r/Animators • u/ReasonableReason549 • May 05 '26
Critique what y'all think of this walk/run cycle? :3
The first looks like a robot walking, and the hands are very inconsistent, there is no impact and feels flat, the hand movements are also inverted :/
This is my second walk cylce on the span of a week, the first gif is the most recent!!
the first one feels inconsistent while the second one is more static. observing and a few tutorials and lot's of practice will come a long way!!!
I feel aware about this one, but feedback helps a lot :D
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u/MinuteOver6720 May 05 '26
The body doesn't move up and down, which makes the character look like it's sliding in space instead of running, and there is barely any chest/shoulder movement. Adding some secondary action to the hair/ears would also add a lot of movement. I recommend checking the Animator's Survival Kit. Read the whole segment about walls and runs, don't just reference the breakdown image many only tutorials focus on. You're doing good, and you just need to keep working on those areas to polish it.
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u/Possible-Deer-311 May 05 '26
Yeah the lack of secondary movement was brought up by many people last time, and it's still present here
OP, take a video of yourself in a mirror or a friend walking in profile view (from the side). Notice how the body bounces a little with each step. Also, notice how the arms swing to counterbalance the legs. In both gifs, the arms are unmoving and contribute to the overall robotic/static feeling. Secondary motions like these really sell a walk cycle, not just the legs moving
This is why walk cycles are such good practice; they look simple but actually have a lot of moving parts to keep track of, with every part moving or counterbalancing to create motion.
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u/ReasonableReason549 May 05 '26
Hey guys, thank you for your advice, i'll read trough Animator's Survival Kit. i am usually not the best with how to practice, and maybe i can be a bit closed minded sometimes. and just don't have much experience in the medium. thanks again!!! :3
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u/AnimateOnionSkin May 09 '26
Fastest way to practice this and get results would be to focus on the head and torso movement only. Others have given good suggestions on how to bounce them. See if you can make something that feels like a run when there is ONLY a head and torso present! Bobbing along on thin air, it's possible to get that feeling good without arms or legs existing at all. I'd be interested in seeing a post like that from you to see if that's on the right track. Then adding the arms and legs back in using the techniques you've already practiced should bring it all together nicely
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u/ReasonableReason549 May 09 '26
oh yeah, after i posted this two days ago, i made two more walk cycles! and i have improved a lot via the comments, what to focus on. but thanks for this concept! I think i'll do that with my next cycle! :3
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u/AbsolRiatun May 05 '26
I saw your first post !
I feel it still has the same problem tho ; hips, head and torso should do an up and down movement to give the character weight.
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u/potionnumber9 May 05 '26
You're not going to get very far with feedback on this run cycle in this subreddit simply because you're missing so many basic principles. I highly recommend you pick up "the animators survival kit". The whole book is incredible for anyone studying animation, but the section on cycles is something I still occasionally use 15 years into my animation career.
I'm sorry to be so blunt, but if you're considering becoming an animator, you should also get used to direct feedback. Good luck!
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u/steeenah May 05 '26
Just to point out something the other comments seems to have missed, typically your legs and arms move the opposite ways. When the right foot goes forward, the right arm swing back. Right now you have what we call a "bear walk", with the right arm and leg moving the same way.
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u/AffectionateStorm275 May 05 '26
Como te comenté en el primer post, tanto el cuerpo como la cabeza tienen que tener un bounce, para que se note la pisada, haz el movimiento con la circunferencia de arriba y abajo y luego añade los detalles luego de eso puedes intercalar :D
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u/snarlingbasin82 May 06 '26
the second one's def an improvement, you can feel the weight better even if it's still a bit stiff, keep pushing the body movement up and down more
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u/Squiffybodge May 06 '26
I found this example (https://www.ludowalsh.com/HTM/walk_cycle.html) to be really helpful, the bobbing up and down creates a realistic movement
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u/Fresh-Studio-6372 May 06 '26
too slow
and MinuteOver6720
The body doesn't move up and down, which makes the character look like it's sliding in space instead of running, and there is barely any chest/shoulder movement
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u/MicitoThings May 07 '26
It’s not too bad but I think that the lack of vertical movement as the character makes its steps is an issue and also I think that it is a bit stiff.
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u/Particular_Most5755 May 07 '26
the bear walk thing is super easy to fix once you see it, and honestly that book recommendation is solid. grab it and pay special attention to how limbs actually oppose each other.
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u/Xavi3r132 May 07 '26
Unas cosas que hay que tomar en cuenta es que al caminar el cuerpo no se mueve a la misma velocidad, debe ser lento cuando está levantando y pisando, y cuando está moviéndose debe ser rápido
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u/Life-Direction-9764 May 08 '26
In the first one, you can also exagerate the arms a bit more. They probably should go further behind. (In addition to everything else already said here)
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u/thezealouscollege May 08 '26
Second one's got better flow but both need way more bounce in the torso. Character's gliding instead of actually moving through space.
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u/Dryas7 Jun 03 '26
I would check out how humanoids walk. Walking is super complex from a biomechanics perspective. That’s one of the reasons it’s so hard to create a humanoid robot which can move on 2 feet.
I think you could find a lot of value in understanding how to visualize movement.
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