With the technical side starting to come together, this was the point where I could finally start testing the animation as a whole. This is still very much a work-in-progress viewport preview, but it let me check Madelyn’s posing, movement, timing, and how everything reads from the camera’s deliberately very close point of view.

Because the entire shot is built around that camera angle, I spent a lot of time making sure the important movement actually stays readable inside the frame. There’s no real benefit to perfectly animating something happening off-camera, especially on a project where I’m actively trying to keep production time down.

It was also a useful test for seeing how all the little pieces I’d been working on separately started fitting together: the modified chair, the simplified background, Madelyn’s effects, and the setup for the eventual Houdini fluid pass. At this stage it’s mostly about spotting anything awkward before I commit to simulation and proper renders.

Download the test in the attachments!