Critique walk cycle in spline & video making for animation reference exercise.
Using reference plane video in Maya (Class notes)
Introduction to Animation Workflow
When animating in Maya, it’s essential to understand how to manipulate reference planes and frame rates to achieve the desired animation effects. You can adjust the frame rate within the Graph Editor to make movements appear more abrupt or snappy. However, slowing down the animation may not work if there are no additional PNG frames available.
Blocking the Animation with Primitives
The initial step in character animation is blocking using basic primitives that represent the main parts of the character: the root, head, pelvis, and torso. Match the movement of these blocks with the reference footage to establish the general motion.
Constrain Blocks to the Rig
Once the blocking is complete, constrain these blocks to the character’s bony rig. This step transfers the movement data from the blocks to the rig, allowing the final animation to be created.
Maintaining Proper Foot Contact
It’s crucial to ensure that both of the character’s legs remain in contact with the ground, even if the reference footage suggests otherwise due to the angle it was shot from. Proper foot contact prevents floating or unrealistic poses.
Animation reference and planning: first attempt
FK and IK: Understanding the Two-Rig Systems
What is FK (Forward Kinematics)?
Forward Kinematics (FK) is a rigging system where the movement of one joint affects the others in a chain, moving “forward.” The higher joints influence the lower ones, but the last joint in the chain only influences itself.
For example, think of the FK system as a chain, where moving the root joint will move the whole chain, with each joint following the next.
What is IK (Inverse Kinematics)?
Inverse Kinematics (IK) works in the opposite way: the last joint in the chain has the most influence. When you move the end joint, the system automatically adjusts the rest of the joints in the hierarchy.
An example of this is when grabbing a mug. In IK, the hand will take priority, allowing for the accurate movement of the fingers, while the rest of the arm follows the hand’s movement.
Switching Between FK and IK
Most rigs come with a switch between FK and IK systems, which makes animating characters easier and more intuitive. For instance, if you’re animating a character grabbing an object, you’ll use IK to control the hand. Once the object is released, you can switch to FK to animate the arm’s movement more naturally.
Using IK for Sitting Positions
For actions like sitting where the hands touch the knees, it’s best to use IK. This ensures that the hands stay properly placed on the knees, while the rest of the body adjusts accordingly.