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71Character Tools
So before we explore the character tools themselves we would like to quickly go over the 12 principles of character
animation. These 12 rules were developed back in the 1930s by Disney animators and can almost be applied 1 : 1 to
modern 3D animation. They are useful not only for characters but for just about anything you animate. Anyone who
is serious about character animation should stick these rules to the ceiling over their bed (and get rid of whatever else
that is up there now). A convincingly animated character will then be only a matter of patience.
Squash & Stretch: every organic object deforms in some matter when it is in motion. Squash and stretch is
the exaggeration of this effect when a character is in motion.
Staging: is the setting up of an animation. This includes lighting, camera angle, effects and slow motion.
Anticipation: expectation of a reaction to an action is known as anticipation.
Pose to Pose / Straight Ahead: these terms describe two animation techniques. Pose to Pose sets two
important key poses and the time between is then filled. Straight Ahead sets one key after the next – straight
ahead through time.
Follow Through / Overlapping: the impetus or the overlapping of movement of a body parts.
Ease In / Ease Out: an object begins to move slowly, reaches its top speed and slowly comes to a halt.
Arcs: in nature almost every movement is described as arcs, no matter if it’s a swinging arm or the rotation
of a head.
Secondary Action: movement that is created by movement of another object.
Timing: the speed with which an action is executed.
Exaggeration: can be used in many instances: Arms that are being stretched too long when a character is
hanging from a cliff, eyes jumping out of their sockets to help demonstrate a shocked expression.
Appeal: a character’s impression, look and nature.
Personality: like an actor, a good animator must be able to make his character express himself.
You can find more detailed descriptions of these rules online or in any good animation book. These rules might seem
pretty extensive at first glance but the more you animate the more they will become your own flesh and blood. Every
time your animation looks a little weird it will most likely be because you didn’t follow one or more of these rules.
Now we want to put these rules to use.