PROJECT #6

Crossing over

pROJECT OVERVIEW

The purpose of this project is to deepen technical and creative understanding of character animation by working through an end-to-end production pipeline. The project prioritizes hands-on experimentation with sculpting, rigging, UV unwrapping, texturing, and animation, while resulting in a polished showcase piece that clearly demonstrates character-focused skills.

ANIMATION

vISION

This project aims to create a cohesive animated short that explores different animation pipelines through multiple visual dimensions. Each dimension represents a stage of character development, allowing space for experimentation in style and technique while maintaining a unified concept. Specific visual treatments will evolve through iterative exploration during the semester.

EXPLORATION

I structured the project across three distinct dimensions, allowing for broad stylistic exploration while maintaining a unified narrative thread.

2D

Originally intended as a deep dive into Grease Pencil sketching, this dimension evolved into a vibrant, ‘Super Mario-inspired’ aesthetic. This shift allowed me to focus on snappy, sprite-based movement and on optimizing 2D workflows, ensuring smooth performance without sacrificing visual charm.

3D

In this segment, I focused on the intersection of 3D volume and 2D aesthetics. By leveraging custom shaders and Grease Pencil overlays, I achieved a high-energy ‘hand-drawn’ look. This dimension served as a playground for character rigging and expressive animation.

Realism

The final dimension pivots toward high-fidelity realism, focusing on complex mechanical armature animations and advanced PBR texturing. The goal was to evoke an eerie, cinematic factory atmosphere through meticulous lighting and industrial sound design.

STORY BOARD

Before jumping into design or animation, I sketched out a rough storyboard to map the flow of the video. This helped me plan each scene clearly – from the number of characters and backgrounds to small details like props (trees, graves, landscape, conveyor belt, etc.). It also gave me a solid blueprint for the visual assets I needed to create, making the production process smoother and more intentional.

CHARACTER DESIGN

In this character study, I explored how subtle accessories can define a personality. Using three distinct archetypes—Cherri, Angi, and Scardy—I assigned specific color-coded ‘traits’ to communicate their internal worlds. Angi’s red scarf acts as a visual shield, signaling a guarded and grumpy temperament. Scardy’s blue bandages offer a physical history of their timid and clumsy nature, while Cherri’s yellow headphones symbolize a carefree, bubbly detachment from the world around them.

ASSETS

Factory

Graves

Graveyard

Trees

Monster

Big Monster

Fire

Flowers

Factory

RUN CYCLES

I explored how personality dictates physics. I developed unique run cycles for the skeletons to communicate their traits through weight, timing, and posture: Cherri’s exuberant, large-lofted hops reflect a high-energy spirit; Angi’s athletic, grounded stride demonstrates discipline and purpose; and Scardy’s frantic, short-stepped sprint—complete with eye-covering—emphasizes a narrative of perpetual anxiety.

For the monster’s movement, I reinterpreted a traditional spider-walk by injecting a rhythmic, almost ‘dancing’ tremor into the body. This rhythmic shaking was designed to disarm the player, projecting a sense of harmless whimsy. However, this ‘dance’ serves as a facade—masking a lethal predator through high-contrast movement that shifts from playful to predatory in an instant.

ANIMATION

Leveraging Blender as the primary animation engine, I utilized the Non-Linear Animation (NLA) editor to manage complex, layered character performances. The final sequence was refined through a post-production pipeline involving Illustrator for asset precision and After Effects for final compositing. To round out the sensory experience, I curated and integrated a dynamic soundscape sourced from Creative Commons libraries, ensuring full attribution for all audio assets.

CONCLUSION & FUTURE SCOPE

Overall, Crossing Over became more than just an animation project—it became a process of learning how different systems, styles, and workflows come together to create a complete experience. Through challenges like workflow optimization, environment design limitations, and technical animation issues, I gained a deeper understanding of both storytelling and production pipelines. Moving forward, I want to focus on improving physical interaction, closed environment design, simulation systems, and sound integration to create more polished and immersive animated experiences.

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Explore More Work

Thanks for checking out this project! If you’re curious to see what else I’ve been working on – from motion design experiments to playful tech builds – feel free to take a look at some of my other projects below.

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