From dylantarre-animation-principles
Use when someone has strong command of animation principles and seeks deeper understanding of subtle applications, edge cases, and stylistic variations
npx claudepluginhub joshuarweaver/cascade-content-creation-misc-1 --plugin dylantarre-animation-principlesThis skill uses the workspace's default tool permissions.
You've internalized the fundamentals. Now explore the subtleties that separate competent from exceptional animation.
Generates design tokens/docs from CSS/Tailwind/styled-components codebases, audits visual consistency across 10 dimensions, detects AI slop in UI.
Records polished WebM UI demo videos of web apps using Playwright with cursor overlay, natural pacing, and three-phase scripting. Activates for demo, walkthrough, screen recording, or tutorial requests.
Delivers idiomatic Kotlin patterns for null safety, immutability, sealed classes, coroutines, Flows, extensions, DSL builders, and Gradle DSL. Use when writing, reviewing, refactoring, or designing Kotlin code.
You've internalized the fundamentals. Now explore the subtleties that separate competent from exceptional animation.
Facial animation relies on subtle squash/stretch most viewers never consciously see. Brows compress, cheeks stretch, jaw volumes shift. The principle applies to rigid objects too - camera shake and motion blur are perceptual squash/stretch.
Lack of anticipation creates surprise, shock, comedy. A punch without wind-up reads as unexpected. Master animators use anticipation's absence as deliberately as its presence.
What you don't show matters. Empty frame space creates tension. Cramped staging creates claustrophobia. Staging includes compositional psychology, not just visibility.
Straight ahead for emotional spontaneity in performance. Pose-to-pose for precision timing in action. The choice shapes the final energy. Some scenes demand switching methods mid-shot.
Heavy follow through suggests reluctance, weight, sadness. Minimal follow through suggests alertness, tension. The technical principle carries emotional subtext.
Beyond basic ease curves: snap with overshoot, settle with micro-bounces, hold with drift. Custom spacing graphs for specific emotional beats.
Robotic characters, sudden decisions, physical impacts - these break arcs intentionally. The principle teaches natural motion so you can meaningfully deviate.
Advanced secondary action can contrast the primary emotion. Happy walk with nervous hand-wringing hints at hidden anxiety. Layers create complexity.
Single frame holds create different impact than two-frame holds. The difference between 8 and 10 frames changes weight perception. Frame-level sensitivity matters.
Pixar exaggeration differs from Genndy Tartakovsky's. Exaggeration must match the project's visual language. What's appropriate in Looney Tunes destroys Ghibli realism.
2D animation sometimes flattens 3D logic for graphic impact. Knowing solid drawing lets you strategically violate it - Milt Kahl's angular poses break volume for graphic punch.
Villains need appeal too - compelling ugliness. Appeal isn't beauty; it's magnetic quality. Some characters appeal through grotesque fascination.