Demo Reel Clip #2 - Walk Cycle

For my second demo reel asset I wanted to do a walk cycle, but not just any cycle, one that made the character look happy and confident. I felt like the double bounce walk was perfect for this. I got a chance to get some nice big swing in the arms, and keep the chest out for that overwhelming confidence effect. This was the final result.

This animation took me about four days to polish it to its final state. I think having a strong base really established made my job a lot easier in the long run, and made tweaking things very enjoyable. In cycles I like to start by making sure all my number in Maya are nice and rounded, as well as symmetrical on both sides. I'm very left brain in that regard, and if I need to go back and make changes to slit up the symmetry later, I still can. This was my first milestone, this is going to auto-tangent right after establishing the contacts, downs, passings, and ups.

From here, because of the strong base poses, much of the changes were more subtle and mechanical ones, like adding movement in the hair, swing the feet to look more like actual walks, and messing around with the timing of the arm swings. Alone, these changes don't always sound like much, but when all layered together, that's when you start to see the changes.

I really enjoyed this asset because I love creating cycles. Its amazing to see how they can be repurposed to many different situations in film and in games. I'm also amazed by how much personality you can fit into a couple loopable frames of animation. Now let's take another look at the final shot, with all this background information in mind. See you next time!