I want to improve these idles further, give them more personality

Well, hello animators.

I have been currently thinking about making sword combat, but I wanted to give everyone a chance to get a unique idle (ofc that won’t happen), but it’d be cool at least 5-10 for the base persay.

The issue is, the feeling really isn’t there for me. I see the vision with them but I’m not really achieving the final product.

Add More Motion. no offense but the second one is just to odd. its Looking as if it was Gonna Spin Like sonic. 2nd add more motion to head as its almost still

Well, I didn’t get much assistance from that, but I did try to give a bit more motion to the head, giving more motion to an idle is somewhat confusing to me, but this was my attempt.

I also forgot, but in order the idles are meant to be

Noble Idle,

Cocky Idle,

Despair Idle,

Base Stance Idle.

I’m not the best at animations but from my knowledge of blender animation I can tell you a few things:
( RB means requires blender )

  • Use Inverse Kinematics so the feet stay put on the floor and not floating (RB)

  • Don’t make so many movements! They move too much.
    → the first one moves its head as if he was nervous. (yet he’s a noble)

  • Stand up and recreate those animations IRL, that will give you an idea of what makes sense and what doesn’t.
    → I did so for the last one and I noticed something: your arm doesnt move forward and backwards, it moves up and down a little from breathing.
    → For the one that looks like a ninja, you’ll realise the legs wont be positioned like that.
    → For the first one every part moves randomly - almost as if you wanted to create movement from somewhere. A noble’s pose is steady but in that animation like he’s nervous about something.

  • to add more stylized animations, make use of different easing styles and directions (RB)
    image - image

check this linear animation (default - what you are doing)

now this one with easing styles / directions (i used quadric for both + Easing Out for the first and InOut for the second)

That might not be the best example but you can totally see where I’m getting at.

  • And last one: you don’t need to make movement from where ever you can, idle animations are easy because they are simple. Don’t overcomplicate things!
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