Run Cycle

[starwarsguy]

I am working on a short animation and am doing a run cycle for my character right now. How do I make a run cycle that looks believable? I want him to be running fast, but sort of hopping. He's pretty agile. Even a cycle sheet would be of help.

[JTalbotski]

Here ya go:

 

http://www.hash.com/animationcontest/blairpages/biped.htm

 

Jim

 

(I did a Google search for Preston Blair run cycle)

[Alexey]

Good reference for this would be Muybridge's The Human Figure in Motion and Richard Williams' The Animator's Syrvival Kit. Also check out the Leonid Larionov's site here, he has a reel with some good walks and runs you can step through those

 

Search the web - you will find lots of examples of different runs through google.

 

I'm just a beginner animator myself, but here's a run I did for the bootcamp:

 

run_left.mov

 

i didn't have time to really polish it so its not very good, but it could give you an idea.

 

Good luck.

[starwarsguy]

Can anyone give me about how long it should be in between each position? Or should I just experiment?

[nyahkitty]

I'd recommend experimentation.

 

One thing I do is just try to personally perform the action and pay attention to how it feels. I then try to invest that bodily awareness into the animation I'm producing. This is because I don't have a decent full length mirror to watch myself perform an action.

 

I usually shoot for one or two seconds for a walk or run cycle. Since I assign a character to a motion path, it's a bit easier to adjust the pace of the cycle later on. There's already been research done on the subject, which is evident in the many animation howto books. Plain old experience born of much practice serves as a nice complement to such book learning.

 

Of course, then there's always the Animation Mentor online learning course, if you've got about $8,000 to spare. ;-)

[starwarsguy]

Thanks for your help guys!