Walk Cycle Animation

After finishing the standing long jump assignment that most of you may have already seen, my instructor gave us a walk cycle assignment. A walk cycle is just what it sounds like, an animation of someone walking. Sounds simple enough, right? Well actually, a walk cycle is one of the hardest things to animate simply because the person walking is almost always off-balanced. The only time during a walk when your whole body is in balance is when both your feet touch the ground, which only lasts for about a fraction of a second. Walking is best described as controled falling. But even if you have a perfect understanding of this, you've got to understand that no two people on this planet have the same walk. Don't believe me? Go to your local park and just watch how the people around you walk. Some people walk at a casual speed, elderly people tend to walk slow, effeminate people tend to put one foot in front of the other as if walking on a tight rope. And if you watch carefully you'll notice that people's heads tend to bob up and down less while they're walking if they're talking on their cell phone.

In short, walk cycles are hard.


Anyway, here is my thumbnail that I'll be working off of for this assignment. I'll post more of my work as I finish it.

Here's the flipbook I made to work out the timing of the animation.

For those of you who just watched the flipbook, you might have noticed that the guy is walking a bit fast. I forgot to set the correct timing when I made it. It's supposed to be 24 fps(frames per second) and I left it on the default of 30 fps. Anyway, I fixed it a few moments ago. Here's the right flipbook:

Oh dear! This must e fairly complicated to do. I saw your other animation and it was well done. Do you do this as a hobby? Because certainly, that would be one frustrating hobby.

I was amused at your walking thumbnail picture. I don't really know why. It was just really amusing. And then, you actually got it to move! This is really cool. I don't really think it was moving that fast in the first place... I guess I just walk fast. I keep playing it!

I can't even find something to critique it becuase I know nothing about animation...
Otherwise, keep posting. I would love to see the finished product.

~Incognito

It's not a hobby, it's for one of my college classes. But you're right, it can be very frustrating and time consuming, which is why I'm going to major in something else when I get the chance. I'm posting my stuff on YWS to show everyone what it takes to make an animation. But thanks anyway.

Here's the next step of my animation. This looks good, so the next thing I have to do is take the frames I have and apply them over and over again so the guy keeps walking. Then when that's done, it's time for the final render.



It's been a while, I know, but other assignments took priority over this one.

Here's my final render. I have to say, it's probably the best I've made so far.



When I started getting it ready for the final render I noticed the feet kept dipping through the ground before lifting up to step. That's the thing with animating in a 3D computer program like 3D Max, it'll fill in all the frames between your key frames, but most of the time it'll mess up the animation. It's programmed to take theshortest possible path from one key frame to another, so sometimes you have to add in extra frames just to make it look right.

In case you're wondering: no, I didn't re-animate the guy for the rest of the walk cycle after the first two steps. I took the original frames, copied and pasted them further down the timeline, then repositioned the entire rig into the right spot for that each frame.

For those of you who are thinking of having a career as an animator, the first thing you should start studying is how to do walk cycles. As I said before, walk cycles are the most difficult things to master. If you can get a good grasp on them ahead of time, you're well on your way.

Wow. You are very, very talented at that! I love how you are showing us every step of the way... all of your progress... keep it up!
Also, I like how the guy is walking. Sort of a casual, half- hunched, kind of walk. It's kind of how I walk

What are you planning to do with this once you finish fixing it up?

Oh, it's done. I fixed everything in the animation that needed to be fixed before creating that final clip. I've already handed it in. If you're talking about texture, lighting, background, and all that stuff, that's not part of the assignment. I'll be learning all that stuff in other classes, with the assignments in my animation techniques class the only thing that matters is the animation itself. If you animate a guy walking down the street and it doesn't look right, you can't fix it by putting clothes on him. You catch my drift?

Anyway, if you have the right computer programs (and patience) you can make animations that are these good yourself. You just need to go through the same process that I did: thumbnail sketches, timing charts(you can count the picture in my first post as both a thumbnail and timing chart), a flip book, blocked out animation to see if it runs smoothly, final edits, and you're done. If you don't wave the same thousand dollar programs that I do, you can still do it the old fashioned way with paper and just scan it into the computer. Or better yet, there's a free program called Pencil you can download that's basically like Flash, except it's free. Just do a Google search for 'Pencil download' and it should be the very first link you get.

Anyway, thanks for the comment. But to be honest, this is nothing compared to some of the work others in my program are making. This is just the tip of the iceberg, as they say. They say the best way to learn something is to teach it to someone else. I'm not the best in my program, so I'm posting my stuff here in hopes of drilling the concept further into my own head.

Dynamo... o.O Whoa.

Seriously. Whoa. I mean, wow. Just... amazing.


First, this is such a tedious project, I'm sure. How you had the patience to finish it, I have no idea. (I know it's for college) But, I would have quit on the first step.


The first drawing is a really cool diagram. Could probably come in handy as a guide, too, for those who are into animation.

Your first two animations are extremely cool. Really. That must have taken ages to perfect and all. It's wonderful.

But your last two are just... whoa! The second to last one is so cool, but the last is my favorite. That is just amazing. I love the way he walks, too. Really cool.


You must be really patient to complete these. I love how you showed us all of your work, along with the final result. And! Of course, you've just wowed us, and we can't find anything to say and can't find anything to critique.

Well done. Gold star for this; super cool.

June Keep it up!