the animation look more fluid in the kick but still feels too slow. I believe that either placing the keyframes closer together could help or removing some poses might make the spacing flow better for the speed and force of the kick.

I had also decided to add a quick punch sequence before the initial kick. The first punch being a regular right hook and the second being a left upper cut. Although it was just an additional two poses, I do feel that it fits and sells the "Martial Arts" vibe of the animation.

In the Maya scene, I added a few more props called: Dojo Modular Set and Punching Dummy from Sketchfab. In adding these 3D assets, I feel that it added to the "Martial Arts" vibe. Looking back at the playblast of the animation, the punch sequence feels stiff, especially the second hit. This week, I'll go back to add an in-between pose in the punch sequence and more of a duck and swing into the uppercut. i aim to spline this animation before the end of the week and have a completed animation by next Sunday.