This week we focused on further developing our walk cycles in spline, with an emphasis on polishing the movement while relying more on planning rather than reference. The main goal was to refine the timing, weight, and overall flow of the walk. Although the posing was decent, the movement still felt a bit rigid and lacked a sense of weight. I worked on toe roll mechanics and anticipation, making the feet react naturally to the body’s movement, and started integrating squash and stretch to give more life to the animation.
During this process, I realized the importance of proper blocking. In my first attempt, I misunderstood the assignment and produced the full animation without creating a clear blocking presentation. Then I quickly created one, but it wasn’t very clear. Some frames, especially when the right foot moved, looked unnatural and “floating,” which needed correction. Using Maya’s graph editor and keeping translations in spline tangents mode helped me adjust the timing, flatten keyframes where necessary, and create a solid foundation for the walk. This exercise reinforced how critical blocking and careful planning are for achieving smooth, believable character movement.
Final walking version:
(Front view)
(Side view)
This week we worked on hand references. We used our own hands to take photos and then recreated the poses in Maya. This exercise helped me practice the movement and positioning of hands, fingers, and joints, improving my understanding of how hands behave and how to animate them more accurately.
My hand poses:
