We continued working in Maya by setting up our projects and using the “Walker” model as a reference in my file. The first step was to create a selection set of the main controls we needed for key framing and add it to the shelf in the animation tab.
Our main task this week was to work only in the blocking phase. We started by planning out our poses and shot our own reference videos for accuracy. I chose a simple pose where the character steps from the left to the right. For the first frame, I posed the Walker leaning on its left hip, which helped me understand how the weight shifts left before moving right and then shifts again during the step. I used this principle to animate the weight shift.
To add realism, we adjusted the foot brake value to 100 and tweaked the foot roll and heel roll settings to perfect the Walker’s pose as needed.
Initially, I had some challenges with joint positioning and determining how much to bend the Walker in the anticipation pose. However, after reviewing my reference video and getting feedback from George on my blocking, I was able to improve the pose. We were also instructed to convert our blocking to splines the following week.
We were also asked to create three poses using references from either our sketches or the internet. For this, we used the ‘Ultimate Bony’ rigged character. I chose to make an action pose, a yoga pose, and a dance pose to add variety. This exercise taught me how to position different body parts like joints in the shoulders, hips, and knees to make the poses look natural.
It also helped me understand how each body part affects the others when creating a pose. Adjusting joint rotations and considering the angles helped me make each pose feel more dynamic and balanced.
