My animations are ok, but they aren’t as good as the animations in other games. I’m worried it could hold my game back. I’ve looked for courses online to no avail. How can I get better at animating???
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Beginner animator here, so this is most likely not the best solution for you, but here are my two cents.
If your concerns lie on animation easing:
Lots of animations can be made by imitating the same movement in front of a mirror or camera, and seeing at what parts your limbs move in certain ways. If you are able to record, you will be able to look at the footage frame by frame to see where you speed up, slow down, or stay linear. From there you can experiment with the easing style that matches the video footage the best.
If you have trouble with imitating the movement, you can watch footage of the very thing you’re trying to animate on the internet.
If your concerns lie on animation positioning:
Try to adjust angles and positions using small snap values. Something like 0.25 studs and 5 or 7.5 degrees will work for most animations, keeping them looking a bit more consistent while making it easy to make fine adjustments. The reason why I work with these values is because when multiplied, they can achieve the more common values (1 stud and 15 or 45 degrees) people might use with animation.
If your concerns lie on animation timing:
Increasing the framerate will allow you to be more precise with the timing of your keyframes. While in most cases you will be fine with 60 FPS, you can go beyond with framerates like 120 and 240. This is especially helpful if you are trying to have two keyframes have the same length, even if their total time is an odd number of frames (By doubling the framerate of the animation, you will now be able to perfectly split them.)
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The plugin/program you use to make the animations will also be important. They usually have their ups and downs.
The default animator lacks many easing styles, but has IK to make positioning easier.
Moon Animator contains many easing styles, but lacks IK (as far as I know).
Blender contains many easing styles and IK, but setting it up to make animations can be a challenge even with a tutorial.
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i am also new to animating but i can say i am decent at it.
i personally just replicate my (or other peoples) irl movements. for example if i am trying to make a rolling animation i search up some parkour videos on youtube and replicate their movements.
other than that I recommend you this channel even if it’s meant for 2d animators it has very good tutorials on basics, principles, walk&run cycles. i am surprised the videos are even free.
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Thank you for this very in depth explanation! You have given me everything I need to know to make nice animations.
Fun fact: I’ve been animation on 30 fps this entire time.
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It sounds pretty difficult to make smooth animations with just 30 FPS, I’m excited to see how your animations improve from here on out!
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Ok, I have ONE more question for you. Im not sure if you have an answer, but when animation with objects, should you weld the object to the humanoid root part or the lower torso, or another part of the body? Thanks!
I have not made any animations involving objects yet, I’m going to assume you’re talking about making animations where your character is holding an object, or having something attached to their body.
In this case, I think you should weld the object based on which part would be holding it, or which part it would be attached to on an actual body.
Examples (R15):
For a belt, weld it to your Lower Torso.
For a weapon, weld it to your Hand.
For a watch, weld it to your Lower Arm.
For armor, weld it to your Upper Torso.
If you mean something different, please let me know.
Nope. Your spot on! Thank you.
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If you’re animating r6, I recommend focusing on the movement of the forearm when looking at a real life pose. Us humans look mostly at the forearm instead of the upper arm. Set your focus on the hands’ position, and it’ll be more appealing.