Pat Ingoldsby

Did you know that in stop mo, the animation stage can actually be faster than 2D or CG? It’s the fabrication that takes the longest, not the animation! On CNESST - Hanging by a thread, only 3 animators animated a full 1-minute film in just 4 weeks. That surprises a lot of people, but it’s true. In a single CG or 2D shot there might be many departments handling all the elements like hair, clothing, clean up, render, texture etc. that only one stop motion animator takes care of all by themselves. This is how we (See Creature animation) can deliver stop-motion projects consistently just as fast as other techniques. But, when productions aren’t managed properly, reshoots happen. And in stop motion, reshoots mean days of setup, lost trust, and budgets that start to get out of control. So how do we avoid that? - We make feedback part of the creative process before animation begins. - We rework the animatic until everyone’s voice is heard. - Then we build a photomatic: Shoot one photo per shot with the creatives in the studio, so they can see how it all fits together before we capture a single frame. This collaborative, transparent approach seems like a huge extra step, but it saves time, money, and sanity, plus this keeps everyone excited instead of anxious. Here are 4 steps you can take right now to avoid costly reshoots: 1. Involve clients early in the animatic stage. 2. Create multiple versions of the animatic and try out every idea, things are cheap to change now. 3. Build a photomatic with creatives in the studio. 4. Keep clients constantly up to date with the edit. Follow these steps on your next stop motion project and you’ll enjoy a smooth production, clear communication, and no surprise reshoots. Don’t let the assumption that stop motion takes forever to animate hold you back. With the right planning and process, it can be one of the most efficient and rewarding techniques out there.

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How to design great core gameplay? Together with Mykola, we made a 5-step breakdown: 𝟭. 𝗗𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 🎮   • Super Mario Odyssey → jump / throw / capture   • Call of Duty Mobile → aim / shoot / slide   • Royal Match → swap / match / decorate Make it fast, tactile, replayable. One crisp verb the player will repeat thousands of times. 𝟮. 𝗦𝗲𝘁 𝗼𝗯𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗰𝗹𝗲𝘀 ⚔️   Keep players in the flow zone.   Easy → fair → hard.   Challenge turns verbs into play. Examples: time pressure, precision jumps, enemy swarms, boss patterns. 𝟯. 𝗟𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝗮𝗹𝘀 🎯   • Short-term → instant reward (coins, hit-flash, small XP)   • Mid-term → progress and collection (unlock new tools, regions, chapters)   • Long-term → mastery and identity (finish narrative, climb rankings) 𝟰. 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗽 🔄   Action → Obstacle → Feedback → Reward → Upgrade → Stronger next run. 𝟱. 𝗣𝗿𝗼 𝘁𝗶𝗽𝘀 💡   • Fun is king – boring actions can’t be fixed.   • Add juice: knock-back, screen shake, crisp SFX.   • Teach by doing, not text – first 30 min must prove the loop.   • Playtest hourly, tune numbers before adding systems.   • Use the rise-fall curve: spike difficulty, then give relief.   • Cut anything that doesn’t serve the core verb or its goals. Core gameplay isn’t just mechanics. It’s what keeps players coming back. What’s your favorite example of a perfect gameplay loop? ----- DM Mykola if your studio needs help testing or scaling the next game idea!

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Back to this one again while preparing the Breakdown on how to use SKAP for real-time renders. #Bakaba #Realtime #unrealengine5 #SKAP #TexturingXYZ

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