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3 Dimensional Chat / Animating six-legged and four-legged objects to walk...help please?

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Xander
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Posted: 1st Sep 2006 07:21
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First I'd like to say I've never done any animation. I get the main method of animation, I just read a few tutorials and am messing around right now. I'm using Milkshape 3D. I have 2 units that I want to add walking animation to before I release the next version of my Firewall 2 beta demo. This is pretty much the only thing holding me back.

I don't know where to start with making a four legged walking animation, much less a six legged creature animation. So if anyone has done 4 or 6 legged walking animation that they could show me, that'd be great. Or if you're feeling ambitious or bored or helpful or something along those lines, I'll be glad to send over the models to see if you can get them animated. Please don't flame me for asking for animating help on the 3D chat forums. At least I have something to show...here are some screenies of the 2 units I need animation for:






Xander Moser - Bolt Software - Firewall
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The crazy
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Posted: 1st Sep 2006 07:26
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Attached is a playblast of a 4 legged model I made. Basically I just went outside and let my dogs walk around and watched them for awhile. However, your 4-legged creatures aren't built the same way so they might walk differently I don't know. When it comes down to it, your imagination is the deciding factor

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Xander
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Posted: 1st Sep 2006 07:27 Edited at: 1st Sep 2006 08:05
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Thanks, I appreciate it. I'll check it out and see what I can get out of it.

Edit: Yeah, I think you may be right. Your animation has the 2 legs on each side going up at the same time. But with my machine dude, I think I'd want one leg from each side, diagonal from eachother, going up at the same time. I was debating on whether to move 2 legs at the same time, or each one individually

Edit 2:

Okay, I think I got something for a six legged guy.

Look at the attached picture for the leg numbers


And here's my idea:



Does that sound like it would look okay? It may sound a little complicated, but I figured it out so that with the model constantly moving forward at a specified rate, then the legs will never look like they are "sliding." I think I got it figured out...

Xander Moser - Bolt Software - Firewall

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Van B
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Posted: 1st Sep 2006 11:25
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Bamzooki might help, it's a free physics game where you make beasties, like make a body then snap on legs and stuff.

It's a good system, it would actually let you experiment with leg motion quickly and easily, as a kinda concept for your animations. It's kinda weird, but it would certainly let you see the benefit of different leg configurations (considering speed, slower beasts should be stronger, and that really has to reflect in the animation too). It's for little kids, doesn't stop me and my brother taking it all very seriously when going zook to zook. You make these little buggers then make them wrestle and race and go over assault courses.

''Stick that in your text and scroll it!.''
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Scraggle
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Posted: 1st Sep 2006 19:43 Edited at: 1st Sep 2006 19:44
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I can't offer any help with the animation but maybe you could get some ideas from this anim:




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Xander
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Posted: 2nd Sep 2006 00:14
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Thanks to both of you.

Actually, Scraggle, once I look at that, it is the exact method that I explained in my idea above. Looks like I think like an insect, haha. That's great, thanks a lot.

Time to get animating...

Xander Moser - Bolt Software - Firewall
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Xeon
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Posted: 3rd Sep 2006 00:06
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Here are 3 qicktime movies I put togather to help show 4 and 6 legged walking.

@The Crazy:
Althogh you didnt post to get crits on your playblast its a good example for Xander. With large animals they try to keep the most amount of legs on the ground as they can to ballance out the massive weight they are supporting. This means they are only moving one leg at a time. Included in the zip file is a .mov file that has the basic foot positions of a giraffe. However, with that being said, adding character to your animation can change the way the character moves. The "correct" way isnt alwase the best way. It all depends on what result your trying to obtain.
I know its just a playblast, but it gives it a cartoony look that makes the walk cycle work with the character.

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