falling blocks project

This project is to help us get our heads around timing. We used flash to animate because it is fast and gives results straight away which is most beneficial when learning because instant feedback means you can edit your work and test new areas. Our main aim was to give character to an expressionless block bearing in mind that these techniques will continue to be used throughout the course and our futures in the subject.
  The first tests revolved around a linear movement on a flat plane having the square move from side to side with equal spacings between frames so the movement was  uniform. I experimented with different sized spacings gradually increasing them so the block moved faster until I found the popping point at which point the block no longer appears to move and just seems to disappear and reappear.The second test was based on acceleration and using increasingly larger or smaller distance of movement between frames so the block appears to be increasing and decreasing in speed. From this point on I have been surprised at the amount of physics from A-level I have called upon to assist my work. Having experimented with acceleration we applied what we had learnt to a pendulum. This uses the same principles but works on a curved plane rather that a linear horizontal plane. Changing the rate of acceleration on the block gave the impression that the block had different masses and that gravity was affecting the differently. During this test I used a large amount of my time on one animation trying to make the block appear to naturally slow down and come to a stop resting underneath the fulcrum, this was a challenge that I enjoyed and helped to summarise my acceleration work.
The final test was to make the block fall on a vertical plane and upon hitting a base line take on the qualities of a bouncing ball, a cannon ball, an apple and a balloon. the first two of these were not overly complicated because it was easy to visualise in my head how these would fall. I found with these test that the easier it was to imagine the movement the easier it was to recreate on the screen, sound also played a large part in helping me to produce these pieces as I could imagine the noises that would be produced when the objects were dropped. A bouncing ball I found to be similar to the pendulum gradually coming to a stop each bounce losing height, however this wok is only on a vertical plane not a curved one. A cannon ball would come to an abrupt stop with very little bouncing afterwards. An apple I managed as it lies somewhere between the two bouncing less than a ball but more than a cannon ball. The balloon I had problems with I had a tendency to make it float in the air too long when it does accelerate towards the floor quite fast, I also had a problem with the period of time and number of bounces afterwards. I thought about it and then watched a video of a balloon falling and noted its springy material this would mean on contact with the floor it would bounce and accelerate quite fast but because of its light weight it would have a low momentum so would loose speed quite fast and would fall towards the ground slower than it gained height. After a great deal of experimentation I was happy with the movement and finished the work.