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Animation can be hard, but it should also be fun. Kelly Vawter joins The Gnomon Workshop library with his full shot walkthrough in Maya, which focuses on body mechanics. Animating a skateboarder performing tricks, Kelly explains how he approaches a technical shot and offers up his entire animation process from start to finish. He divulges his industry workflow tips and shares the tools he uses when tackling complex performance and action animation shots in Maya.
The workshop opens up with an Introduction chapter covering how Kelly sets up his shots and where he explains the tools he will use throughout the tutorial. Kelly teaches this workshop in a way that animators of any skill level should be able to get something out of it. That said, the focus of the content is created primarily for an intermediate skillset since there is less emphasis on the basics of Maya. Rather, Kelly jumps right into Maya to begin his demonstration, starting with the blocking before working through the Spline process and onto the final polish.
Kelly’s career in animation started at Blizzard, where he worked on Overwatch cinematics before he moved to Respawn to work on Stars Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. From there, he went to Disney, where he worked on feature animations before later joining DreamWorks. Needless to say, his career experience is exactly what you need to see and hear if you’re looking to work as an animator on feature films or AAA games.
The model used in this workshop is The Mecha-Mechs: Free Proxy Sample by Frigging Awesome Studios.
4 Lessons
In this workshop, Kelly walks us through his Maya scene setup, workspace setup, the equipment (X-key and Wacom Intuos tablet) and the powerful software tools (Keyframe Pro, AnimBot, FCM Hider) that he uses to create a streamlined workflow, that keeps everything visible and accessible without switching between windows. This method reflects industry best practices that protect work and maximize productivity during long animation sessions.
Duration: 10m 4s
In this lesson, Kelly emphasizes that effective animation blocking is about capturing the essence and storytelling beats of movement rather than perfectly matching reference footage frame-by-frame. As he works, Kelly demonstrates that successful blocking requires understanding animation principles (anticipation, arcs, compression), maintaining flexibility in your workflow, and making creative choices that enhance performance rather than simply copying reality.
Duration: 30m 3s
Following the last lesson, Kelly continues to work on the animation block-in. Throughout, he demonstrates that achieving believable motion requires constant refinement, setting poses, reviewing playblasts, adjusting timing, and correcting physical mechanics until the movement feels right. The process isn't linear; it involves revisiting earlier decisions, sometimes removing poses that don't work, and trusting both the technical tools and his own intuition to create convincing character performance before moving into final polish.
Duration: 27m 54s
With the block-in complete, Kelly focuses on polishing his animation; an iterative and methodical process that requires focus, simplification, and constant evaluation. Success comes from breaking complex performances into manageable chunks, being willing to experiment and undo work that isn't serving the overall animation. Through consistent practice and maintaining focus on the final performance rather than getting lost in technical perfection, Kelly shows how animators can improve their skills and be more successful in the entertainment industry.
Duration: 46m 21s
Primary tools
For this workshop you’ll need:
* Note that these programs and materials will not be supplied with the course.
Skills Covered
Who’s this Workshop for?
This workshop is primarily designed for junior-level or higher Maya animators who are looking to enhance their action animation skills. Viewers who are interested in animating for games, feature films, and cinematics will find Kelly Vawter’s industry-proven techniques particularly valuable for tackling complex shots with dynamic character performances.
While the instructor assumes viewers have basic Maya knowledge, artists at any level can still gain insights into Kelly’s process, as he ensures that the workshop is highly approachable. The shot setup, blocking strategies, and the complete animation pipeline he shares will guide any animator from initial concept to final polish.
Learning Outcomes
By completing this workshop, artists will have gained comprehensive knowledge of professional body mechanics, animation techniques, and industry-standard workflows for complex action sequences in Maya.
Key skills include:
- How to properly set up animation shots for efficient workflow and organization.
- How to approach blocking for technical skateboarding tricks and complex body mechanics.
- How to transition effectively from blocking phase through spline refinement to final polish.
- How to analyze and animate realistic body mechanics for action-heavy performance shots.
- How to implement professional animation tools and techniques used in AAA game development.
- How to apply industry workflow principles for feature film and cinematic animation production.
