Problems running.

[JonathanOfDrain]

I was pretty hesitant to post some stuff since there are a few active threads about walk animations, which I have read over and over but still have problems. I keep attempting to fix the problems but new ones seem to appear.


The blue leg seems like it slides back and should be skate boarding or something. This is supposed to be a run animation but seems more like an awkward walk.
Any advice, comments, criticisms or edits are more than welcome.

[Sherman Gill]

As a leg is going forward it needs to be lifted in the air and kinda folded, until it extends and goes back again.

[JonathanOfDrain]

Gah ofcourse. I should've been more aware of that I feel like an idiot. Legs aren't pendulums, they're legs. I'll fix this tonight and maybe throw some arms on the guy. Do you think he should lean forward a bit more?

[Sherman Gill]

Do you think he should lean forward a bit more?

Depends on what type of personality the character is going to have. Just about everything can vary based on that, actually.
I'd say from what you have, though, that yes, he should lean forward more.

[JonathanOfDrain]

The green leg is giving me some trouble but I think I'll tweak it as I go. I'll start having the little guy lean forward, posture isn't that important when you're chasing things.

EDIT!
Posture is changed to be better for running and I made the animation 1/3 faster.


Thanks for the help Sherman Gill. I'll keep this thread update with my progress.

[Larwick]

Hey Jon, i think i prefer this version's posture. The other seems awkward and strained. The first is somewhat comedic, with the chest out etc, so it would depend on how you wanna go with this whether you want to use that. I imagine you don't really. At any rate the newer one is awkward looking, however i can't pinpoint why atm, maybe someone else will be able to.

[Code_wizard]

Yes, must be wary of the lean back walk......   

[thedaemon]

The left legs crosses the right leg when it steps. Also, don't forget that your leg has to hit the ground before your other leg comes off of it when you are walking.

[JonathanOfDrain]

The left legs crosses the right leg when it steps. Also, don't forget that your leg has to hit the ground before your other leg comes off of it when you are walking.

I don't really know what you mean, do you mind elaborating or editing?

Hey Jon, i think i prefer this version's posture. The other seems awkward and strained. The first is somewhat comedic, with the chest out etc, so it would depend on how you wanna go with this whether you want to use that. I imagine you don't really. At any rate the newer one is awkward looking, however i can't pinpoint why atm, maybe someone else will be able to.

I see what you mean, seem like he's looking down somehow. I slapped on some colors to give a better idea of what I'm trying to do. It doesn't look too bad with some colors.
These aren't final but they're close to what I want.
I think there are few little issues with the walk that are bothering but I can't seem to put my finger on it. I use a touch pad so that could be a pun. Any good references I use? video game or real life. I'm not trying to make this look cartoony but that's exactly what it's becoming. I'll probably update this later tonight.
Thanks for all the help so far.

EDIT!
Changed the colors a bit and threw the poor guy on land. I think I'm being a little paranoid but does it seem like he's looking at us?
EDIT! v2.0
He's shaded and looking forward. I think I'll highlight the background limbs less.
EDIT! v3.0

Does it look like he's kicking his own ass? Should I get rid of that frame? Should I bump my this thread when I've made more progress?

[JonathanOfDrain]

I'm been fighting myself not to do a bump, but this walk animation is really causing my brain serious issues.
OLD | NEW

There are obvious improvements but there are some things that are getting worse and I have no idea how to fix them.
While you're giving advice do you think you could give me some pointers on tiles? I think the rocks are a bit too identifiable to be use so I'll probably scrap them. I'll get to the grass when my brain gets some rest. In the mean time it's



Thanks for all the help so far and any future help.

[mobichan]

One thing that is strange to my eyes is the fact that the legs seem to be slighty angled toward the viewer.  If you intended for this character to be in profile, you might want to shrink the hips a couple pixels.  But with the current animation, it seem like the legs are going into the distance as they go back.  It also looks like the front leg takes a larger stride (it travels more pixels) than the rear leg.

I like the style of your tiles.  If you are worried about the repeat, then you might want to make a couple variations on the tile so you don't just see the same tile over and over.

[JonathanOfDrain]

Oh, didn't notice the angling. Do you think that'd be normal if running? I know the human body does a little twisting when running, but is that too much? I think I'll make him "twist" the other way a bit too. Also I'm not sure how to deal with the kick on the fifth frame.  I made the back leg move left faster. I fixed a lot of i, One of the frames I had set to 0 for it's duration.

Ok, I'm pretty content with this. I wish I could have the back twist a bit more but this is the best I can do for now.
OLD|NEW|NEW facing left

I remember people talking about flipping a piece to see if it makes sense still, maybe it's just because it's a refreshing look at it but I think it looks better.
I think I'll move onto the body, then the arms, then head and finally the ever important scarf. I'm starting to second guess the colors. I think the green pants are ok, a little odd but they're fine. The blue shirt looks really boring and flat. Should I change the colors?

[Xion]

its bad practice to animate by doing one thing at a time like this without even bothering with any other parts. Sure it looks good now, but when you try to add the upper torso you may come upon issues you could have rooted out earlier before you'd done all that work on the legs, and end up having to do much more. (ask me how I know )
You should animate the torso and legs at the same time, even if it's just a rough stick figure of the upper half while you work on the bottom, so you get a picture of how everything will move all together.
That said, good work so far.

On the near leg, it never seems to really fully extend, just kind of keeps this slight curve to it.
The far leg seems to kick really hard when going forward. This, along with the last point, is contributing to why I can't tell if he's walking or running. The title says problems running but this looks more like a walk cycle, or something. Run cycles have a point where both feet are off the ground, and in all-out sprints it seems like the air time is far greater than the time contacting the earth. Walks, though, have at least one foot firmly planted at all times.

So uh yeah. Hope I help some.

[mobichan]

Xion is right.  You should really work on all moving parts of the body at once, even if you just block them in.  It is sometimes helpful to just work in different, single colors for each limb of the body, so you can see them clearly.  Working in shading right from the get-go is only asking for more reworking than you probably want to do.

Looking more closely, I think I was seeing the figure at an angle because of the dark shading in the lower belly/crotch area.  Once that is lit properly, I think it will read the way you want it to.

I also agree that it now looks like he is walking.  Your original images had some torso bobbing and that really helped to convey a run.  You should consider that the body rises and falls to deal with the changing length of the legs as they bend.  At that resolution, that might be a single pixel or two, but it will make a lot of difference.  You are making great progress.  Keep it up!   

[JonathanOfDrain]

its bad practice to animate by doing one thing at a time like this without even bothering with any other parts.

:\ It shows.

I have no idea how to make that arm move right. I've been looking at my own arm, videos of my own arm and other run animations. Should the head be moving in a cycle like that? This is turning into a train wreck.

In other news I've begun some concepts for enemies.

It's a gorillavision. A giant ape with a television for a head! Thing is I'm not sure how to make the TV thing more noticable. I still haven't finished the hands or anything.
Is this how it should be divided when making the animations?

[sharprm]

It looks like his leg grows when fully forward, this is because you are not allowing the body to move up when the leg is in the centre. If the character is 3/4 view, why not the gorilla? That would make tv more recognisable. Also, it should be bigger at the back. The spikes on the back of the gorrilla, were they intended to be hair? Gorillas are grey aren't they?

edit: make sure when his left arm is forward, his left leg is back. If this is running anim, you need frames where no feet touch the ground.