Introduction
In this task i will be explaining how I created the different cycle movements, for instance I will be including a screen shots of my production and explain the camera angle, the lighting and the different animation techniques I have used to create my final 3D animation.Walking Cycle
To create the walk cycle, first I had to rig the puppet to walk. To do this I used the walk cycle image aligned to the right as a guide on how to animate the puppet.I found the walk cycle fairly easy although I decided to use a curve path to make the puppet move as this is a lot more effective and easier to do.
1) Puppet stood normal (straight)
The first key frame I did was make the puppet stand normal and straight.
2) Move back leg slightly back
The second key frame was the puppets left leg being slightly behind the right leg. To do this I just move the upper legs bone slightly back.
3) Move back leg slightly In
The next key frame is to move the leg slightly closer to the other leg. The left leg (Back one) is also slighted like the puppet is lifting up their foot.
4) Move forward & bend
The fourth key frame is slightly moving the leg closer again, this time though the knee is a bit bent. to do this i move the lower part of the leg slightly behind the upper part of the puppets leg.
5) Move leg in front of the left leg
carry on moving the left leg so it is in front of the right leg, Once you are happy with your position key frame the puppet. I am doing my key frames In 3's so the first key frame would be on 0, the second key frame is 3 and the next is 6 and so on. I do this because it reduces the amount of frames within the animation which makes the rendering progress obviously a lot faster.
6) Move right leg behind the left leg & tilt the left leg up
This is probably the most complicated key frame within the walk cycle. Basically I moved the the left leg so it is pointing straight and the toes are pointing up. Then I moved the right leg behind the left leg and moved it so the toes are pointing towards the floor.
7) Bend both legs
For the final key frame I positioned the legs like I did in the screen shot below, This position is basically the legs being a bit bent. I think this the transition back to the first walk cycle.
8) Check Dope sheet
Below you can see the dope sheet for the walking animation. The dope sheet shows all the different key frames for that animation, At the beginning I had only the 7 key frames from the walk cycle although I have duplicated the key frames several times till I get a full walk cycle.
9) Add Path
I prefer Using paths to make the player move because otherwise It is a lot more difficult. I created the path and adjusted it on the 'stage' (production of the stage is shown later on). I then selected the armature as a object and then Shift selected the path, pressed CTRL P and told it to follow the path.
9) Key frame the path
The puppet automatically followed the path although it moved way to quickly for my preference so I added several key frames to the path to make the puppet movement slower. For example In the screenshot below you can see that the animation is on key frame 60 although the evaluation time in the path options is set as 50. this is because I added several key frames which is 10 frames behind the original frame so the puppet is moving 10 frames slower in a sense.
10) Adding a wave
I decided to add a wave animation. To do this I created a new animation by selecting action editor in the dope sheet and adding a new animation which I called 'Wave'. The wave animation makes the puppet stand up straight and turn around so it is facing the audience, I then moved the arm bones to make the puppet move its hand in a waving motion. I then made the puppet put his hand back down and rotate back to its original walking position. In the NLA editor I placed the walk cycle first and the wave cycle next to it so it automatically plays the wave animation and I then placed the walk cycle directly after the wave so the puppet carry's on walking.
Running Cycle
Once I created the walking cycle the other movement cycles became a whole more simpler. For example the running cycle is simply the walking cycle but the puppet is moving a lot faster and has no time to wave. As you can see below the key frames are similar to the walking cycle although the evaluation time on the path is only slightly behind the original frame instead of being 10 frames behind. I still made the animation a bit slower because at the original speed the puppet moves to fast to be noticed.
Lunge Movement
The lunge movement is the walking cycle which turns into the lunge and he stands back up and carry's on walking. As you can see in the screen shot below, I placed the lunge action which is named as meta rig in the middle of both of the walk cycles. You can also see the dope sheet for the actual lunge.
Spinning Movement
The spinning movement is the walking cycle which turns into a spin and carry's on walking. As you can see in the screen shot below, I placed the spinning action which is named as meta rig in the middle of both of the walk cycles. You can also see the dope sheet for the actual lunge.
Scene Creation
To create the scene I simply used two different planes and textured the top plane as a wall and the other as the floor. I then added another plane to create a poster. The textures I have used are linked below.
*I changed the poster after the walk cycle*