Welcome to the marvels of walking animation and the walk cycle: a sequence of animations that continuously repeats to mimic the movement of a character walking. The repetition of the cycle walk animation ensures that there is no need to animate each step repeatedly.
Learning how to create walking cycles is crucial for animators as it serves as the foundation for character animation in various mediums such as 2D short films, video games, and cinematic movies. Mastering an animation walk cycle allows animators to bring their characters to life with fluid, natural motions.
Whether you are going for 2D or custom 3D animation, creating character animations in motion design can be challenging because it involves a comprehensive method that relies on basic skills. Developing a strong understanding of walk animation techniques is key to overcoming these challenges.
What is the most difficult challenge? Numerous events are occurring simultaneously and, to make matters worse, concurrently. If a character’s movements seem awkward or unnatural, it is unlikely that the viewer will stay interested in your video. If a mistake is made in the early stages of drawing a walking cycle, it can be very challenging to fix later on, and there is a possibility of having to begin again.
How Many Frames is a Walk Cycle?
A typical walking animation consists of 8 animation frames. On the other hand, newer walk cycle animations have been made with a varying number of frames based on the style and project requirements. An illustration is a series of 12 frames commonly used in video game development to create a fluid walking cycle.
In the end, the animator or top-notch team like Prolific Studio, which is responsible for creating the animation walk sequence, will decide how many frames are needed. Typically, in a standard walk cycle animation, a character takes two steps within a time frame of one second (24 frames).
Important Phases of the Walk Cycle
The walk cycle consists of four primary phases: Forward Contact Point, Recoil, Back Contact Point, and High Point.
However, the walking animation frames are not utilized on their own. Frames are also sketched between the main frames. These are called Inbetweens, which make up the remaining part of the walking cycle animation. These could either be drawn by hand or created through computer software interpolation.
When examining the initial stance, the Forward Contact, specific crucial elements must be followed to ensure the success of your walking animation:
- The feet are fully extended during the walk, reaching their farthest point in the walk animation cycle. This highlights the importance of the Forward Contact Point in the sequence.
- The initial position of contact is crucial for the animation walk cycle. If you don’t succeed in producing a result now, you might as well give up.
The Recoil Pose or Passing Pose 1 is the second part of the walk cycle poses:
- This is the moment when the character’s feet make physical contact with the ground.
- It marks the bottommost point of the walking cycle animation.
- The character’s arms are stretched out from the body due to the impact of the feet striking the ground.
- The front foot touches the ground directly, while the rear foot has started to lift off.
- The back foot is positioned directly under the body, holding up the weight on top of it.
- A common misstep when animating walk cycles is having the foot positioned several inches ahead of the body instead of behind it in the recoil pose. Prevent this mistake at all costs!
The third position is the Back Contact Point. However, we can omit this part for simplicity as it serves as a transitional stance.
After moving past the third stage, let’s proceed to the fourth and ultimate part of the series: the High Point or Passing Pose Two:
Yep, you were right. The peak is at the peak of the cycle.
Read also: What is the Most Viewed Video on YouTube
The character’s body is completely stretched as the animated person walking left on a phone lifts their front leg to move toward the next contact point.
The back leg’s heel is starting to rise off the ground.
That’s all there is to it! The four main stances for creating walking animations, along with their critical stages of walking and animation walking frames.
The Checklist for Walking Animations
Poses to Perfection
You need to master the four main poses mentioned before.
- Forward Contact Point
- Recoil or Passing Pose One
- Back Contact Point
- The High Point or Passing Pose Two
If these basic poses are not accurate, you will not be able to advance in the animation process.
Mirrored Limbs
Don’t forget: limbs on the same side of the body should always move in opposite directions. This implies that when the right leg is in a forward position, the right hand should be positioned back.
Failure to act responsibly in this domain will promote a movement that is not natural and physically unattainable.
The Movement of a Body
Many in the Walking Animation industry see the body of the character as a chain reaction, where all movements are interconnected. If you animate from a human perspective, it is not possible for them to move in synchrony.
Because of this, it is essential that all primary movements originate from the pelvis or core, with the remaining body parts trailing behind. Motion Design School recommends that the hands should lag behind the leg by 2-3 frames.
Important suggestion: Keep in mind that in animation, the trajectory of the body is always curved and never straight. Movement is solely dependent on the pivot point. An illustration would be the curve of a hand moving in a straight line from the shoulder.
Pay Attention to the Details
Never forget to consider other elements that indicate motion besides the limbs, such as head movement, hair, and clothing. Since you are a human being, it shouldn’t be difficult to incorporate these quirks into your animation.
When we walk, our body weight alternates between each leg. This results in our body constantly going up and down. Many animators achieve realistic body movement in animation but often overlook the importance of adding up-and-down bobbing motion for authenticity.
You want to avoid the character looking weightless as if being pulled while its limbs hang without purpose.
Remembering the additional details is crucial, as overlooking them may lead to losing all the effort put into the previous steps, as they play a vital role in the authenticity of the character’s movements.
You might also like: The Best Animated Movies That Have Won Oscars
Added Extras
Keep in mind the placement of the character’s hands and feet, along with the primary movement of the limbs. They must always be consistently well-animated.
Surprisingly, our feet are the body’s most active parts during walking but are commonly ignored in animation, resulting in stiff movements and little motion. Your character’s foot needs to be flexible: lifting onto the toes with the sole moving along.
Final Words
For those interested in delving deeper into the intricacies of Walking Animation, there are lots of online courses on this intriguing topic. Make sure to check them out if you want to learn more. However, we trust that this blog post has provided you with the basics, at the very least!
Important advice: Keep in mind that strict rules should never limit creative animation. If you want lifelike movements similar to humans, then this blog is a helpful resource. Still, animation serves as a mode of conveying emotions, and certain aspects can be amplified to align with your brand’s voice and objectives. One possibility is to utilize a robot as the main character.
Interested in making a 2D animation but not interested in investing the time and effort to do it alone? We are one of the best animation studios in LA available to offer assistance!
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the reason behind creating a walk cycle in animation?
Having a walk cycle is crucial for walking animation as it gives the appearance of a character walking seamlessly without having to animate every step individually. The animated walking cycle helps save time and effort by ensuring realistic movements.
Mastering the animation of a person walking left on a phone screen or a complex video game brings characters to life. Animation of walking cycles also enables animators to emphasize individual characteristics, resulting in distinct and captivating walk animations.
What is the best way for a beginner to practice animating walk cycles?
Start by watching real people walk to practice animating walk cycles. Be aware of the different phases of walking, like initial contact, push-off, and toe-off. Next, generate basic frames or sketches depicting a person walking in an animated way.
Experiment with creating walking cycle animations using software such as Adobe Animate. Concentrate on the poses of a walking cycle and how to animate the movement of walking in a natural way. In time, your animated walking cycle will get better, resulting in smoother and more expressive walking frame animations.
What are the main phases of a walking animation cycle?
The usual components of a walk cycle animation are forward contact, recoil, high point, and back contact. The various phases of walking serve as the basis for creating the animated walking sequence. Among these, animators generate intermediary walking animation frames known as in-betweens in order to enhance smoothness.
Mastering these walk cycle poses is essential for creating a convincing walking animation. Timing is essential to achieve a realistic animation, whether it involves a human or a robot, during the stages of walking.
Is it possible to personalize walk cycles for characters that are not human?
Affirmative! Animations of walking cycles for characters that are not human provide the opportunity to express one’s creativity. An example of this could be seen in a robot with a mechanical walking animation cycle, compared to a bird with a gliding walking animation cycle.
Consider their physical structure, including the number of limbs or unique characteristics, and create the walking animation frames to match. Another way to make distinct walking frame animations is by highlighting unique characteristics of the character, such as tail movements or quirky walking styles, in order to make them noticeable.
How can one prevent common errors while animating walk cycles?
Neglecting important poses in the walk cycle can result in an unnatural animation of the walking cycle. Another issue is the lack of attention to detail, such as head movements or flexibility in the feet, resulting in a stiff animation for the walking sequence.
Failing to synchronize arm and leg movements or not aligning a person walking left on a phone can ruin the illusion of reality. In order to prevent mistakes, meticulously synchronize the timing of walking animation frames and make sure that the walk cycle frames match the character’s personality and style.
