Challenge 6 (Part 1): Walk Cycle Blocking
Research path: Walk cycles
Using the ball and legs rig, roughly block out a walk cycle ready for splining and clean up in the next class. You can create a five pose walk cycle (as seen in the video) that explores the basic mechanics of a walk or chose to explore a more personality based walk using video reference.
Ultimate Ball & Legs Rig: Download
OPTIONAL: Levelling up for students who have prior experience of animation/Maya:
For those students who have animation experience or have used Maya before, upscale your walks using rigs from the course ‘store’, a rig of your own (either yours or a downloaded rig). Push your animation beyond the basics also by exploring ‘walking’ and what ’emotional walking’ entails. For example, a very sad walk. You can also add a ‘narrative’ to the walk by creating a mini-story around it and by characterising your rig. For example, a confident hero’s walk before going into battle. If you choose this route, feedback/advice will be given during Friday’s class.
Course Store: Link (Don’t forget to download the scene files and texture files – in the assets and images folders)
Free Maya Rigs Website: Link
Resources: The Animators Survival Kit (Walking Section)
Challenge 6 Part 2: Walk Cycle Splining & Clean Up
Research path: Walk Cycles
Convert your roughed out walk cycle into clean splines using the graph editor. Focusing on fixing pose/graph editor issues and polishing your animation. Be careful not to soften and polish the personality out of your walk cycle whilst using the graph editor. Finally, convert your ‘on the spot’ walk into a ‘keyed’ walk forward.
Ball and Legs Rig: Download
OPTIONAL: Levelling up for students who have prior experience of animation/Maya:
For those students who have chosen this route, use the class to get feedback and to clean up your animation in the Graph Editor and to create a walk forwarded.__________________________________________________________________________________
Additional Topics (Last & This week):
Part 1: Intro to Grouping, Constraining, Parenting, Node Connecting, Set Driven Key, Direct Connection (Connection Editor) & Expressions (Coding Connections)
Part 2: Pivots, Freezing Transforms, Snapping
Part 3: Locator ‘Hopping’ – Object exchange / Set Parent / Visibility
Part 4: Squash & Stretch (Volume Preservation) set up
Part 5: Ghosting
Part 6: The Graph Editor – Tangents, Scaling & Snapping Keys, Weighted Tangents, Infinity & Cycle.
Part 7: Animation & Key frame techniques (Stepped, Freezing (double keys), & Spline)
Part 8: Auto Keying
Part 9: Rivet Constraint & Script
Part 10: Select All & Character Sets
3D animation exercises are done before.
