AuthorTopic: need help with top-down walk cycle  (Read 4998 times)

Offline xbogx

  • 0001
  • *
  • Posts: 73
  • Karma: +0/-0
    • View Profile

need help with top-down walk cycle

on: August 26, 2008, 09:19:06 pm


i'm having trouble with this. do the hands look weird? the feet? should the head move? should i use more frames?
also my attempt at shading looks bad i think

all your crits are welcome. thanks

Offline missingno

  • 0001
  • *
  • Posts: 23
  • Karma: +0/-0
    • View Profile

Re: need help with top-down walk cycle

Reply #1 on: August 27, 2008, 01:55:42 am
I definitely think that the head should move in some way. it seems very static and the way it's so immobile looks incredibly boring right now.

it's hard to do a walk cycle from this angle because the form isn't instantly recognizable as human. because of that i hink that you might want to exaggerate things, especially in the legs and the feet.

i think that more frames would help as well. it would give you an oppurtunity for a smoother and more subtle animaton.

don't know what else to say right now. i'm know there's definitely more but i'm having a hard time putting it into words. other people around here are a lot better than i am. good luck.

Offline xbogx

  • 0001
  • *
  • Posts: 73
  • Karma: +0/-0
    • View Profile

Re: need help with top-down walk cycle

Reply #2 on: August 31, 2008, 10:15:30 pm
new version:

i've added two more frames(it's 6 now) and changed the arms and legs a bit. do you think they look all right now?

i don't really know what to do about the head. i tried moving it back and forth one pixel but it looked really weird. i could try turning the head sideways but that seems unnatural since he's supposed to move in the direction pointed by the player. maybe just the hair should move somehow?

Offline nw15062

  • 0001
  • *
  • Posts: 24
  • Karma: +0/-0
    • View Profile

Re: need help with top-down walk cycle

Reply #3 on: August 31, 2008, 10:41:45 pm
You should do a slight shift in the head every so many frames by maybe a shift of one pixel width over, so it looks like his head is not a static image.

otherwise it looks good.

Offline samw3

  • 0001
  • *
  • Posts: 51
  • Karma: +0/-0
    • View Profile

Re: need help with top-down walk cycle

Reply #4 on: September 01, 2008, 01:03:44 am
the shoulders typically shift a little bit left and right as well, and the head should nod a bit left and right too, not just move.

Here is a youtube animation of a front angle walk cycle (i couldn't find a top one).  It's very exaggerated, but maybe you can see what I'm talking about.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXmpirInEBk&feature=related
Sam Washburn

Offline xbogx

  • 0001
  • *
  • Posts: 73
  • Karma: +0/-0
    • View Profile

Re: need help with top-down walk cycle

Reply #5 on: September 01, 2008, 10:00:02 am
ok i've tried some shifting:

shifted the head 1 pixel
shifted the whole body except the legs 1 pixel
shifted the whole body except the legs by one and the head by two

the second one looks best to me, what do you think?

Offline xbogx

  • 0001
  • *
  • Posts: 73
  • Karma: +0/-0
    • View Profile

Re: need help with top-down walk cycle

Reply #6 on: September 02, 2008, 10:21:30 pm
i chose the second one

hands bigger
hands bigger and shorter

do these look any better to you?

Offline d13f00l

  • 0001
  • *
  • Posts: 24
  • Karma: +0/-0
    • View Profile

Re: need help with top-down walk cycle

Reply #7 on: September 06, 2008, 10:23:00 pm
i chose the second one

hands bigger
hands bigger and shorter

do these look any better to you?

I like that a lot, and I think it will look really fluid sped up just a tad.  Is it missing a frame where the feet are all the way extended?  They seem to snap back.  Can't you dupe the frame before that?