Yu's Animation blog

Month: May 2026

Categories
Advanced and Experimental 3D Computer Animation Techniques Sessions with Serra

Week 6 ： Behind the Page – Core Concept and Interaction Planning

In Week 6, I started to further organise the direction of my project and officially named it Behind the Page. This title fits my project concept because I want to express the idea that what the player first sees is only the front side of the page, while the important memories, emotions, and truth may be hidden behind it. The title also suggests the main relationship in my project: the surface of memory is not always complete, and only by changing the viewing angle can hidden information be discovered.

This week, my main focus was to turn my previous rough ideas into a more systematic interaction structure. In the past few weeks, I had already confirmed my interest in pop-up books, 2D/3D visual transitions, and interactive storytelling. However, the gameplay structure was still not very clear. Therefore, this week I started to think about how the player could take part in this memory book: what they could do, and how these interactions could help them understand the story.

Ideas

[Early interaction ideas for the project]

This image shows my early thinking about the project’s interaction methods, including perspective switching, hidden object interaction, text transformation, page turning, and memory fragment collection.

The core of my project is still based on memory and hidden information. At the beginning, the player will see a 2D front-facing scene, like a page in a book. This scene may look flat, simple, and complete. However, when the player switches to a 3D view or clicks on certain hidden objects, they will discover more information behind the scene. In this way, the player’s understanding of the scene will gradually change through interaction, and memory will no longer feel like a fixed or single result.

Interaction Mechanics

When organising these ideas, I divided the project into several main interaction directions. The first one is perspective switching. The player can switch between a 2D page view and a 3D pop-up book space, moving from the surface memory into a hidden memory layer. This mechanic is not only used to show a 2D/3D transition effect, but also connects to the narrative theme of the project: the same memory can be understood differently from different viewing angles.

The second interaction direction is hidden object interaction. The player can click on objects in the room, such as a toy box, window, door, or the space under the bed, to find sounds, images, notes, or text fragments. These pieces of information may not explain the whole story immediately, but they can slowly guide the player to notice details that were ignored in the memory.

The third direction is text transformation. I imagined that the player could click or drag keywords to change the meaning of a sentence, for example, safe → silent, everyone → someone, and remember → forget. This mechanic made me think that language can not only record memory, but also change the way memory is understood. A small change in one word may allow the player to reinterpret the same scene.

In addition, I also considered the functions of page turning and memory fragment collection. After completing one memory scene, the player can move to the next page, as if entering another layer of memory. The photos, sounds, notes, or word fragments collected by the player may not always form a complete truth. This can show the fragmented, uncertain, and subjective nature of memory.

[Interaction planning diagram]

To make the player experience clearer, I also organised the project into a more structured player journey / prototype flow. In this flow, the player first opens the memory book and sees a 2D room scene. Then they click on objects, switch to a 3D view, discover hidden information, collect memory fragments, and finally turn to the next page. Through this process, I started to move the project from an abstract concept into a demo structure that can be made and tested.

Flow

[Player journey and prototype structure diagram]

This image shows the basic flow of the player’s experience, from opening the memory book, exploring the room, switching perspective, discovering hidden information, collecting fragments, and turning to the next page of memory.

During this week’s concept development, I also looked at several games with similar mechanics. First, The Plucky Squire was an important reference for my project because it uses a storybook as its main visual structure and allows the character to move between a 2D page world and a 3D space. This transition from page to space is very close to the pop-up book memory space I want to explore.

Secondly, Monument Valley helped me think about how perspective can affect the player’s understanding of space. The game uses visual illusion and impossible spaces to create puzzles, which shows that “changing the way of seeing” can become part of the gameplay mechanic. Finally, Gorogoa also inspired me. It uses the arrangement and combination of image panels to develop its narrative, which helped me realise that nonlinear storytelling does not always need a large amount of text. It can also be created through images, fragments, and player actions.

Through this week’s development, I became clearer about the interaction logic of Behind the Page. This project is not only about letting the player watch a linear animation. Instead, I want the player to take part in reconstructing memory through clicking, exploring, switching perspective, and collecting information. The 2D and 3D transition is also not just a visual effect, but is directly connected to the narrative: different ways of seeing can create different understandings, and memory itself may not always be completely reconstructed.

For the next step, I need to choose the most suitable mechanics for a short demo. Because the project time is limited, I cannot complete all the functions at once. Therefore, I need to focus on the most important core experiences, such as 2D/3D perspective switching, object clicking, and discovering hidden information. After that, I will start to design the first specific room scene and turn these interaction mechanics into a playable game prototype.

References

The Plucky Squire
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1627570/The_Plucky_Squire/
Reference reason: storybook structure and 2D/3D world switching.

Monument Valley
https://www.monumentvalleygame.com/
Reference reason: perspective change, spatial understanding, visual illusion, and puzzle mechanics.

Gorogoa
https://www.annapurna.com/interactive/gorogoa
Reference reason: image panels, fragments, and nonlinear storytelling through player interaction.

Categories
Advanced 3D Animation with Ting Advanced and Experimental 3D Computer Animation Techniques

Week 16 ： Advanced Animation Shot (Blocking)

This week’s task was to choose an animal model and create a loop animation. I chose a lion. Since we had already learned about creature study and analysed feline body structure and movement in previous weeks, I wanted to continue practising with a feline animal.

Before making the animation, I looked at reference videos of lions walking. I observed the rhythm of the body, the order of the legs, and the shift of body weight. A lion’s movement has some similarities with a domestic cat, such as a flexible body, subtle spine movement, and coordination between the front and back legs. However, because a lion is much bigger, its movement feels heavier and more powerful.

In this animation practice, I mainly focused on making the loop feel natural and checking whether the contact points of the four legs worked correctly. I needed to keep the character stable in the loop and avoid sudden jumps or broken rhythm. This exercise helped me understand timing, spacing, weight shift, and body mechanics in animal walk cycles more clearly. Through making the lion loop animation, I also realised that creature animation is not only about moving four legs, but about making the whole body work together.

Categories
Advanced and Experimental 3D Computer Animation Techniques Sessions with Serra

Week 5 ： RealityCapture

From Real Objects to 3D Digital Assets

In Week 5, we learned about RealityCapture and how to use it to turn real-world objects into 3D models. This process is also called photogrammetry. The basic idea is to take many photos of the same object from different angles, and then the software uses these images to calculate the object’s shape, surface details, and texture.

In class, I learned that this workflow usually includes several steps. First, I need to choose a real object and photograph it from many angles, so the full shape of the object can be captured. Then, the photos can be imported into RealityCapture. The software aligns the images and reconstructs the object into a point cloud, mesh, and texture. After this process, the model can be exported and imported into Unreal Engine.

photograph

captured

reconstructs the object into a point cloud

mesh, and texture

This session helped me understand that 3D assets do not always have to be created through traditional modelling. RealityCapture provides a more direct way to bring real objects into a digital environment. Although the generated model may still need mesh clean-up, polygon optimisation, and UV adjustment, this technique is very useful for creating realistic environments and detailed props.

For my own project, this technique also made me think about whether I could scan real paper, books, or small objects and bring them into Unreal Engine. This could help my pop-up book project keep some real-world textures and physical traces inside the virtual space.

References

RealityScan. RealityScan / RealityCapture Official Website.
https://www.realityscan.com/

Epic Developer Community. RealityCapture to Unreal Engine: Beginner’s Guide to Photogrammetry Workflow.
https://dev.epicgames.com/community/learning/tutorials/W4MR/capturing-reality-realitycapture-to-unreal-engine-beginner-s-guide-to-photogrammetry-workflow

RealityScan Help. Create a 3D Model from Images.
https://rshelp.capturingreality.com/en-US/tutorials/aerialimport.htm

Categories
Advanced 3D Animation with Ting Advanced and Experimental 3D Computer Animation Techniques

Week 15 : Dialogue Shot Polish

Week 15 mainly focused on polishing my Dialogue Shot. Compared with the earlier blocking stage, this week was no longer only about setting the main actions and key poses. The focus was to refine the character’s performance and make the movement, facial expression, and dialogue rhythm feel more natural.

During the polishing process, I made a notes image for myself to record the problems I needed to fix. For example, the character’s facial direction should stay consistent with the body direction, instead of only moving the face. Blinks should also not be added randomly. They need to match the character’s emotion and the rhythm of the dialogue. Also, the body needs some subtle movement, especially when the character is speaking or changing emotion. The body, head, eyes, and hand actions should work together.

This polish stage made me realise that dialogue animation is more complicated than I expected. It is not only about lip sync, and it is not just making the character speak. It needs many small keyframes to control facial expression, eye direction, hand gestures, and body weight. For example, the eyes and eyebrows usually show the emotion first, and then the nose, mouth, and head follow. Some key poses also need to be more exaggerated, so the audience can read the character’s emotion more clearly.

Through the Week 15 practice, I started to understand the importance of the polish stage more clearly. Blocking helps me build the structure of the movement, but polish makes the character feel more alive. Next, I need to continue adjusting the animation based on these notes, so the performance becomes clearer, more natural, and better connected with the audio rhythm.

Categories
Advanced and Experimental 3D Computer Animation Techniques Sessions with Serra

Week 4 ： Project Feedback and Development

From Pop-up Book Form to Interactive StorytellingWeek

In Week 4, I had further discussion and feedback about my project idea. In the previous week, I mainly confirmed that I was interested in making a 2D/3D interactive game and using the form of a pop-up book. However, the story and the specific interaction were still not very clear at that stage.

Through this week’s feedback, I realised that the project should not only focus on an interesting visual form. It also needs a clearer theme to explain why I want to use 2D/3D transitions and changes of perspective.

A Clearer Theme

This week, I started to develop the project towards the ideas of memory and hidden information. I want the player to first see a front-facing scene, like a page in a book. At the beginning, the scene may look flat, simple, and complete. However, when the player changes the viewing angle or enters the 3D space, they will discover that there is hidden information behind the scene.

Interaction Should Support the Story

The feedback also helped me understand that the transition between 2D and 3D should not only be a visual effect. It should connect to the story. Different viewing angles can change how the player understands the scene and the narrative.

This feedback made me realise that the pop-up book can become the main visual structure of my project. At the same time, “changing the perspective to discover the truth” can become the main interaction logic. For the next step, I need to continue developing a simple story scene and think about what specific actions the player can use to discover the hidden content.

Image Caption

Project development notes after feedback. This image shows how I started to connect the pop-up book form with interactive storytelling and hidden information.

References

I looked at The Plucky Squire as a reference, because it uses a storybook as its main visual structure and allows the character to move between a 2D page world and a 3D space outside the book. This 2D/3D transition is very close to the direction I want to explore in my own pop-up book interactive project.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1627570/The_Plucky_Squire/

I also looked at Monument Valley as a reference for visual illusion and spatial puzzle design. This game is useful for my project because it shows how changing perspective can affect the player’s understanding of space.
https://www.monumentvalleygame.com/

Categories
Advanced 3D Animation with Ting Advanced and Experimental 3D Computer Animation Techniques

Week 14 : Creature Study Presentation Feedback

Week 14 mainly focused on the presentation and feedback for last week’s Creature Study group PPT. Our group chose to research feline movement. In this group project, I mainly worked on the study of the cat’s body, the analysis of feline jumping and running movements, and part of the slide layout and explanation.

The main focus of this presentation was to understand real animal movement by observing body structure, movement rhythm, and how these can be shown in animation. Feline movements are usually light, flexible, and highly coordinated. When cats walk, run, jump, or turn, the spine, scapula, pelvis, tail, and limbs all work together. Therefore, when analysing feline movement, it is not enough to only observe the legs. It is also important to look at body weight, spine bending, and how the tail helps with balance.

During the preparation of the PPT, I mainly organised the basic movement features and reference materials of feline animals. I found that a cat’s body is very flexible, especially the stretch and compression of the spine during movement. When walking, cats move quietly and steadily. When running or jumping, the body shows stronger stretch and compression. The tail is not just moving by itself. It also helps the body keep balance, which is connected to the overlap and delay principles we learned before.

The presentation feedback also made me realise that creature animation is not only about copying the surface movement of an animal. It is also important to understand the structure and function behind the movement. For example, why cats can land softly, why the body stretches during running, and why the tail changes during turning. These observations can help us create more believable animal movement in animation.

Through Week 14’s learning and presentation, I gained a more systematic understanding of feline movement. Group work also helped me learn how to organise observation materials into a clear presentation. If I continue working on creature animation, I need to analyse reference videos more carefully and break animal movement down into body mechanics, timing, spacing, and overlap. Then I can apply these movement rules to my animation practice.

Categories
Advanced 3D Animation with Ting Advanced and Experimental 3D Computer Animation Techniques

Week 13 ： Dialogue Shot – Blocking Plus and Creature Study

Week 13 was mainly divided into two parts. The first part continued to discuss Dialogue Shot Blocking Plus, focusing on feedback for the short dialogue animation and li

From this feedback, I found that my dialogue shot blocking still needs more improvement. My blocking is currently missing some keyframes, so the transitions between actions are not complete enough, and some parts of the performance are not clear enough. The tutor mentioned that the character’s facial direction and body direction need to stay consistent. Especially for the exaggerated “V” facial expression, it should not only stay on the face. The body should also support the same direction. In other words, the performance should not only come from the head and facial expression. The body also needs to be involved.

This class also helped me understand the order of facial movement more clearly. Facial expression changes do not usually happen all at once. They can start from the eyes and eyebrows first, and then move to the nose and mouth. This can make the expression feel more natural and layered. The tutor also reminded me that some keyframes could be more exaggerated, so the character’s emotion and performance can be easier for the audience to read.

The second part of the class started to introduce Creature Study. The tutor used the PDF to explain some basic ways of observing animal movement, and also arranged next week’s group animation task. For this task, we need to choose an animal, analyse its movement, create a PPT, and give a presentation. I chose to join the feline animal group. Next, we need to observe and analyse cat movement, such as walking, running, jumping, body weight changes, spine movement, and how the tail works with the body.

Through Week 13, I realised that dialogue animation needs more careful control of keyframes, facial rhythm, and body movement. At the same time, I also started to learn about creature animation. Feline movement is a very interesting direction for me because their actions are light, flexible, and have clear body structure and rhythm. Next week’s group task will help me observe animal movement more systematically and translate these observations into animation analysis.

Categories
Advanced 3D Animation with Ting Advanced and Experimental 3D Computer Animation Techniques

Week 12 ： breathing idle animation，Dialogue Shot – Blocking

Week 12 mainly focused on breathing idle animation. Breathing idle animation is a very subtle movement, but it can make a character feel more alive when they are standing still. The character is not completely still. There can be small movements in the chest, shoulders, head, and body weight. When making this type of animation, the movement should not be too exaggerated, otherwise it may look like the character is acting too much. The key is to keep it natural and make the loop smooth.

These references helped me understand that breathing idle is not about adding many movements, but about showing the character’s state through very small changes.

This week, I also worked on Assignment: Dialogue Shot – Blocking. I needed to arrange the character’s pauses according to the key words in the audio. I found that dialogue animation is not as simple as I thought. It also needs many keyframes to control subtle facial expressions.