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AVC 287 • Spring 2026

Week 2

Animation Fundamentals and Technical Setup & 2D Animation and Weight Principles
January 26 – 28, 2026
← Week 1 Week 3 →

Week Overview

Monday covers introduction to core animation principles including interpolation, tweening, and frame rate concepts. Technical setup covered Blender preferences, materials, compositing effects, and rendering output settings. Wednesday focuses on introduction to 2D animation in Blender covering hand-drawn animation techniques, drawing tablet setup, and fundamental principles of mass and weight through bouncing ball and hammer animations. Students learned to create realistic motion by applying weight principles to both linear and rotational movement.

Interpolation Tweening Frame Rate Blender Setup Compositing Materials Rendering 2D Animation Blender Weight Principles Bouncing Ball Hand-drawn Drawing Tablet Animation Fundamentals
Monday
January 26, 2026

Animation Fundamentals and Technical Setup

Introduction to core animation principles including interpolation, tweening, and frame rate concepts. Technical setup covered Blender preferences, materials, compositing effects, and rendering output settings.

Watch Full Lecture →
1
Course Setup
0:00 Introduction and Setup
6:12 Class Roll Call
7:17 Blender Preferences and Autosave
2
Blender Interface and Views
12:58 Timeline and Animation Views
18:28 Types of Interpolation Overview
3
Materials and Visual Effects
21:08 Scene Setup and Materials
32:23 Material Creation and Naming
38:24 Glow Effects and Compositing
44:20 Blur and Averaging Concepts
48:34 Viewport Compositing Settings
4
Animation Principles
52:01 Tweening vs Interpolation
58:24 Hand-drawn Animation Labor
1:00:03 Tweening Curves Examples
1:17:02 Ease In and Ease Out
1:19:02 Curvature and Speed Changes
5
Technical Standards
1:20:19 Frame Rate and Resolution
1:24:00 HD vs 4K Resolution
1:32:47 Frame Rate as Artistic Choice
6
Theory and Concepts
1:42:15 Postmodernism in Animation
1:48:17 Frame Rate Modifiers
1:54:48 Postmodern Art Concepts
2:01:24 Discrete Nature of Animation
2:02:33 Rendering and Output Settings
7
Output and Rendering
2:08:50 Codec Technology Discussion
2:17:10 Class Wrap-up

Key Concepts

  • Interpolation creates smooth motion between keyframes using mathematical curves
  • Tweening reduces manual labor compared to hand-drawn frame-by-frame animation
  • Ease in and ease out curves create more natural-looking motion acceleration
  • Frame rate is an artistic choice that affects the feel and style of animation
  • HD and 4K resolution settings impact file size and rendering time significantly
  • Compositing effects like glow and blur enhance visual appeal in post-production
  • Material naming and organization are crucial for managing complex 3D scenes
  • Viewport compositing allows real-time preview of visual effects during creation
  • Understanding codec technology is essential for efficient rendering and distribution
Wednesday
January 28, 2026

2D Animation and Weight Principles

Introduction to 2D animation in Blender covering hand-drawn animation techniques, drawing tablet setup, and fundamental principles of mass and weight through bouncing ball and hammer animations. Students learned to create realistic motion by applying weight principles to both linear and rotational movement.

Watch Full Lecture →
1
Course Setup and Administration
0:00 Introduction and Setup
2:42 OBS Recording Settings and File Naming
5:08 Course Expectations and Homework Policy
9:25 Student Presentations Begin
2
2D Animation Fundamentals
44:01 Introduction to 2D Animation in Blender
58:20 Creating Hand-Drawn Animation Guides
1:11:12 Drawing Tablet Setup and Techniques
3
Weight and Mass Principles
1:13:35 Understanding Mass and Weight in Animation
1:16:28 Creating Bouncing Ball Animation
1:32:40 Applying Weight Principles to Rotation
4
Advanced Animation Projects
1:37:17 Building and Animating the Hammer
1:50:20 Assignment Overview and Due Date
1:57:42 Advanced Project: Hammer and Ball Interaction

Key Concepts

  • 2D animation in Blender requires proper setup of hand-drawn animation guides and drawing tablet configuration
  • Mass and weight are fundamental principles that affect how objects move and behave in animation
  • Bouncing ball animation demonstrates core concepts of gravity, impact, and energy transfer
  • Weight principles apply to both linear movement and rotational motion in animated objects
  • Drawing tablets enhance precision and control when creating hand-drawn animation sequences
  • Realistic animation requires understanding how different materials and masses interact with forces
  • Hammer animation combines weight principles with rotational dynamics for complex motion
  • Advanced projects like hammer and ball interactions build upon fundamental animation principles
  • Proper file naming and recording settings are essential for organized animation workflows