Character Animation with 3DSMAX [10 mn de lecture - paru le 9/9/2004 11:15:25 AM - Public : Confirmé]

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Maxence MAMY Elève-Ingénieur Supinfo Paris Promotion SUPINFO 2004    Lui écrire    Tous les projets de cet auteur    Le mini-CV de cet auteur

4. Walk

In this chapter, subject is the locomotion of the character, the walk cycle.

4.1. Free animation

First of all, we're going to see how to animate by yourself, that will allow you to understand well how it works.

4.1.1. With bones

Walk is the most basic way to move and the most employed. The point the most important is the balance : to realise a real animation walk you need to have a balance effect.

First of all, move down the arms.

We're going to create a walk cycle. We'll animate the cycle on place, then it will be easy to copy keys, then with the character helper we'll make him move forward.

Let's start by the extremes positions. Go to frame 15. Rotate the back foot to make him only touch the ground with his tip, and the front foot touch the ground with the heel.

Now, the intermiediary position. Move beetween frame 0 and 15 and move up the foot rotating it like this

Rotate a little to the inside.

Move forward the opposite arm and move back the other.

4.1.2. Avec Character studio

With Character Studio, it's quitely the same, except some tools which allow more precision.

Select one foot, go on the Animation panel, develop the Key Info roll out and click on Set Planted Key.

Select the toe parent bone.

On the Key Info roll out, develop IK, then click on Select Pivot. This define the pivot point of the foot. When the foot is ready to move up, tip is the last part on contact with the ground.

Select the point on the toe base.

When we land our foot on the ground, the heel touch first the ground. As for the toe, set the pivot point for the heel.

Here are the extrem position

and intermediary.

4.2. FootStep Mode

Let's start by delete any animation. In the Keyframing Tools roll out, click on Delete All Keys. Check you are at frame 0.

In thge Biped roll out, click on FootStep mode.

4.2.1. Walk

It's now possible to create footsteps. The first method is to create footstep one by one. In the top view click to create a footstep. For each click, a footstep is created alterning right and left foot. Select the wlak mode and click on footstep creation.

Parameters are the number of footsteps and the time (in frame) during the two feet are touching the ground.

Draw your character's footstep, then in the Footstep Operations roll out, click on create keys for footsteps.

Keys are automatically created. If you play the animation , the character walk.

To obtain a more expressive wlak, few settings are necessary.

La position des épaules est symétriquement opposée à la position des hanches (pour un souci d'équilibre). Quand la jambe gauche est en avant, l'épaule droite l'est aussi. lorsque l'une des deux jambes est en avant, l'épaule opposée est en avant.

En accuentant, la position des hanches et des épaules, vous pourrez créer des marches expressives.

4.2.2. Run

Same if you are in Run mode.

Settings change according to the mode, for the run mode, it's possible to set the number of footsteps and the time during the character is in the air.

Of course, animation needs few settings. The body have to be bended forward to give a speed effect.

arms have to move a prononciated way.

and the feet to do a faster run.

Our biped seems like a runner.

4.2.3. Jump

Or in jump mode

For this mode, it's possible to set the number of double footstep (jump) and the time during the character is in the air.

Here again, settings are necessary. Before the jump, arms are behind and the body is bend forward.

On the impulsion, the arms do a circular mouvment to give the velocity with the force create by the arms.

You can move up the feet during the suspension phase to give more amplitude.

4.2.4. Automatic generation

Now let's see the footsteps automatic generationMaintenant.

A window allow to configure the number of footsteps, the distance between each footstep in widht, height and length, the spped of the walf.

Click on Ok, then on the FootStep Operations roll out, click on the footstep creation button.

4.2.5. Footstep edition

Now you have footsteps created, it's possible to edit them. For example if the ground is bumpy or if the character moving upstairs.

Take the example of character moving upstairs. With the new functionnalities of 3DSMAX6, it's possible to generate a stair automatically. Go in the Creation panel, in Objects, choose Stairs in the rool out.

Here a stair generated in a feww click.

Select the biped, go in animation panel, then on the FootStep Creation rool out click on the footstep creation.

Now, create they in the top view.

Move them on each step.

Click on the footstep creation button.

Here the character going uptstairs.

Remark : It's possible to make your character dancing in editing footstep.