Run Cycle

After finishing the walk cycle I have gone onto creating a run cycle with my rig using the same skills that I used to create the walk cycle. To make the run cycle I lifted the feet up on the first and last key frames when the rig was a full stretch to show the feet in the air and then when the feet would cross over I put the foot travelling back on the ground to show the basic running stance.

Once I have done this I then went onto the arms and added in greater detail with those, like the walk all they need was extra swing when going through the motions and when they are dropping back down from being at the top of the swing.

Following on from this I wanted to sort the torso out, I have done this by putting a small turn onto torso when at the peak of the step which helps it look more professional.

The final things that I need to do now to completed the run is to touch up all the areas which I have basically blocked in such as the legs and arms, I think I might even put a facial expression which might give some personality to the character. I am pretty happy with the outcome of this initial run cycle however I think the arms may need a bit more work to make them look more life like.

Walk Cycle

For the first animation I have gone with the simple walk cycle to get into the flow of creating animations and also to familiarise myself with the rig that I have chosen to use. I have chosen to use the Max rig due to the fact that it has a simple GUI for the face and also minimal controls around the body and I have previously used it before on other projects.

So the first thing I did was to start with the leg by putting them in the extreme poses while key-framing them so that he would look like his feet would slide across the floor rather than walking.

Following this I wanted to get the arms to do the same so that I had the base movements down which would let me go through each limb making the cycle look more life like.

After getting the main forms I concentrated on the waist and torso to show when it would go up and down when each step is made to do this I gathered some research on walk cycles and how the body moves with the steps.

This image helped a lot as it shows how the body moves through the cycle which is exactly what I needed to make it more human and life like. As you can see below he is already looking more life like and real compared to the skiers above. I have also picked the foot up when they are crossing over each other in the middle which positively enhances the walk.

After this I have gone through the whole walk cycle adding a variety of features to the rig which makes him look like a normal person walking rather than having a robotic walk such as the toe bend when it hits the floor and extra swing on the forearms and hands which really adds a  lot to the animation as a whole. Below shows my final walk cycle, I have made him have a slow walk to try and emphasise the separate movements however keeping it quick enough so that he is not shuffling along the floor. Overall I am happy with this cycle.