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EricD · 1st March 2008, 21:49

I finished rigging the figure, adjusted the constraints and added an IK terminator at the base of each limb and the trunk, so I can use IK for the individual members without stretching the entire figure. I used the bone influence painting to adjust the deformation, primarily on the belly, horns and claws.

Then I started a walk cycle, based on Tony White's method (The Animator's Handbook). I placed 3 boxes as guides just below the ground, a long box as the axis for the wheels, and a short box for each side leg.

Working at 12 fps, I began with the 3 positions where both hooves touch the ground (frames 0, 12, and 24 (which is an exact copy of 0)). I rotated the entire zalif so that the leg that pushes on the ground raises one side more than the other, to give it the side-to-side wobble. Since the entire model is tilted, I rotated the head to a roughly vertical position, and the front and back legs so the wheels were aligned with the guide and in contact with the ground. On frame 0, I stretched the right lef so the hoof touched the ground at the rear of the guide and the left leg was bent with the hoof at the front end of the guide. I reversed the leg positions on frame 12, and changed the trunk position to give it a little bounce. I copied all the settings from frame 0 to frame 24, so the keyframes would match.
Then, on frames 6 and 18, I lowered the entire model because both legs are bent at that stage. This adds a little up and down wobble. I raised the front and rear claws (which act as axles) so the wheels stay in contact with the ground. On frame 6, I positioned the left leg so the hoof touches the ground at the center of the guide. I bent the right leg so the hoof was high in the air above the center of the guide. Reversed for frame 18.
On frame 3, I bent the right leg up a little more and positioned the left hoof at 1/4 position on the guide, still in contact with the ground. Reversed for frame 15.
On frame 9, I positioned the right hoof just above the front of the guide and positioned the left hoof at 3/4 position on the guide, still in contact with the ground. Reversed for frame 21.
I checked the wheel alignment and ground contact for each keyframe and adjusted as necessary. Then I rotated each wheel on its axle 45° (I have to do some trig to figure out what the rotation should really be).

Here is the walk cycle from a few different points of view:
mulefa_walkloop_1d.mov (213KB)
mulefa_walkloop_1e.mov (303KB)
mulefa_walkloop_1f.mov (285KB)
mulefa_walkloop_1g.mov (294KB)

Eric

1st March 2008, 21:49	#17 (permalink)
EricD Extrusion Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Rhode Island, USA Posts: 156	Walk cycle I finished rigging the figure, adjusted the constraints and added an IK terminator at the base of each limb and the trunk, so I can use IK for the individual members without stretching the entire figure. I used the bone influence painting to adjust the deformation, primarily on the belly, horns and claws. Then I started a walk cycle, based on Tony White's method (The Animator's Handbook). I placed 3 boxes as guides just below the ground, a long box as the axis for the wheels, and a short box for each side leg. Working at 12 fps, I began with the 3 positions where both hooves touch the ground (frames 0, 12, and 24 (which is an exact copy of 0)). I rotated the entire zalif so that the leg that pushes on the ground raises one side more than the other, to give it the side-to-side wobble. Since the entire model is tilted, I rotated the head to a roughly vertical position, and the front and back legs so the wheels were aligned with the guide and in contact with the ground. On frame 0, I stretched the right lef so the hoof touched the ground at the rear of the guide and the left leg was bent with the hoof at the front end of the guide. I reversed the leg positions on frame 12, and changed the trunk position to give it a little bounce. I copied all the settings from frame 0 to frame 24, so the keyframes would match. Then, on frames 6 and 18, I lowered the entire model because both legs are bent at that stage. This adds a little up and down wobble. I raised the front and rear claws (which act as axles) so the wheels stay in contact with the ground. On frame 6, I positioned the left leg so the hoof touches the ground at the center of the guide. I bent the right leg so the hoof was high in the air above the center of the guide. Reversed for frame 18. On frame 3, I bent the right leg up a little more and positioned the left hoof at 1/4 position on the guide, still in contact with the ground. Reversed for frame 15. On frame 9, I positioned the right hoof just above the front of the guide and positioned the left hoof at 3/4 position on the guide, still in contact with the ground. Reversed for frame 21. I checked the wheel alignment and ground contact for each keyframe and adjusted as necessary. Then I rotated each wheel on its axle 45° (I have to do some trig to figure out what the rotation should really be). Here is the walk cycle from a few different points of view: mulefa_walkloop_1d.mov (213KB) mulefa_walkloop_1e.mov (303KB) mulefa_walkloop_1f.mov (285KB) mulefa_walkloop_1g.mov (294KB) Eric Attached Thumbnails Last edited by EricD; 1st March 2008 at 22:04.