Squash and stretch breathe life into animations, making objects and characters more dynamic and believable. By exaggerating form during motion while maintaining consistent volume, animators create fluid, engaging movements that captivate viewers.

From bouncing balls to expressive facial features, squash and stretch techniques enhance various scenarios. They convey weight, emphasize impact, and improve motion clarity, striking a balance between realism and stylization to create a cohesive visual experience.

Fundamentals of Squash and Stretch

Squash and stretch techniques

• Exaggerate form during motion adds life, flexibility, and weight to objects
• Maintain consistent volume throughout deformation creates believable motion
• Apply to organic forms (characters, animals) and inorganic objects (balls, machines)
• Implement key aspects timing, spacing, anticipation, and follow-through enhance overall animation quality

Rigid vs flexible object animation

• Rigid objects limited deformation, focus on impact points (wooden blocks, metal objects)
• Flexible objects greater deformation throughout, more exaggerated squash and stretch (rubber balls, cloth, cartoon characters)
• Material properties, mass, weight, speed, and force of motion affect degree of squash and stretch
• Adjust animation technique based on object characteristics for realistic or stylized movement

Advanced Applications and Analysis

Scenarios for squash and stretch

• Bouncing ball vertical squash on impact, horizontal stretch during ascent and descent
• Character walk cycle leg compression and extension, subtle torso and head squash and stretch
• Facial expressions exaggerate features for emotional impact (surprise, anger)
• Action sequences emphasize force and impact, enhance perceived speed and momentum
• Object interactions showcase weight and material properties (heavy vs light objects)

Effectiveness of squash and stretch

• Enhance believability and plausibility of motion in animated scenes
• Convey weight perception through degree of deformation and shape recovery speed
• Improve motion clarity by exaggerating movement arcs and reinforcing acceleration/deceleration
• Visualize impact intensity with squash at point of contact and force distribution
• Balance realism and stylization appropriate exaggeration level for animation style
• Maintain consistency across different elements in the scene for cohesive visual experience