moving the body from side to side

[robcat2075]

Some notes on moving the body from side to side.

 

 

When the whole upper body moves from side to side as a unit it looks weightless because no flexible body with mass could do that.

[Rodney]

Excellent Note Robert. You've captured the essence in those drawings.

 

What I find of particular interest here is the importance (and difference) between drawings and computer animation.

In essence they are the same but practically they are so very different.

For example, drawing the movement of a character as you have in the third image takes a few seconds when drawing whereas creating the same thing from scratch on the computer can take hours (modeling, rigging, posing the character). This is why I think it's important to plan animation out via drawings first and then follow that plan.

 

Regarding the subject of Rigging with regard to this side to side swaying: I made a few attempts at modeling and rigging that character in the third image and learned a lot in the process. (At least I feel a little better oriented in my approach to animation than I did yesterday!). If it isn't too far off topic I'd love to hear the experts weigh in on how they would approach rigging that guy so his feet would stay in place while the hips move around and rotate. Such a simple thing to convey in a drawing... but not so straightforward with the constraints of CG characters. Obviously, when just animating, one would hope to be working with a character rigged with that functionality already in place. Not trying to drift off topic from animation but I seeing even more clearly how the rigging of a character can make such a critical difference in computer animation.

 

Where I'm currently hyper-focused on in animation can be found within that area of in-betweening you've illustrated in points 4 and 5. I find that while the Extremes may tell the story via the Key Poses (so very important!) but it's those in-between frames that convey the personality and spirit of our animation. It's like life itself, where we begin and end may be key'd for us but we must choose the paths we take.

 

This is fun and educational. You have a gift for teaching animation.

[robcat2075]

Regarding the subject of Rigging with regard to this side to side swaying: I made a few attempts at modeling and rigging that character in the third image and learned a lot in the process. (At least I feel a little better oriented in my approach to animation than I did yesterday!). If it isn't too far off topic I'd love to hear the experts weigh in on how they would approach rigging that guy so his feet would stay in place while the hips move around and rotate.

 

A:M makes it easy! Check out my "Simplest IK leg" tutorial in my screencam tuts.

[Rodney]

Thanks Robert, it'd been so long since I'd used an IK constraint I was lost.

Your simpliest IK leg was just the thing I needed to jog the memory.

Still not quite where I need to be but getting there.

[robcat2075]

Shaggy demonstrates.

 

Straight linear, hips first, head first.

 

sidestep.mov

 

 

These are not fully polished but the basics are there.

[NancyGormezano]

Nice, clear example!

[robcat2075]

It always surprises me how much faster the overlapped motion looks than the straight motion, even though they are all moving in the same time and moving to the same place.

[Rodney]

I thought I'd seen your drawing somewhere lately in animated action. Sure enough, it was Shaggy doing the 'Bus Stop'.

[NancyGormezano]

It always surprises me how much faster the overlapped motion looks than the straight motion, even though they are all moving in the same time and moving to the same place.

 

Yes it seems to add a "snap" (the middle one), almost like centrifugal force, whereas the right most example adds style.

 

Just wanted to let you know I'm trying to incorporate this into my dance animation and I LIKE, I like! Thanks again.