When creating a walk cycle, it is very important to pay attention to the center of gravity (COG). The center of gravity is one of the most important elements for showing that a human is standing on the ground and affected by gravity.
In addition, the model used in this project only has legs and the torso around the hips. Because of this, I needed to focus especially on the movement of the hips. Since the walk cycle moves forward, the position and translation of the body are also important. On top of that, the way the feet touch the ground and leave the ground, as well as how the knees bend, plays a key role in making the motion look natural.
For the workflow, it is important to first collect reference materials, observe them carefully, and understand the movement before starting the animation. This approach helps avoid relying only on feeling sense and allows the movement to be understood as knowledge. As a result, it becomes earlier to move to the next step confidently.
Through this task, I also realized the importance of the Graph Editor in Maya. When I first created the walk cycle, the body movement looked stiff and choppy. However, by smoothing the curves in the Graph Editor, this problem was improved. From this experience, I learned that using the Graph Editor, not just keyframes, is an effective way to improve animation skills.
Front View Blocking
Side View Blocking
Walk Cycle Animation