Ace & Jett
Ace & Jett is a film I directed for my personal thesis project at SCAD for graduation, animated in Maya and rendered in Unreal. I worked as a modeler, lead animator, texture artist, simulation artist, lighter, and compositor.
It's a funny story between a horse and a dog.
The horse, Ace, a champion horse, shows off his medal to the dog and laughs at the dog. The dog, Jett, an ordinary farm dog, challenges the horse. Then the dog takes away the horse's medal, angering the horse. The horse and the dog stage a chasing show.
Final Rendered Film
PRODUCTION
Storyboard
Storyboarding is an immensely challenging aspect of the filmmaking process. It involves shaping the narrative from a mere spark of inspiration, as was the case with the concept of a dog seeking vengeance on a haughty horse. Initially, the story lacked coherence, focus, and suffered from a sluggish pace. However, through three significant overhauls and numerous minor adjustments, the story gradually evolved. Constant refinement, simplification, and the removal of extraneous elements eventually brought about the current version, where the tale found its stride and took shape.
“3D Animatic.” Xueying Luo. Ace & Jett, 2023.
Modeling
All models were built by 3 modelers. The initial phase involved creating block models, which helped determine the size and placement of each item within the scenes. This crucial step was completed prior to the 3D animatic process, serving as a foundation for the subsequent modeling work. After the block models were established, the task was then delegated to the modelers.
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Of all the props, the medal stands out as the most pivotal item in the entire film. The story revolves around it, and it serves as the focal point of the conflict between the horse and the dog. This prized possession drives the narrative forward, igniting the rivalry between the two characters.
“Models.” Xueying Luo. Ace & Jett, 2023.
The environment is created in Unreal via Megascans.
“Environment.” Xueying Luo. Ace & Jett, 2023.
Rigs
For both characters, online pre-made rigs were chosen to ensure the highest quality and stable rigs possible. Rigging quadrupeds proves to be more challenging than human characters, and the selection of these two tested rigs provided the opportunity to explore a wider range of animation possibilities.
Animation
The animation production is the most time-consuming phase, executed by three animators. Throughout this process, the invaluable guidance, advice, and notes provided by Professor Azzopardi and O'Hailey played a vital role in achieving the desired results.
One of the project's greatest challenges stemmed from both characters being quadrupeds, which limited the effectiveness of using the animators themselves as reference videos. Instead, it serves as a point of reference solely for the characters' facial expressions. To capture the characters' actions, extensive research on animal videos is necessary.
The animation is divided into 3 ACTs for better organization and structure.
ACT 1
The storyline in ACT 1 focuses on the dynamic between the cocky horse and the vengeful dog. The horse takes pride in showcasing his medal, while the dog, with a hint of envy, seizes the opportunity to seek revenge by snatching the medal. Their relationship can be likened to that of annoying siblings, not quite enemies but not the best of friends either.
The horse, a proud racehorse, rightfully revels in his accomplishments as evidenced by the trophies displayed throughout the scenes. In contrast, the dog, a humble farm dog, feels overshadowed and lacks recognition for his own contributions. This underlying envy fuels the dog's actions.
The difficulty in this ACT is all on the dog. Four shots require meticulous attention to detail in capturing the dog's facial expressions and subtle nuances, effectively conveying his evolving thoughts and emotions. Additionally, two shots involve showcasing the dog's physicality, highlighting his climbing of a ladder and agile leap onto a shelf.
“ACT 1 polished.” Xueying Luo. Ace & Jett, 2023.
ACT 2
In ACT 2, the storyline transitions into an exhilarating chase sequence. The enraged horse relentlessly pursues the agile dog, but the dog's nimbleness allows him to stay one step ahead. However, the horse's anger eventually leads to a loss of balance while attempting to jump over an obstacle, resulting in a hard fall to the ground. While the plot may be straightforward, the animation involved in this act presents significant challenges.
The dog run cycle and horse run cycle were completed prior to commencing work on ACT 2, effectively minimizing the workload. Additionally, the discovery of a remarkable tool called the WALKING BEND tool made by Pavel Barnev significantly accelerated the animation process. The tool can generate a curve as a path based on the cycle. By adjusting the route and interval of the controllers, the character can automatically advance along the path. The animators were able to achieve near-perfect footstep placement, leaving them with the freedom to focus on refining the rest of the character's body poses and overall performance.This innovative approach eliminates the tedious task of keyframing each step individually, sparing the animators from the arduous process of meticulously animating each footstep.
“ACT 2 polished.” Xueying Luo. Ace & Jett, 2023.
ACT 3
ACT 3 serves as the concluding part of the film, where the dynamics between the dog and the horse undergo a transformation. While the dog initially takes pleasure in witnessing the horse's stunned state, a sense of guilt starts to creep in as they are not sworn enemies. The dog decides to return the medal to the horse, recognizing the horse's misery. Although the horse remains angry, the relationship between the two characters evolves into more of a brotherly fight in the final shot.
ACT 3 predominantly focuses on the dog's internal conflict and decision-making. The challenge lies in effectively conveying the dog's changing thoughts through facial expressions, a task that demands skillful character animation. Three shots in particular, resembling those in ACT 1, require meticulous attention to detail to showcase the dog's shifting mindset.
Portraying a character's thought process solely through expressions is never an easy feat, as it demands a deep understanding of the character's emotions and motivations.
“ACT 3 polished.” Xueying Luo. Ace & Jett, 2023.
Simulation
Following the completion of the animation production, the simulation phase took center stage, with a specific focus on simulating the movement of the medal and the strap. The invaluable guidance and expertise of Professor Nikolic and Inamdar played a crucial role in determining the optimal approach to achieve the desired effect.
Initially, the medal and strap were attached around the horse's neck, with the dog tearing the strap while snatching the medal. As the chase sequence ensued, the strap eventually detached from the medal and fell off.
“Shot 11.” Xueying Luo. Ace & Jett, 2023.
Texture
Once the models were completed, the texture phase began, undertaken by a team of three skilled artists. This phase proved to be somewhat challenging due to the abundance of props within the film. A significant difficulty arose from the fact that several items shared similar materials. However, to ensure optimal visual quality and performance, it was essential to provide each item with its distinct material characteristics.
For instance, the trophies featured different types of metals, each requiring specific textures to accurately portray their appearance. Similarly, the wooden barn demanded various wood textures to differentiate between different parts and add realism to the scene.
“The Barn Texture.” Xueying Luo. Ace & Jett, 2023.
Lighting
Due to the concise duration of the film, the lighting process in this project was relatively straightforward. The story's timeline aligns closely with the film's duration, resulting in consistent sunlight direction and effects throughout.
However, there was a specific challenge related to the color script and lighting direction. As the two characters engage in their chase across the field, it was crucial to ensure that the lighting direction was accurately depicted in the visuals. To address this, schematic diagrams were created to guide the artist and maintain consistency in the lighting setup.
“The Schematic Diagram.” Xueying Luo. Ace & Jett, 2023.
“Color Script by Hazuki Ishikawa.” Xueying Luo. Ace & Jett, 2023.