Friday 17 March 2017

How Do Animators Stop Feet From Sliding in a Walk Cycle?



How do you stop the feet sliding when you animate a walk cycle? It's a question often asked by students starting out at Escape Studios. The answer is a little technical, so here is a video which explains how to tackle the problem. It's about 10 minutes long, and explains how to get it right first time, and stop those feet from slipping around.

Why worry about slipping feet? Here's a story from Escapee Kevin Richards, who has recently started a new animation job at Cloth Cat in Cardiff. 
 
"Hi Alex i just wanted to share with you a cautionary tale about my first month as a pro animator. I started out doing loads of walk cycles. The animation supervisor and the director where very happy with them until they turned on the infinity curves and the ground translation. I had forgotton to staight-line my X translations - which meant that the feet wouldn't stop sliding.  It took a massive effort to beat the cycles into shape. I really had to nail it all down in the side view against the grid. I eventually got it into shape but it was a lot harder than it should have been.  Feel free to use this story as an example of the importance of good preparation if you like".

So there you have it. Watch the video above, and make sure those feet don't slip!

The Escape Studios Animation Blog offers a personal view on the art of animation and visual effects. To apply for our new BA/MArt starting in September 2017, follow this link.  To apply for our evening storyboarding class, starting on March 21st, follow this link.  We train all our students with practical real-world skills, to give them the best possible chance of a career in industry. To see some of our animation success stories, follow this link.

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