This project was created for the Animation Club’s Spring 2025 Animation Jam by Josh Goldman and myself. Under a strict one-week deadline, we strategically leveraged free assets from Fab and advanced motion capture technology to streamline our production process. I adapted a pre-existing monster rig’s crawl animation to seamlessly integrate it into our scene, taking care to prevent clipping while enhancing the facial and mouth movements for added effect.

With the MoCap motion data captured, we now just had to import those animations onto the characters for our project. For the prisoner character, I utilized Unreal Engine’s MetaHuman Creator, incorporating a control rig to refine the animations and ensuring that the wrists remained accurately aligned with the prison shackles. Concurrently, Josh retargeted and modified the Viking character from Fab to embody a medieval prison guard, while I fine-tuned the guard animations to manage dynamic lighting from the torch without compromising visibility.For the prisoner character, I utilized Unreal Engine’s MetaHuman Creator, incorporating a control rig to refine the animations—ensuring that the wrists remained accurately aligned with the prison shackles. Concurrently, Josh expertly retargeted and modified the Viking character from Fab to embody a medieval prison guard, while I fine-tuned the guard animations to manage dynamic lighting from the torch without compromising visibility.

This project significantly expanded my technical expertise in several areas. I honed my skills in motion capture integration, rigging, and animation editing, while also deepening my understanding of lighting techniques and dynamic scene composition. These experiences enhanced my ability to tell compelling stories visually and improved my overall workflow efficiency in a high-pressure, production-oriented environment.