Every animator has been there. You’ve nailed the step. You hit “spline,” and the shot you had in your head vanishes in half a second. It’s not bad luck. It’s just that working with splines has its own language, and if no one has taught it to you, you’ll always be winging it. This masterclass is here to change that. Fundamentals, examples, and hands-on exercises to help you understand the layering method from the ground up. No empty theory. Just the method, applied and at your own pace: You’ll also see how Luis builds a complete acting shot in two hours, without cuts and explaining every decision in real time. After this, spline won’t be scary anymore.
The moment every animator dreads. Learn a new system. No surprises, no chaos. You'll know exactly what's going to happen as you start refining your shot.
A workflow designed to get straight to the point. Fewer unnecessary decisions, more time building. The kind of process you need to take it to the next level.
A clear system to stop winging it in Spline and start building with purpose from the very first keyframe. The layering method explained from scratch, with a process you can apply to any acting shot.
A step-by-step breakdown of an acting scene, from start to finish, with no cuts and every decision explained in real time. No magic, no shortcuts. You decide when, how many times, and at what pace you follow along.
The Graph Editor is intimidating until you get the hang of it. And once you do, you can't believe you ever animated without it. This method will get you there.
Students with some experience who want to work as professionals. If you already know the basics of Maya and how to pose characters, but when you open the Graph Editor, you’re not exactly sure what you’re building or why.
Intermediate animators who want to work faster. If your acting blockings work but it takes you too long to get a result you can show, you want a process—not to improvise every shot.
Professionals looking for a new approach. If you’ve been animating for years and still don’t have a clear system for blocking in Spline, you know there’s a better way to work—and you want to find it.
How to use animation layers to build an acting sequence from start to finish, with full control at every step of the process.
A streamlined and efficient workflow for creating acting shots in Spline without improvising. A clear process that you can repeat for any shot with dialogue.
Learn to read and control curves effectively. Understand exactly what’s happening in your animation and make decisions based on intention, not luck.
Our mentors are active experts in the animation industry, carefully selected to provide you with a first-class education.
Luis has worked on projects such as Tadeo Jones 2, Super Mario Bros., Ripley (Netflix), Luck, Blush (Apple), and No Rest for the Wicked by Moon Studios.
He is currently the Animation Supervisor for Tadeo Jones 4, and combines his professional work with more than 10 years as a teacher, giving classes and training new generations of animators.
You'll need Autodesk Maya, the industry standard for 3D animation. This is the tool we'll be using throughout the course, and it will allow you to practice each exercise in a professional environment.
Admission
To ensure that you will get the most out of the workshop, we need to review your demo reel and assess your level. Basically, we want to see that you have a good grasp of the principles of animation and that your mechanics are solid enough for you to tackle the workshop with confidence.
1 Submit your Reel
We will review your demo reel and assess whether you have the necessary level to get the most out of the workshop and make the most of each stage of the process.
2 Feedback
After our evaluation, we will give you detailed feedback on your reel. If we do not recommend that you take the workshop, you can try again at a later date.
3 Reserve
If we believe that you can fully benefit from the workshop, we will tell you how to reserve your place. You can choose between our tutors according to your preference.
