End of Year Review - Animation

This year in e-Comm I have learned so much through both of my classes. I have gained a greater knowledge of how to use the adobe suite as well as how to work effectively wth group members and the people around me.

Technology 

Trough this class I have learned how to use Adobe After Effects and Maya. I used After Effects all year in different ways. I learned everything from animating charters to working with a green screens and special effects. I also used maya in this class. I leaned how to transform basic shapes into different objects and animate them. I learned may smaller skills as well, such as how to import images, make  textures, light scenes, make things look realistic, use transparent shapes to hold shadows, and lots more. These skills are all important because they help you to be a better and more realistic animator. 

Collaboration

This year I have collaborated a lot with the students around me to help us all make better projects. We taught each other different skills, checked each others work, and bounce ideas off of each other. One project we did a lot of collaborating on was the walk cycle project. We checked each others work to make sure that it looked realistic. This was important for all of us because it made our projects better and our wok more successful. 

Communication 

In this class I learned communications skills during our final project. We had to effectively communicate to make sure we all knew our plan and that we were all doing different parts to make the project a come together. This is important because without communication some of us could have been doing the same part of the project.  However, we did struggle with communication a little because we did not update the other group members on how close we were to being done with our part of the project. 

Project Management 

I used this skill a lot thought the year. Every single project this year had to be done well and on time. At the beginning of the year some projects took more time because I hadn't learned how long it would take me to use the software. Once I got good at using it, it was easier to project manage. This skill is very important because thought life we will have to use time and project management skills in out jobs and lives. 

Leadership 

This skill was more difficult to develop since most of our projects are individual. Nevertheless, I was abel to use this skill when I helped the people around me and when we worked our our final project. I helped the students around by leading them through the steps of a project when the didn't understand. I helped get my group organized on the first day of our final project by writing down ideas and organizing the way we decided on what video to make. This is another skill that is important to develop for life since it is used a lot in jobs and in just interacting with other people. 

Strengths and Weaknesses 

My strengths in this class are my leadership skills and my knowledge of the technology. From the beginning of the year these have improved greatly because I have learned new programs and new ways to help organize a group. One project I am especially proud of is my pen project from my winter finals. My weakness in this class are drawing and time management. Although I have improved  my time management skills greatly this year there are sill times when I am too much of a perfectionist and get projected turned in late because I took to much time making them look perfect. 

Conclusion

I have leaned a lot throughout the year in this class. If I could change anything about this year I would make sure all my projects were tuned in to time and made to the best of my abilities. I will take this knowledge an apply it as best as I can to any future animation projects I do and to the world.