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718 Chapter 14: Character Studio
except in cases where default leg keys must be
regenerated to account for timing edits that alter
the b asic gait pattern, such as creating a hop in the
middle of a walk.
UseFootstepmodetocreateandeditfootsteps.
UseKeyframemode(Footstepmodeoff)tocreate
and edit your character’s keys. You can always
edit the timing of both footsteps and key frames
in Track View.
While the biped’s feet are airborne, y ou can
animate its legs as you do its upper body. Biped
does not create keys based on physics while the
biped is off the g round, so animating the legs
might be necessary to m ake long leaps realistic.
Alternatively, you might want to make the biped
appear to b e floating in midair, or underwater,
or have it ride a bicycle. See
Freeform Editing
Between Footsteps (page 2–741)
or look at the
tutorial lesson entitled “Animating a Pratfall”.
You can make the biped interact with other objects
in the scene: throwing or kicking a ball, opening a
door, and so on. You do this by attaching a biped
limb to an object in the scene.
An animatable IK Blend parameter lets you store
the anchored position and combine inverse with
forward kinematics. Remove the anchors once
keys have been set.
Tip: You can often get good results by loading
an existing biped motion and then varying it.
character studio installs a set of sample motion
files in the
\cstudio\motions directory. Other
footstep motions can be found on the character
studio CD.
Crea ti ng Foot steps
Pl anni ng f or Foots teps
Spendalittletimeplanningyourfootstep
animation with pencil and paper first. This will
make the task of setting up footsteps much easier.
Answering the questions below can help orient
your planning.
Pla nning for Footstep P lacement
• How are the footsteps going to be positioned in
viewports? Draw a sketch of t heir positions.
• What is the sequence of the footsteps? T his will
determine the footstep numbers.
Footstepsalwaysbeginwiththenumber0.
Number them in your diagra m if you ca n.
• Is each footstep a left or right footstep?
Pla nning for Footstep Timing
• What is the support relationship between left
and rig ht footsteps? In other words, does the
timing of the footsteps resemble a walk, run
or jump pattern? A character doing a foxtrot
or waltz, for example, is actually moving with