Project - Walk Cycle

This is the reference I used for my walk cycle. 

Following the reference picture, these are my key poses:

Contact:

Recoil:

Passing

High-point:

Process:

Using the side view, I created 240 frames of walking by repeating the above key poses. To make it more realistic, I used a period of 5 frames for the lifting up of leg, which is realistically slower as compared to the downward movement of the leg, where I used a period of 4 frames instead. I also translated the hip up and down accordingly, to show the character's weight. Using the motion trail as a guide, I ensured that the movement of the hips is smooth and realistic. Afterwards I went frame by frame to check for errors such as the feet passing through the ground and corrected them.

Then, I moved on to the front view to adjust the translation of the hip sideways, as well as the rotation of the hips. Switching between the front and perspective view, I also rotated the shoulders to make my animation more realistic. 

I switched back to side view to move the arms accordingly. I went back to following the reference for this. I decided to exaggerate the arm movement as I wanted my character to be more cartoony.

I played around with the graph editor to adjust the curves, especially the hip's translation.

Lastly, I added more details by playing with the ball roll when the foot lifts off the ground, as well as when it lands. This made my animation a lot more realistic as it showcases the flexibility of the foot. I also rotated the wrist to show overlapping movement and to make it look less rigid.

Final videos:

Front:

Side:

Perspective:

Reflection:

This project gave me an insight into the basics of animation. I think the walk cycle is the first step to 3D animation, like how a bouncing ball animation is the first step to 2D animation. I also learnt that sometimes, animation requires trial and error. I played around with translations and rotations of the hips and shoulders to see the different results they will give. Observation is also very important, when in doubt, I asked my friend to walk around while I observe his movements. Overall, I am quite satisfied with my work. :)

References:

This video is very useful as it shows us not only the side view, but also the front view, which shows us the rotation and translation of the hip.