Animation Style

The way a character transitions between poses can dramatically shape the tone and style of a performance. From the smooth, lifelike flow of a cinematic close-up to the snappy, exaggerated cuts seen in anime, the timing and dynamics of motion are core tools in an animator’s kit. To give creators more control over these stylistic choices, SGX provides the Animation Style feature, which provides a choice between three different ways of interpolating between successive poses: Ease, Linear and Stepped. The default style is Ease, which provides the most physically natural dynamics.

All three Animation Styles are built on the same SGX muscle-dynamic simulation, the difference being that the underlying muscle movements are processed into animation differently in each case. Thus all three styles have the same benefits: precise lip-sync matching the pronunciation, intensity and rhythm of the speaker's voice, and believable emotional expressions. All styles can be used for any language and on any character, and they are rig agnostic, making them flexible and compatible with your needs. 

Ease

Ease, the default style, delivers fluid motion with acceleration and deceleration - ideal for realistic performances.

Linear

The Linear style uses constant velocities, creating robotic transitions with a uniform rate of movement. Note that Linear processing require a language module to be selected; it will not work with the Universal lip sync model.

Stepped

For artists looking to capture the sharp, stylized timing seen in anime or stop-motion, the Stepped option eliminates in-betweening almost entirely - cutting straight from one pose to the next for a bold, punchy effect.

Stepped animation is computer animation but with a hand-crafted appeal, emulating traditional anime as well as the kind of stop-motion clay animation seen in Wallace and Gromit or Chicken Run. Some famous recent examples of stepped animation include The Lego Movie and the classic 2D animation, South Park.

Note that Stepped processing require a language module to be selected; it will not work with the Universal lip sync model.