GDC 2014: The Year of Animation FOR REALS

YOU GUYS.

I just did a quick audit of all GDC talks related to animation. This includes, but is not limited to, animation, design, AI, character development and rigging. What did I find?

Monday is the full day Animation Bootcamp. But we knew that already.

Tuesday is nap day. We animators need our beauty-pass.

Only 11 am Wednesday is free of animation goodness. Silly 11 am, you don't know what's good for you.

The great part about this is that animators will have a true smorgasboard of talks to attend. The bad part? A few conflict with the Animation and Character Performance Roundtables. But you know what? I'm OK with that.

Animators and Jerry Lewis, separated at birth.

I'm OK with the fact that animation is finally getting proper representation at GDC. I'm OK that we finally have a GOOD problem to deal with- choice.

So what are these choices? GLAD YOU ASKED. I have listed them below. If you read this and feel that another relevant talk should be added to the list, let me know in the comments or via twitter!

Monday ANIMATION BOOTCAMP WOOOO:

Animation Bootcamp: Intro & Achieving a Believable Performance
Animation Bootcamp: Establishing an Ecology for NPCs
Animation Bootcamp: Fluid and Powerful Animation within Frame Restrictions
Animation Bootcamp: Animating the Spy Fantasy in Splinter Cell
Animation Bootcamp: Animation Prototyping for Games
Animation Bootcamp: An Indie Approach to Procedural Animation
Animation Bootcamp: Using the Power of Layered Animation to Expand Premium Content in Battlefield 4
Animation Bootcamp: Animating Cameras for Games
Animation Bootcamp: Animator's Approach to Directing an Idea

Wednesday:

11 am:
NONE?!? Well, it's because GDC knows we like to sleep in!

2 pm:

Animation and Character Performance Roundtable: The Role of Animators (ME!)
Face Animation Retargeting in Destiny

2:35 pm:

2D Animation at Klei Entertainment

3:30 pm:

Sucker Punch's Performance Capture for inFAMOUS: Second Son

5 pm:

The Art of Reanimating Plants vs. Zombies 2
The Last of Us: Human Enemy AI

Thursday:

10 am:

Unsynced: The Last of Us Melee System

11:30 am:

Harmonix's Character Rigging Framework: Harmony

12 pm:

Super Powering the Saints: Animation Direction of Saints Row IV's Super Jumping

2:30 pm:

Animation and Character Performance Roundtable: The Future of Game Animation (ME!)
Creating BioShock Infinite's Elizabeth
Enter the Stage: Cinematic Dialogue in Performance Capture

4 pm:

Ellie: Buddy AI in The Last of Us

5:30 pm:

Change Is Good: The Importance of Iteration Within a Character Art Pipeline
Characterization, Purpose and Action: Creating Strong Video Game Characters
Designing the Bungie Animation Workflow

Friday:

10 am (GDC forgot that we like to sleep in):

Animation and Character Performance Roundtable: Animation Techniques, Tips and Tricks (ME!)
Building Customizable Characters for Bungie's Destiny

11:30 am:
Next-Gen Characters: From Facial Scans to Facial Animation

2:30 pm:
Discovering the Story and Character in the Real-Time, Animated Short Film Unplugged

So yeah! Here's to an awesome Animation year at GDC 2014!