Pixelation

Critique => Pixel Art => Topic started by: mattib on April 15, 2012, 10:23:40 pm

Title: running sprite animation. CC badly needed
Post by: mattib on April 15, 2012, 10:23:40 pm
It's still part of the project that I'm doing, but I am opening a new thread because the old one seems dead.
This is my main character

(http://i1143.photobucket.com/albums/n623/mattteo/stance0000.png)

and I am working on his running animation. Please help me to make it better!

(http://i1143.photobucket.com/albums/n623/mattteo/corsa.gif)
Title: Re: running sprite animation. CC badly needed
Post by: ABC on April 16, 2012, 12:01:37 am
Make one leg significally lighter and see what happens.
Title: Re: running sprite animation. CC badly needed
Post by: mattib on April 16, 2012, 12:18:08 am
I made a quick edit with a darker leg, just to see how it looks because I am going to sleep now (well, I have to finish to trace another sprite actually)
(http://i1143.photobucket.com/albums/n623/mattteo/corsa-1.gif)

the nice thing is that i found out that somehow I had switched two frames! Now that are in the right order it's a little smoother.
I think there's also a prospective problem. Maybe he faces too much the viewer at a certain point...he should be more 3/4
Title: Re: running sprite animation. CC badly needed
Post by: Mathias on April 16, 2012, 12:40:01 am
You're going about it all wrong. You should be starting with a rough sketch keyframed out depicting only solidly colored body parts. Don't worry about shading/lighting until the animation is correct.

Title: Re: running sprite animation. CC badly needed
Post by: mattib on April 16, 2012, 12:44:04 am
that's what i did... it looked quite good.
then i started the shading and stuff and while some parts improved some flaws emerged. anyway i'll break it apart e redo the shapes where needed. maybe ill redraw the legs.
now im going to sleep, my brain is frying.
Title: Re: running sprite animation. CC badly needed
Post by: mattib on April 17, 2012, 03:45:44 pm
while I'm redrawing the frames I am also reviewing the way I am shading the character.
I tried to make the shading simpler, with less colours, in order to be faster in the animation process and to have a better style (i think).

(http://i1143.photobucket.com/albums/n623/mattteo/stancenuoveombre0000.png)

(this was the older one) (http://i1143.photobucket.com/albums/n623/mattteo/stance0000.png)

what do you think?
Title: Re: running sprite animation. CC badly needed
Post by: mattib on April 19, 2012, 10:42:51 pm
ok, I tried to redraw the running animation. I think that the shoulder movement is a little bit more natural.
(http://i1143.photobucket.com/albums/n623/mattteo/corsa2.gif)

I have worked also on this
(http://i1143.photobucket.com/albums/n623/mattteo/cammina-1.gif)

and this
(http://i1143.photobucket.com/albums/n623/mattteo/sedutaguarda.gif)

i still need some CC!
Title: Re: running sprite animation. CC badly needed
Post by: dtek on April 29, 2012, 01:30:04 am
Hi,
this post is from last week, if you still would like some C&C, if I can add anything it'd be to work with super simple shapes to nail down the movement first, here's an example

(http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c37/deetech/runner.gif)

when it's just rough shapes you can adjust the animation to exactly what you want quickly and easily, for example, if part of the animation pops frame to frame for the shoe position, you can just move the shoe slightly, but since you moved the shoe, you'd have to re-draw the whole leg, so redrawing the shoe and leg is easy if it's just rough shapes, like a leg could be a cylinder with a ball on the end for the shoe

and for your latest run cycle, I think that the part where the character's left leg first touches the ground after travelling through the air in the stride is missing a frame compared to the timing when the same motion happens but to the right leg, it that makes any sense

Title: Re: running sprite animation. CC badly needed
Post by: mattib on April 29, 2012, 06:11:07 pm
thanks for the reply. actually yeah, I first sketch my animation with simple shapes and then add the details. the problem is that sometimes the problems arise only in the advanced phase :D
I have probably to review my cycles..i don't know, look at how the other one evolved too.
(http://i1143.photobucket.com/albums/n623/mattteo/cammina2.gif)
I think the movement is fine but he looks always a little lame. Both are 8 frames loops, i thought that an even number would have runned smootly but...

uh, some other stuff
(http://i1143.photobucket.com/albums/n623/mattteo/pugno-2.gif)
Title: Re: running sprite animation. CC badly needed
Post by: mattib on May 01, 2012, 01:34:05 am
ok, here's another one, a new one. this is just the rough lineart.

(http://i1143.photobucket.com/albums/n623/mattteo/corsanuova.gif)
Title: Re: running sprite animation. CC badly needed
Post by: PixelPiledriver on May 01, 2012, 10:29:43 am
Break the problem down into many smaller steps:
(http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JNxo0pxG3nk/T5-2J1tNiCI/AAAAAAAABL0/CQt4PsGwMig/s1600/walk1.gif) (http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KEcJMBLulYQ/T5-2KHW7biI/AAAAAAAABL8/uBP4vxTqzkA/s1600/walk2.gif) (http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IGcOKhs_kLc/T5-4EfvdLUI/AAAAAAAABM0/C_uZcboUxZc/s1600/walk3.gif) (http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ej9R6rplKnI/T5-2KkxsdGI/AAAAAAAABMM/xdsQgXj5UBg/s1600/walk4.gif) (http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZRQ7nFMAhVs/T5-3Vr_cZxI/AAAAAAAABMs/j4ze4d_4h30/s1600/walk5.gif)

Working in passes will allow you to isolate and refine.
Personally I prefer to use a single finished drawing and do all select tool animation for the first few passes.
Then I make another pass to make each frame more unique to show rotation and asymmetry and such (not shown here I mean many passes after this).
Although it is not the "traditional" animation process I find it much easier to work with and clean up.

Sorry for a short explanation but I'm out of time for the day.
You can check this thread (http://www.wayofthepixel.net/pixelation/index.php?topic=13750.0) for a very similar post from me that covers the topic more thoroughly.
Title: Re: running sprite animation. CC badly needed
Post by: mattib on May 01, 2012, 11:15:57 am
thanks, now i was actually planning to re-do the punk walking cycle.
I am sorry to flood you guys with different sprites but I am working on a project with a lot of things and I prefer to develop them all togheter not to remain stuck with just one. 
your seems an interesting approach, i think that sometimes i did something similar on flash...I'll try that
btw the way you animated the legs reminds me of old Max Fleischer cartoons :D

i know they are still "wip" but, since you are the experts, if you have some opinions on the pixel art style i would like to hear it. The more I progress with the project, the harder is to change things. What I am doing is blending my personal drawing style with pixel art to make it look like a videogame. tell me whatever you think I'd need to change
Title: Re: running sprite animation. CC badly needed
Post by: dtek on May 03, 2012, 05:44:22 am
Hi Mattib,
I had a blast working on finishing that rough animation I posted a few days ago, I hope it helps you with your own work, which seems better and better, especially the secondary action of the mohawk settling after the punch.

(http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c37/deetech/runner2.gif)

But I still spot some hiccups in you cycles, why not try to offset the frames, so if your frames are 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8 originally, try re-arranging them as you work 5,6,7,8,1,2,3,4 then you can easily see how the cycle transition works between 8 an 1. I know with the software I use, Corel Photopaint, when I get to the last image in the movie file, I have to rewind to see it animate from the last to the first which isn't ideal. I also have a keyboard shortcut to flip between the frames fast enough to see the motion a few frames ahead or behind when I need to double check volume or arcs.
Title: Re: running sprite animation. CC badly needed
Post by: mattib on May 03, 2012, 09:57:36 am
wow, it came out amazing!
i use graphics gale and yeah, there is the same problem. I think that it is also because im not very good at drawing legs :D
i'll try to play a little with frames as you said today.
Title: Re: running sprite animation. CC badly needed
Post by: PixelPiledriver on May 03, 2012, 11:23:17 am
Quote
why not try to offset the frames
Quote
i use graphics gale and yeah, there is the same problem.

Actually there's an option for this.
There's no need to shuffle frames:
(http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ho69GBZI9SU/T6JpErW4WvI/AAAAAAAABNA/CtwcyLcEOm4/s1600/frameLoop1.png)

(http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RmDATD4MAV8/T6JpEyHaz-I/AAAAAAAABNI/n8FgIevxa6U/s1600/frameLoop2.png)

(http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HMlrxkM05Jo/T6JpFf7dTzI/AAAAAAAABNQ/6DurH-FaZmI/s1600/frameLoop3.png)

Aside from it showing the first frame in onion skin while on the last, you will also jump to the first from the last when you press Next Frame.
And vice versa.

Press F1 and read the documentation.
Go through each of the menus.
Especially File->Preferences.

There are more helpful features you're missing out on.
Title: Re: running sprite animation. CC badly needed
Post by: mattib on May 03, 2012, 11:41:17 am
Oh, thank you, that is so helpful!