[Blender] Character Animation DVD by William Reynish

[floo]

William Reynish, character animator of Big Buck Bunny, worked the past few months on a wonderful training DVD on character animation techniques.

From the e-shop:

Getting into animation has never been easier! With the advent of Blender, the free and open source 3D application, anyone can gain access to professional animation tools now.

This DVD covers all aspects of computer-based character animation including workflow, acting, posing, keyframes, weight, walks & runs and overlapping action, through a series of video tutorials that are easy to follow and allow you to stop and start playback whenever you want.

And:

The DVD has the following chapters:

Blender 101

, a great introduction to Blender.

Workflow

, overview of the process of animation.

Rattline Bones

, introduction to the free rigs.

Get in Role

, about rigging.

Acting for Animators

, learn how to make characters come alive.

Posing

, tips for sketching and planning.

Keys and Breakdowns

, about key frame managing.

Weight

, making your character more believable.

Walk in the Park

, walkcycle techniques.

Run!

Running cycles tips.

Arc Enemy

, learn to polish animation using arcs.

Flip-Flop

, getting rid of the robot-feel using overlapping actions.

The Big Picture

, a recap of all techniques.

Total running time 183 minutes. The videos play well in Quicktime and the free VLC player.

Preview teaser is here.

Samples:

 

• Rattling Bones preview.
  
• Workflow preview.
  

And the e-shop page with more info.

As usual the contents are all Creative Commons, so people can use it freely for education, further editing, or just share it. Purchasing a copy will of course benefit new projects in the Blender Institute!