This is the behind-the-scenes look at our first try at making a 3d animation. We used 3ds Max and V-ray for the whole project, rendered with the help of a small render farm and lots of trial and error.
Storyline: Suddenly lost in a grim unfamiliar place, a discarded toy balloon unexpectedly becomes the source of happiness to a lonely young girl.
Pre-production
Our storyboard rough sketch.
Character drawings
Story animatic. All done in Toon Boom Studio.
Mood and color sketches
Production
Modeling, texturing, and rigging.
Environment modeling and texture
Animation
We used 3ds Max' bone system for facial animation and CAT system for body animation.
Testing out the face and body rigging systems. Some facial expressions and walk cycle trial and errors.(Click image for video clip)
Animating the balloon. We used 'spring magic' 3ds Max script for the balloon's string animation. Source: http://www.scriptspot.com/3ds-max/scripts/spring-magic
Post-production
Compositing everything from image sequences with Adobe After Effects. Color grading and sound effects were kept at minimal.
And now the final movie (click image below to see the video):