From covering the basics in anatomy and explaining how it plays into building the complex motions needed for detailed animation, to discussing and demonstrating the tools within Maya that can help you to stay organized, Stephen’s workshop enables animators to create fast and efficient workflows. This 3-hour workshop by Stephen Cunnane, an animator for the film industry, reveals the subtle yet complex process when it comes to animating a convincing walk cycle for four-legged animals or fantasy creatures. Read more about Animating Creature Walk Cycles in Mayaįull disclosure: CG Channel is owned by Gnomon.There are basic principles involved in creating a solid walk cycle for production that every animator should learn. Subscriptions cost $49/month or $490/year. He previously worked as a character animator at Rhythm & Hues on the shows Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead, and at MPC on the movies Maleficent: Mistress of Evil and The One and Only Ivan.Īnimating Creature Walk Cycles in Maya is available via an online subscription to The Gnomon Workshop. Stephen Cunnane is a previs artist at leading VFX facility Framestore. Topics covered include the importance of importing a rig as a proxy, using Maya’s Reference Editor to keep the scene organised, baking, motion tracking, and using animation layers to add secondary motion.
He also provides breakdowns of foot and body movement and explains how to take a final walk cycle and build a new animation for use in production.
Using a free dragon character rig created by Truong CG Artist, Cunnane sets up a basic walk cycle in Maya, before animating the dragon’s wings, neck and head to create a convincing creature animation. In the workshop, which comprises over three hours of video training, Cunnane sets out the fundamental principles of animating a convincing walk cycles for four-legged animals and fantasy creatures. Master the fundamentals of animating quadruped walk cycles in Maya The Gnomon Workshop has released Animating Creature Walk Cycles in Maya: a guide to animating quadruped walk cycles recorded by Framestore previs artist Stephen Cunnane.