Walking char animation tutorial

Blitz3D Forums/Blitz3D Tutorials/Walking char animation tutorial

jfk EO-11110(Posted 2005) [#1]
I have made this some time ago. Although it's not only B3D specific, it's a FAQ around here:
http://www.melog.ch/tutorial/walkcycle/


slenkar(Posted 2005) [#2]
thats a good guide, I found it in google


Ricky Smith(Posted 2005) [#3]
Here you can see jfk's technique used to create a walkcycle in PaceMaker.

http://pacemakeranimation.net/tutorials/walkcycle.wmv
(10mb)


Rob Farley(Posted 2005) [#4]
Whilst we're on the subject... here's some good ones...

http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Network/4402/humanoid/humanoid_walk_cycle.htm

http://www.erain.com/blog/archives/2004/08/introductory_wa_1.html

http://www.idleworm.com/how/anm/02w/walk1.shtml


Chroma(Posted 2006) [#5]
Now this is useful stuff!


Grovesy(Posted 2006) [#6]
Very useful tutorial jfk. I do have a question tho.

What you have created is sort of a skeleton i guess. How would you make a character that doesn't have the obvious joints, like the knee joints in your tutorial.

I guess what i'm saying is how do you "clothe" your model so that the model looks complete, not like a numebr of seperate limbs, but without affecting the animation?

Cheers


jfk EO-11110(Posted 2006) [#7]
This depends on the tools you are using and the format you want to export. The tutorial is using dx7 compatible 3ds. that allows scale/move/rotate animations only. It doesn't matter if the leg is made of 2 boxes, or if you have modelled lower leg and upper leg as realistic highpoly models. The Pivots don't care about that, simply position them where they need to be. This Format requires every animatable part to be an individual mesh in the hierarchical structure (foot is child of lower leg, lower leg is child of upper leg, upper leg is child of waist...) the hierarchical linking is done from outside to the center, where the chest is usually the top parent.

The other format, B3D is capable of mesh deformation. You would create your model as one singe mesh, then add the bones to it, assign every vertex to one or more bones.

Then you can follow the same steps to animate it, simply use the bones instead of the pivots. There are some problems with joints, you have to prevent "folding" problems, so eg. a knee should be made of 3 bones, not only one.


jfk EO-11110(Posted 2006) [#8]
In fact the term "bones" is misleading in this case, cause a bone has two ends, but a bone in a B3D file is actually a joint between two bones. As soon as you have connected two joints, there will be a hypotetical bone between them, hence the name.


Grovesy(Posted 2006) [#9]
thanks jfk. I think i will want to use the bones system. can you recommend any good,cheap/free tools to allow you add and animate a skeleton to a ready made mesh?

Cheers


Loktar(Posted 2007) [#10]
Cant fragmotion do that?

Anyways fragmotion is awesome and only $30.


jfk EO-11110(Posted 2007) [#11]
Ha! Didn't see this for 11 months :)

Yes, fragmotion, or CharacterFX, and imho the best of all:
Pacemaker.


MoonShadow(Posted 2009) [#12]
The other format, B3D is capable of mesh deformation. You would create your model as one singe mesh, then add the bones to it, assign every vertex to one or more bones.

Is there a Tutorial for that? Does anyone knows if the Blitz3D Programmers Manual covers that. Assign vertex to bones?

On the manual that brings the Blitz3d CD says that b3d files suppose to bring the animation steps to Blitz and it only brings scale/move/rotate to blitz.


Kryzon(Posted 2009) [#13]
IMHO the best .B3D animation tool is 3DS Max + B3D Pipeline.

Getting access to Max's animation controls and sheets is just invaluable.


jfk EO-11110(Posted 2009) [#14]
Drahcir (a bit late but anyhow) You don't need a tutorial for that. Get CharacterFX (didn't somebody say it's freeware now??), then follow the emebeded help. Assigning vertices to bones can be e hell of fiddle work. Especially with high polycount models. Give yourself some time to learn the tricks. Get some tutorials about animation in general.

In CFX (CharacterFX) you load in a Character Mesh. Then you create the bones still in CFX. Then you assign the vertices. Then you go into animation mode and animate the bones on a timeline. Then you export it as animated B3D.

Not sure what you mean by "animation steps". Scale/Move/Rotate is the old way of animation, for 3ds and .x files. If you read the tutorial given at the top of this thread then you see how it's possible to make the character walk with only "move" and "rotate" (Actually almost only Rotation: the bone links will be rotated).

Kryzon is right about 3dsmax, but it's also a rather costy software.


MoonShadow(Posted 2010) [#15]
LOL, this is the longest chat that I ever had!
Thank you guys. I try CharacterFX is really good and easy. But I'm trying to get advance and I think Kryzon is right, B3D Pipeline is the best, the bad thing is that you have to go thru all the process of skeletal rigging, skin, ect. - THANKS Everyone!

Last edited 2010