CGWorld Vol. 296 Interview with Creatures: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 10:45, 31 August 2024

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March 2023

•, •, •
Original Interview
Translation - Earthoul
Proofreading - Lewtwo

CGWorld vol. 296

This is an interview in the "Animation Workflow for Games" series on CGWorld — interviewed by Ryo Wakasugi (chief editor, CG animator at Sony Pictures Imageworks); text by Miyuki Ogata from CG World; transcribed by Yoichiro Oue. The magazine later posted the article online in three parts.^[1]

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Yuki Yoneya, Pokémon Character Motion Lead;
Shun Onodera, Pokémon Character Modelling Lead;
Suguru Fukaya, Pokémon Character Motion

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Motion Consideration, Based on the Ecology and Temperament of Each Pokémon

Please add a question here!

@@ Line 643: / Line 643: @@
 {{InterviewParagraph|name=Onodera|sprite=Shun Onodera
 |text=
-Let's take Chi-Yu for example, a Pokémon based on a goldfish with magatama-like objects around its eyes. We made a gimmick where its eyes and magatama shone gradually, but we needed to give the radiance of its eyes and the glowing of the magatama separate timing; so we added [other] gimmicks with independently adjustable parameters. Things like those are prone to timing errors and therefore require close communications.
+Let's take Chi-Yu for example, a Pokémon based on a goldfish with magatama-like objects around its eyes. We made a gimmick where its eyes and magatamas shone gradually, but we needed to give the radiance of its eyes and the glowing of its magatamas separate timing; so we added [other] gimmicks with independently adjustable parameters. Things like those are prone to timing errors and therefore require close communications.
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 Example videos:
 * [https://youtu.be/xjuohmU-Zo0 Chi-Yu attacking]: Chi-Yu's attacking animation, where both its eyes and magatamas glow at the same time
-* [https://youtu.be/5P6pDbWh0HM Chi-Yu joyful animation]: Chi-Yu's joyful animation, where its eyes are wide open and only its magatama shine
+* [https://youtu.be/5P6pDbWh0HM Chi-Yu joyful animation]: Chi-Yu's joyful animation, where its eyes are wide open and only its magatamas shine
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 {{InterviewParagraph|name=Yonena|sprite=Yuki Yonena
 |text=
-Spidops, an early-game [Pokémon], is another one with both a complicated body structure and movement; we examined this [process] repeatedly with the modellers until it was complete. It has eight legs like a spider, so its knee joints can only bend in a single direction.
+Spidops, an early-game [Pokémon], is another one with both a complicated body structure and movement, and developing it [required] a lot of discussions with modellers. It has eight legs like a spider, so its knee joints can only bend in a single direction.
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 {{InterviewParagraph|name=Onodera|sprite=Shun Onodera
 |text=
-Varoom was another one of our tough jobs. It's based on a single-cylinder engine, and has a lot of inorganic elements in its design. We needed to balance [its design] with its cartoonish, exaggerated movements as shown [on the settei]; so we found it difficult to share common ground about interpreting its movement.
+Varoom was another one of our tough jobs. It's based on a single-cylinder engine, and it has a lot of inorganic elements in its design. We needed to balance [its design] with its cartoonish, exaggerated movements as shown [on the settei]; so we found it difficult to share common ground about interpreting its movement.
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 {{InterviewParagraph|name=Fukaya|sprite=Suguru Fukaya
 |text=
-motions on average; and 60 was the biggest. Developing [motion of] a new Pokémon takes about one-and-a-half or two-and-a-half months, including the supervision period. [The duration] quite varies, depending on the level of difficulty and the amount of motions.
+motions on average; and 60 was the biggest. Developing [motion of] a new Pokémon takes about one-and-a-half or two-and-a-half months, including the supervision period. [The duration] quite varies, depending on the level of difficulty and the amount of motion.
 }}
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 }}
-== Developing Movement, Not Only on Land but Also in Air and Water ==
+== Developing Motion, Not Only on Land but Also in Air and Water ==
 {{InterviewParagraph|name=Onodera|sprite=Shun Onodera
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 {{InterviewQuestion|question=
-Wakasugi: Could you tell us what trouble a newcomer tends to have during Pokémon animation production?
+Wakasugi: Could you tell us what trouble a newcomer tends to have during Pokémon motion development?
 }}
 {{InterviewParagraph|name=Fukaya|sprite=Suguru Fukaya
 |text=
-This isn't specific to newcomers, but [animators] sometimes make a bipedal Pokémon, in particular, look too human-like in its movements and behaviour. Even if its animation is nice, we'll ask them to correct it when it isn't faithful to the personality and the design of that Pokémon. Examples include a Pokémon showing dexterity when it has nothing like "It's dexterous" on its settei, or a Pokémon with its attacking animation showing great speed when it shouldn't be capable of moving that swiftly. These points seem like a hurdle for those unfamiliar with Pokémon to me.
+This isn't specific to newcomers, but [animators] sometimes make a bipedal Pokémon, in particular, look too human-like in its movements and behavior. Even if its animation is nice, we'll ask them to correct it when it isn't faithful to the personality and the design of that Pokémon. Examples include a Pokémon showing dexterity when it has nothing like "It's dexterous" on its settei, or a Pokémon with its attacking animation showing great speed when it shouldn't be capable of moving that swiftly. These points seem like a hurdle for those unfamiliar with Pokémon.
 }}
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 {{InterviewParagraph|name=Yonena|sprite=Yuki Yonena
 |text=
-We had a [private] project wiki dedicated to sharing these specifications. If we had used incorrect naming conventions amongst other things on the wiki, each company would've ended up with the wrong data, so we were extremely careful.
+We had a [private] project wiki dedicated to sharing the specifications. If we had used incorrect naming conventions on the wiki, for example, each company would've delivered the wrong data [to us]; so we were extremely careful.
 }}
 {{InterviewParagraph|name=Onodera|sprite=Shun Onodera
 |text=
-The development team at our company [Creatures] is more than twice as big as that in Sword & Shield. We never had this scale of development before, and there was a lot of deliberation [for the best workflow]; we know [our current workflow] is still developing. We owed a lot to the communication efforts by each member, though we're sure this could be improved upon.
+The development team at our company [Creatures] is more than twice as big as that in Sword & Shield. We never had this scale of development before, and there were a lot of uncertain, experimental [workflows]; we know there's still considerable room for improvement [in the workflow]. This time, [our workflow] greatly relied on the communication efforts of each member, which wasn't the optimal way for sure.
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 {{InterviewQuestion|question=
-Wakasugi: To conclude the interview, could you tell us what you find interesting about your jobs and something significant about what you value?
+Wakasugi: To conclude the interview, could you tell us what you find interesting about your jobs and what you consider a great [work] attitude?
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 {{InterviewParagraph|name=Fukaya|sprite=Suguru Fukaya
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-This isn't specific to the gaming industry, but it's quite important to communicate with [members assigned to] each process. You'll be able to create more accurate animations by, for example, listening better to modellers' [explanations] during '''kyara uchi''' [to understand] "Why are we setting a joint '''here'''?", "What's '''this''' rigging weight for?", etc.
+This isn't specific to the gaming industry, but it's quite important to communicate with [members assigned to] each process. You'll be able to create more accurate animations by, for example, listening better to modellers' [explanations] during '''kyara uchi''' [to understand] "Why are we setting a joint '''here'''?", "What's '''this''' [rigging] weight for?", etc.
 }}
 {{InterviewParagraph|name=Onodera|sprite=Shun Onodera
 |text=
-I've been focusing on meticulously modelling with care since my days at a CG animation company, and I find this to be an important attitude that's relevant to working in the game industry, too. I want to uphold my meticulous work, [all the more so] because Pokémon's assets in particular will be used for a long time across the series.
+I've been focusing on meticulous modelling [work] since my days at a CG animation company, and I find this to be an important attitude [that's relevant to] working in the gaming industry, too. I want to uphold my meticulous work, [all the more so] because Pokémon's assets in particular will be used for a long time across the series.
 }}
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 {{InterviewParagraph|name=Fukaya|sprite=Suguru Fukaya
 |text=
-We've been making 3D assets of Pokémon, but you shouldn't stick with [just] them alone; you should observe a variety of things, humans, or animals, and try to animate those movements. Through observation and production, you can improve fundamentals, such as [understanding] the center of gravity, and so on.
+We've been making 3D assets of Pokémon, but you shouldn't stick with [just] them alone; you should observe humans, animals, and various objects, and practice animating their movements. Through observation and production, you can improve fundamentals, such as [understanding] how the center of gravity shifts.
 }}
 {{InterviewParagraph|name=Yonena|sprite=Yuki Yonena
 |text=
-When watching demo reels, I/we pay attention to the movement of the center of gravity. I believe only when you're successful [in animating it] will your personality and commitment begin to shine through. Demo reels with the energy of "I love this!" bring me/us joy, and show me/us the desire to grow.
+When watching demo reels, I/we pay attention to how the center of gravity shifts. I believe only when you're successful [in animating it] will your personality and commitment begin to shine through. Demo reels with the energy of "I love this!" bring me/us joy, and show me/us [the creators'] desire to grow.
 }}
 {{InterviewQuestion|question=
-Wakasugi: So, the movement of the center of gravity ''is'' important in Pokémon animation as well, isn't it.
+Wakasugi: Indeed, the shift of the center of gravity ''is'' important in Pokémon animation as well.
+}}
+{{Translators Note|text=
+Wakasugi appears to have comparisons with 3D animation films in mind.
 }}
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 {{InterviewParagraph|name=Fukaya|sprite=Suguru Fukaya
 |text=
-Let's say you have a meeting with GAME FREAK. Compare the information you can glean from both their settei and instructions to something else that you have some background knowledge on, and then share those interpretations; that'll be an instant done-deal. Then, when coming back to your desk, communicate the meeting to the animators in charge in a way that they can best understand, and share those interpretations again without discrepancies; this'll make your jobs more fascinating.
+Let's say you have a meeting with GAME FREAK. [You'll] glean information from their settei and instructions — share the interpretations by drawing comparisons to something else that you have some background knowledge on; that'll be an instant done-deal. Then, when coming back to your desk, communicate the meeting to the animators in charge in a way that '''they''' can best understand, and share the interpretations again without discrepancies; this'll make your jobs more fascinating.
 }}

Revision as of 10:45, 31 August 2024

Motion Consideration, Based on the Ecology and Temperament of Each Pokémon

Collecting Reference Material, Not Only for Living Things But Also for Inanimate Objects

Rebuilding Texture-based Facial Expressions with Joints

Meticulously Developed Post-attack Animations, Including Weight Transfer

Some Animators Challenge Themselves in a Type of Animation They Consider to Be Their Weak Points

Portraying Life-likeness, in Spite of Various Limitations

Developing Motion, Not Only on Land but Also in Air and Water

Creatures, Inc.'s Role: Expanding How Pokémon are Expressed