Setting Up Impressive Hand Animation Inspired by Patlabor 2

Introduction 

My name is Noah Li, I have been a 3D animator for many years, primarily in game development. I played games like Gradius, Streets of Rage, and Altered Beast from an early age on arcade machines and then on PC and consoles. There’s just something special about bringing a collection of pixels, vertices, and textures to life on a screen.

As an animator, I draw inspiration from life as well as films, both live action and animated, and I’ve always been drawn to subtle and dramatic acting more than choreographed action sequences. Mamoru Oshii, Isao Takahata, Akira Kurosawa, Wang Kar-wai, Brad Bird, and many others, have been the cornerstones of my inspiration.

I have worked as a freelancer and full-time over the years on games for PC, console, and mobile, primarily using Maya and Unreal Engine.

Just the Hands

After the face, hands are the most expressive part of human communication, and are just as challenging and complex to bring to life as the face. Agora Community’s April mini animation challenge provided the perfect opportunity for me to really dive deep into animating a pair of hands, something often neglected in game animation. I wanted to do something with a lot of subtlety and deep emotion, while also challenging myself as an animator. This particular shot from Patlabor 2 is a key motivator as well.

The audio I used is from the last chapter of No Country for Old Men, a film by the Coen Brothers. It is a subdued but very intense scene, which is perfect for the kind of shot I had wanted to animate for a long time. 

Planning

Planning is an essential step in the animation process. This involves gathering references for both the mechanics of the motion and for the type of energy the animator is trying to convey. Ideally, one would want reference footage with both correct body mechanics as well as kinetic energy, but oftentimes, animators have to make do with the best they can find or shoot their own reference footage. The planning stage is also where the animator lays out the progression of the shot and exactly what needs to be animated and what won’t need to be. If any voiceover is involved, this is when the animator carefully studies and analyzes the VA's performance. 

Rig selection is also an important decision, as it can greatly assist or hinder the animation process. I have been using Ramon Arango’s M-Rigs for a while now. The rigs are super responsive in the viewport, and the character design is very appealing. Mazu is the perfect fit for the role. 

Initially, I searched for reference footage online, but it soon became clear I had to shoot my own. Stock footage of hand motions completely lacked the energy I was looking for. Overal,l I captured about 12 minutes of reference footage, and out of that, about 7 seconds are used as reference, edited to approximately match the audio. I attempted to act on the audio as well as just do the kinds of motions I wanted, without trying to keep the dialogue in time. In the end, the free-flowing reference motions are much better. 

In order to maintain accurate contact between fingertips and hands, I had to add some additional rigging to Mazu, partial IK is added to each finger and thumb, from the second knuckle to the finger tip, while the first segment of each finger stayed FK. A series of locators are UV-pinned to the back of the right hand for the left fingers to track the tip contacts when the fingers are digging into the knuckles. The IK finger rig attaches to the hands, a bit like a pair of invisible gloves.

Blocking

The next step after planning and reference gathering is blocking. This is the stage where the foundation of the shot is laid. Key poses are established and timed; breakdown keys are added to further clarify the motion and timing; holds are placed to give movements time to be read and understood by the viewer. “To breathe,” so to speak. Overall, I spent about 50-60% of the time on the blocking stage for this animation.

Clockwise: reference footage and three stages of blocking

Spline & Polishing

After blocking, the spline and polishing stages are next. The distinction can be a bit blurry since I switched between blocking and spline stages throughout the process, where others might work in more discrete stages. In this stage, the timing and poses are more or less finalized, and more attention is paid to contact points, arcs, and spacing. Mesh penetration is fixed as much as possible without compromising the poses, contact points are tacked down with the help of locators and curves adjusted to get cleaner arcs.

Blocking vs. final poses

Conclusion

I worked on this animation for a little over a week. Throughout this period, I posted work-in-progress renders to the Agora Community for feedback. I set out to sharpen my observation and expand my animation skills, as well as my planning a shot and sticking to the plan abilities, and I am happy with the result. There’s always room for improvement, and that’s for future animations.

As for advice to animators, study life and draw inspiration from all sources, not just animation. Take the time to closely observe motions, down to the tiniest detail, and take the time to plan shots in detail. Show work in progress and get frequent feedback from peers and mentors. Take all feedback with an open mind, but find your own path in the animation journey.

I’m grateful to everyone on the Agora Community's Discord for feedback and encouragement. And 80 Level for the chance to talk about working on this animation.

Noah Li, Senior Animator/Tech Animator