In this blog I want to talk about computer animation method in quads. As animators we have all skipped through the Animation Survival Kit, Muybridge Photographs or even possibly looked up Quad Gait bio mechanics.
Theory and study are out there but I believe there is a missing dialogue between these and what ends up on our monitors. It is truly obscure how we bring creatures and performances to life. (picture: rig + graph = dynamic shot from a film).

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I love animating, but I LOVE animating quads, but they can be confusing, complicated and slow to animate. Hopefully in the following blog I will be able to outline some of my quad animation methods and observations that will help you remain in control, increase your speed of output, solve tech issues and most importantly breakdown a complicated creature in a way that will help you animate with more tapping and less smashing.

(* under construction/WIP)

• – QUADS OVERVIEW –
• SPINE vs. GAITS
  • – Hide the Legs!? It’s all in the Spine
  • – Spine Gaits
  • – Spine Gaits Library*
  • – Gait Reference
• THEORY
  • – Gravity Curve
  • – Patterns in the Curves
  • – Surging
  • – Pendu-limbs
  • – The Head Flop*
  • – Dissecting Reference
  • – Misc Quad Info
• SETUP
  • – Rotation Orders
  • – Where to put Pivots
• METHOD
  • – Five Step Quadruped Method
  • – World Space Animating
  • – From Above
  • – Reference Based Method*
  • – Working with Cycles*
  • – Animating Fast*
• ANIM TECH
  • – Baking & Constraining
  • – Noise, Pops & Clicks
  • – Changing Pivots as you Animate
• REFERENCE
  • – Other Resources & Blogs

– Five Step Quadruped Method

– Gravity Curve

– Rotation Orders

– Misc Quad Info

THEORY – SETUP – METHOD – ANIM TECH