Animating walk cycle experiments.

This is where the right foot slips forward as key info is missing when duplicating the amounts from the channel editor.

The foot slips here to rectify this When duplicating frames in the channel editor some info where not transferred so had to find the pose that I was duplicating to the correct amount. Also I moved the key in the Graph editor to smooth it out...

This owl is no where near finishing...smoothing out movments and finessing in the graph editor.

Argh......walk cycles.......OK....due to the amazing amount of time directing and working on leap of faith I have left animation test for my folder to the last minute...believe you me this was not by choice but because everything is taking such a long time and trying to get all the other work done for leap of faith animation.

I forgot how much I actually enjoy animating and to be honest with you I haven't really had a serious go at it since the beginning of the second year. Why? I hear you asking...because my priorities were to focus on character modelling, learning good topology etc lighting and dynamics.

Unfortunately due to the scale of this project, commitment to the running of this project and other projects running alongside the animation has been the priority. I am disappointed that I have run out of time with finessing my animation but just starting it again has reignited my enthusiasm for it. In the next couple of weeks I will do some animation walk passes using the librarian character for my show reel.

I have using Erik Westlunds Tutorial digital tutorial and many web research on walk cycles. Please see below links that have been used.

Animators survival kit

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-D5knTExf8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOUXRqieSAY

http://www.digitaltutors.com/11/training.php?pid=1522

So far in a nut shell I have learnt......

• Starting the project setting tangents to linear when I first start
• setting timeline time real-time (24)
• setting up the key poses and breaking tangents
• positioning building the passing pose not only translates but rotations with feet and hip
• Creating flapping etc finessing steps
• Creating opposite pose
• cleaning up using the graph editors tangent conversion tools, stepped, linear, flat, spline, curves, post infinity cycle

I have only started! Just two days I have been learning how to do a walk cycle and yes I know that isn't enough time to execute a fine smooth walk cycle...but this is ongoing as I mentioned before in the next couple of week so want to learn how to move the hips chest head shoulders arms etc to walk in unison with the feet and how to do a character walk cycle in my case an old lady...so watch this space...

I'd aso like to mention a special thank you to Alex for helping with some advice on getting started.

I would like to next week take some video clips of old people walking and decipher a unique old person walk cycle.

Useful resources.

Frame 25: Key Pose, identical to frame 1

Frame 22: Inbetween, weight up

Frame 19: Left standing leg

Frame 16: Inbetween weight down

Frame 13: Key Pose right foot forward

Frame 10: Inbetween weight up

Frame 7: Breakdown, left standing leg.

Frame 4: Inbetween, weight down

Frame 1: Kepose, Left foot forward

How to create cycle on walk path. Couple of glitches when doing this as the end pose on frame 25 doesn't smoothly flow to the 1st frame so more graph editor editing....

Using pre infinity and bake to make a walk cycle

Breaking tangents...
Linear to get basic poses down