AuthorTopic: Walking animation too stiff?  (Read 2325 times)

Offline Killindarlings

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Walking animation too stiff?

on: April 28, 2016, 05:36:36 pm
I've been trying to get this walking animation to look right for days now but nothing I do seems to work.



It's four frames, here



It might be that he stands in a rather strange idle pose- with his hands sort of resting against his belt (It started as a mistake but quickly grew on me). I've got his arms coming up and head bobbing down with each step, and the back leg on each step gets two pixel lengths shorter. Why does he still look stiff as a board?  :blind:

Was I doomed from the beginning for making such a strange resting pose? Or do I have too much going on and it's all working against itself?

As always, any help would be appreciated!


Offline PixelPiledriver

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Re: Walking animation too stiff?

Reply #1 on: April 28, 2016, 07:27:20 pm
The up and down motion of the head in a human walk cycle does not pivot from the neck.
The entire body moves up and down as the legs bend and straighten at the knees.

The term Head Bob is just an animation shortcut theory for that idea.
It is called that because you can easily measure the top of the head moving up and down.

However true head bobbing from the neck can be useful for adding personality to a character.

He looks stiff because you move his end parts but not his body.
Sorry no time for an edit.
And knowing that it is, we seek what it is... ~ Aristotle, Posterior Analytics, Chapter 1

Offline Killindarlings

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Re: Walking animation too stiff?

Reply #2 on: April 28, 2016, 08:10:49 pm
Wow, so much better already



The head moving with the torso looks much more natural, thanks for that advice!   ;D

I still don't know what to do with those arms... to tell the truth, I kinda like them like that. He's a strange guy anyways. 

Offline kullenberg

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Re: Walking animation too stiff?

Reply #3 on: May 06, 2016, 04:54:08 pm
Are you using reference? If not, why not? Doesn't look like a walk to me, he's just wiggling his toes basically. I mean the sprite is barely moving.