Topic: Blender Animation Tutorial (6 Walk Cycle,s and 1 Run Cycle) Easy (WIP)

We are going to learn how to use the "Pose to Pose Animation Technique" in Blender to animate our characters. I am including 7 different reference pose images we will use to accomplish 6 different types of Walk Cycle's and 1 Run cycle.

After the tutorial you should be able to use this technique, to edit your 7 existing poses and create new variations and find other "Pose Sequence's" to accomplish other types of animation.

Basic Walk Cycle
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-nOCNABun5yk/UmaMrNb940I/AAAAAAAABu4/Dh383eJY9mc/w465-h258-no/walkcycle03.jpeg

Happy Walk
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-j4UOtMIWwYY/UmaMpml4x6I/AAAAAAAABuY/LmUr_L-YieI/w702-h392-no/happywalk.jpg

http://www.cgarena.com/freestuff/tutorials/max/walk-cycles/happywalk.gif



Sneaky Walk
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-c4gJY7VJ_fA/UmaMqUNIYdI/AAAAAAAABus/h81SNvIUQEw/w780-h235-no/sneack.jpg

http://www.cgarena.com/freestuff/tutorials/max/walk-cycles/sneakwalk.gif



Double Bounce Walk
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-1CXT5fNXRws/UmaMpvxY3SI/AAAAAAAABuU/BdVrKNDG1fQ/w780-h231-no/doublebounce.jpg

http://www.cgarena.com/freestuff/tutorials/max/walk-cycles/doublebounce.gif



Angry Walk
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-coDHQ1W_bQE/UmaMppiZe8I/AAAAAAAABuQ/YIghqY-1vIQ/w780-h243-no/angrywalk.jpg

http://www.cgarena.com/freestuff/tutorials/max/walk-cycles/angrywalk.gif



Proud Man Walk
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-dpW_KgzqfSQ/UmaMqbKn6RI/AAAAAAAABu0/_0zub1EJDlE/w780-h276-no/proudmwalk.jpg

http://www.cgarena.com/freestuff/tutorials/max/walk-cycles/proudwalk.gif



Basic Run Cycle
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-_Lhr7VmbBR4/UmaMqapj_zI/AAAAAAAABuo/kJlI53JbmeE/w465-h233-no/runCycle.jpg


This method of animating from one pose to the next, hence the term 'pose to pose' animation, allows the animator to map out the action in advance. It is a particularly useful animation method when a character must perform certain tasks within a predetermined time or where a series of actions must synchronize accurately with a recorded sound track. The technique helps ensure that characters arrive at a particular place on screen at a precise point in time.

The ‘key pose’ technique is still the most widely used method of animating. Sequences can be tested and individual poses can be re-worked and the animation progressively improved. The timeline is continually revised to provide an accurate record of how the animation is to be photographed or rendered. This production method also provides a logical way of breaking down work so that it can be handed on to other people in the production chain.



How its done in Blender

The idea is to open one of these "Pose Sequence's" up as a "Background" in Blender, Then you would create a "Rig" and in "Pose Mode" "Select our position in the Timeline", place our rig over the "First Pose in the Sequence" and "Move the Bones into position", once that is done you then hit the A key to select all the Bones then the  "I" Key and "Select LocRotScale" from the menu. We would do this for each pose in the Pose Sequence Sheet, Advancing our Timeline slider position as we go.

Once Completed you should have your Animation.

When you are happy with your Animated Rig you can then in "Pose Mode | Position the Timeline Slider" over each Keyframe and "Clear" its X,Y,Z Location to 0,0,0 and hit the A key to select all the Bones and then hit the I Key and choose "LocRotScale" to adjust the current keyframe. We do this to have our Rig perform its "Animation in Place" ie "Walk in Place".

Note: I always!!!  Select all my bones first(A key in Pose Mode) before inserting or modifying a keyframe(I Key in Pose Mode) this insures that all the bones positions are saved. You would do this every time you insert or modify a keyframe.

Screenshots and Example to come

Last edited by zester (2013-10-22 19:00:35)

Re: Blender Animation Tutorial (6 Walk Cycle,s and 1 Run Cycle) Easy (WIP)

You, sir, area  a genius! Don't you know that I have been trying to learn this for the last 3-5 days, and never got it so simple and straightforward! THANKS! Now to start crankin' out those bvh files! haha.

Last edited by Tutorial Doctor (2013-10-22 17:56:54)

Re: Blender Animation Tutorial (6 Walk Cycle,s and 1 Run Cycle) Easy (WIP)

Tutorial Doctor wrote:

You, sir, area  a genius! Don't you know that I have been trying to learn this for the last 3-5 days, and never got it so simple and straightforward! THANKS! Now to start crankin' out those bvh files! haha.

Lol I wasn't done yet wink

Re: Blender Animation Tutorial (6 Walk Cycle,s and 1 Run Cycle) Easy (WIP)

Question is, is one chooses maratis, how does one get from one animation to another. Engines, such as one you have named here zester and for which you use as you noted, HOrde3d in this case, specificially have code built in for 'blending animations'. I'm not a professional coder, obviously, but from horde3d :

"  ◾Layered animation blending and mixing using masks and additive channels " , which doesn't to me sound like 'faking' it to achieve similar results.

Im curious too, where are you going with this example ,  as atm it just looks like you sharing your new animations wink That would be awesome on its own of course wink I never took time to learn makehuman, don't have poser or had time to invest in learning animation techniques , so hints on how to achieve such things are always helpful ;)hah

Last edited by VeganDev (2013-10-22 18:39:09)

Re: Blender Animation Tutorial (6 Walk Cycle,s and 1 Run Cycle) Easy (WIP)

I just found out that you can do animation blending in Blender. Then it is just a matter of setting the animation points to the correct frames. Keep Going Zester. hehe

Re: Blender Animation Tutorial (6 Walk Cycle,s and 1 Run Cycle) Easy (WIP)

Trouble is, while that's all fine and good for blender, that doesn't mean it can replace:

" ◾Layered animation blending and mixing using masks and additive channels ' does it ?

IF so, that's fine by me, but I think we need some clarification on this, as to how it relates to maratis, and what
visuals as a result will be degraded by not having the features as noted here above, in maratis atm.

Last edited by VeganDev (2013-10-22 19:27:11)

Re: Blender Animation Tutorial (6 Walk Cycle,s and 1 Run Cycle) Easy (WIP)

Tutorial Doctor wrote:

I just found out that you can do animation blending in Blender. Then it is just a matter of setting the animation points to the correct frames. Keep Going Zester. hehe

I am not sure if or how "Animation Blending" from Blender to Maratis would be done. But the old school way is to have a "Transitional Animation" that would play before a "Primary Animation", but regardless Ps2, Xbox, Gamecube games didn't use "Animation Blending" or "Morph targets" those are advanced features normally found in Highend  Graphics/Game Engines. (PS3, PS4, Xbox360, Xbox?) there might be some game engines for the Wii that supports those.

I am not concerned with it.

Last edited by zester (2013-10-22 19:42:04)

Re: Blender Animation Tutorial (6 Walk Cycle,s and 1 Run Cycle) Easy (WIP)

Isn't animation blending just combining two different animations? So animation 1 makes the character walk and animation 2 makes it attack with a sword, and one doesn't interfere with the other in the process.
Maratis doesn't currenlty support it though.

Re: Blender Animation Tutorial (6 Walk Cycle,s and 1 Run Cycle) Easy (WIP)

255 wrote:

Isn't animation blending just combining two different animations? So animation 1 makes the character walk and animation 2 makes it attack with a sword, and one doesn't interfere with the other in the process.
Maratis doesn't currenlty support it though.

You got it. In maratis we would have to have ...

1. Walk Animation
2. Attack Animation
3. Walk and Attack Animation

But in Blender once you have 1 and 2 you can Blend them to make 3.

Last edited by zester (2013-10-22 20:03:05)

Re: Blender Animation Tutorial (6 Walk Cycle,s and 1 Run Cycle) Easy (WIP)

Good animation tutorial, it's the basics of animation any 3d animator need to master,
you can transmit a lot of the character feeling and energy with the body, thanks, keep going.

Re: Blender Animation Tutorial (6 Walk Cycle,s and 1 Run Cycle) Easy (WIP)

anael wrote:

Good animation tutorial, it's the basics of animation any 3d animator need to master,
you can transmit a lot of the character feeling and energy with the body, thanks, keep going.

Thank you I will be sure to go all out.

Re: Blender Animation Tutorial (6 Walk Cycle,s and 1 Run Cycle) Easy (WIP)

Please feel free to search/find and or make your own Pose Sequance's and post them here, maybe we can build up a collection.

Here is one for a Horse I found.
http://cg.cs.uni-bonn.de/aigaion2root/attachments/indi_vs_vic.png

Re: Blender Animation Tutorial (6 Walk Cycle,s and 1 Run Cycle) Easy (WIP)

I looked at a couple of lynda.com tutorials a while ago (the free ones on youtube), and I just about have this animation down good enough to get some good stuff into Maratis. A few more things to do first (creating my own cartoony character and wardrobe) and I might have Ratchet & Clank up and running. haha.

Haven't been able to do the game mechanics part of the game for all of the technical issues. We will see.

Re: Blender Animation Tutorial (6 Walk Cycle,s and 1 Run Cycle) Easy (WIP)

nice tutorial zester keep going smile
btw is it just me or the angry walk looks like he is dancing ?

Re: Blender Animation Tutorial (6 Walk Cycle,s and 1 Run Cycle) Easy (WIP)

I encourage you to read Richard Williams book "The Animator's Survival Kit",
or the DVDs (more expensive).

Here an extract about horse animation :
http://youtu.be/INQx-Lzs8mU

Re: Blender Animation Tutorial (6 Walk Cycle,s and 1 Run Cycle) Easy (WIP)

Crucio777 wrote:

nice tutorial zester keep going smile
btw is it just me or the angry walk looks like he is dancing ?

Yah the "Angry Walk" looks funny to me also now that I look at it.

The "Happy Walk" reminds me of one of Cinderellas step sisters (Drizella Tremaine) when she is getting ready for the ball and does the marches angerly down the hall to complain to her mother that she has nothing to wear..

anael wrote:

I encourage you to read Richard Williams book "The Animator's Survival Kit",
or the DVDs (more expensive).

Here an extract about horse animation :
http://youtu.be/INQx-Lzs8mU


You can get the pdf for free here.

The Animators Survival Kit by: Richard Williams
http://www.scribd.com/doc/5445343/the-a … d-williams

There is also The Illusion of Life Disney Animation found here
http://www.scribd.com/doc/25187588/The- … -Animation


Here is a list of Animation Related Books
http://animation101.newgrounds.com/news/post/532976

Last edited by zester (2013-11-09 22:06:32)

Re: Blender Animation Tutorial (6 Walk Cycle,s and 1 Run Cycle) Easy (WIP)

Ahhh okay. That Richard Williams thing is an app on the App Store also. I had downloaded it. Content looked good, but costs too much for me. I'm going to rough it out on my own.

Re: Blender Animation Tutorial (6 Walk Cycle,s and 1 Run Cycle) Easy (WIP)

Tutorial Doctor wrote:

Ahhh okay. That Richard Williams thing is an app on the App Store also. I had downloaded it. Content looked good, but costs too much for me. I'm going to rough it out on my own.

The DVD's are $959.50 !!!!!!

Re: Blender Animation Tutorial (6 Walk Cycle,s and 1 Run Cycle) Easy (WIP)

Wow! They charge for each part in the app also. Probably would end up paying the much there too.

I'll stick with the scraps for now.

Re: Blender Animation Tutorial (6 Walk Cycle,s and 1 Run Cycle) Easy (WIP)

Thank you soo much!!!!!