AuthorTopic: [WIP] Running Cactus  (Read 4872 times)

Offline philjones

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[WIP] Running Cactus

on: September 14, 2011, 08:01:03 am
So I'm making a game with a friend. It's about a cactus who runs and pops things. Here's the cactus, half-way done the running animation, but done for the night (morning). I plan to make his arms wobble with the stride, and possibly the head to a lesser extent. The flower will move too, though I'm not certain if I'm happy with it yet. I'll also add a bounce in the step, moving the body up and down.



C+C would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Offline RedKnight91

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Re: [WIP] Running Cactus

Reply #1 on: September 14, 2011, 08:56:28 am
The WIP doesn't look bad, but we should see the finished animation to judge : ) or at least some more movement : )

However, the sprite is really cute : D I suggest adding some needles on the whole cactus, not just on the silouette, that doesn't make sense : ) also lighten the stripes a bit
Bear with my poor english, I'm italian!

Offline QuaziGNRLnose

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Re: [WIP] Running Cactus

Reply #2 on: September 15, 2011, 01:27:50 am
The leg movement is nice and smooth!
Originally posted by Jeff

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Offline RedKnight91

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Re: [WIP] Running Cactus

Reply #3 on: September 15, 2011, 07:02:10 am
Actually it' a bit too smooth, looks like he's not even hitting the ground with his feet, but maybe that'll be fixed by adding motion to the rest of the body
Bear with my poor english, I'm italian!

Offline philjones

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Re: [WIP] Running Cactus

Reply #4 on: September 15, 2011, 07:37:00 am
Full leg movement.


Lightened the stripes.

@RedKnight91:
I'll try adding more spines.
Yeah, I'll need to make the impact with the ground more obvious. I think the bobbing motion with help with that. Otherwise, the feet will have to squash more, I guess.

To come: bobbing, arm wiggling, hair/flower waving, maybe some head movement.

Offline RedKnight91

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Re: [WIP] Running Cactus

Reply #5 on: September 15, 2011, 07:44:57 am
That already looks better : )

Don't be shy, animate and try new stuff, it's the only way to improve it ; )
Bear with my poor english, I'm italian!

Offline PypeBros

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Re: [WIP] Running Cactus

Reply #6 on: September 15, 2011, 03:22:21 pm
you've got a very neat style and you made the legs move smoothly. Great.
Now, there's a must for a good running animation: weights in movements. Only when one sees the mass of your character be pushed in the air and drop back, one can believe to see "something running". With your still body and moving legs, you're miles away from that. The natural next step is to sketch the key frames for *the whole body*, e.g. with simple silouhettos.

Offline Cure

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Re: [WIP] Running Cactus

Reply #7 on: September 15, 2011, 04:00:56 pm
like pypebros said, the animation needs weight. right now it feels like he's running in outer space. the movement of the legs shouldn't be steady throughout the animation, there should be points where the animation 'snaps' a bit, like when he pushes off of the ground with a foot. the movement is right, but perhaps some of the in-between frames should be dropped. also seconding pypebros second crit, for a natural looking animation it's often best to sketch the full body out, since the full body is involved in running, and not just the legs. bobbing might be enough for a slow walk, but for a running animation I expect a bit more movement in the arms and torso.

Offline RedKnight91

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Re: [WIP] Running Cactus

Reply #8 on: September 15, 2011, 04:50:50 pm
Remember to take a look at this good example http://www.wayofthepixel.net/pixelation/upload/12framerun.gif
Bear with my poor english, I'm italian!

Offline philjones

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Re: [WIP] Running Cactus

Reply #9 on: September 15, 2011, 05:41:21 pm
You're all right that I'm being far too precious with the body. This is likely partly because this is the first thing I animate in Photoshop, let alone on a Mac. I'm accustomed to working in PaintShop Pro and Animation Shop on Windows, but I haven't animated anything in... possibly years!

Anyway, thankfully all the legs are separate layers, so I can go crazy with the body!