How to Animate Quadruped Transitions

Free tiger rig from Truong

We're adding more animation tutorials to our Vimeo channel, including now a series on how to use the Time Editor (formerly known as the Trax Editor) in Maya to animate locomotion transitions.

The tutorials build our existing tutorials on quadruped locomotion, such as walks, trots and runs.

The transitions tutorial explains how different gaits can be combined using Maya's Time Editor.

Students who want to learn how to animate transitions should first learn to create a successful quadruped walk, trot and run cycle, before attempting to combine them into one piece of animation.

Time Editor
The tutorial uses Maya's Time Editor, (formerly known, until the Maya 2018 edition, as the Trax Editor), a tool which allows animators to overlay motion cycles and produce an interpolated transition from one gait to the next.

Six Videos at Vimeo
There are six videos to watch at our Vimeo Channel. All are password-protected for our students' use.
1. Introduction to the Tax Editor
1.5 Fixing the Trax Editor
2.  Using Animation Clips
3. Creating Transitions
4. Baking Animation Clips
5. Fixing the Transitions

Horse gallop by Edward Muybridge

Quadruped Walks, Trots and Runs 
Students should first learn how to animate the three basic quadruped gaits: walk, trot and run.  These are the three basic forms of animal locomotion.

Sabre Tooth by Truong
The transitions tutorial uses the free Boxy Sabre Tooth Tiger Rig from Truong CG, and available for free download from his official site. Students can use this rig, or apply the same principles to the horse rig used in the quadruped locomotion tutorials.

Quadruped Locomotion for Animators
Don't forget to check out Animal Locomotion for Animators, a free eBook by paleontologist and animal locomotion expert Stuart Sumida, which you can download from his website here.  Stuart's book is an excellent resource on animal locomotion.

Stuart Sumida

Stuart Sumida

Stuart Sumida is a paleontologist who has acted as advisor to many Hollywood films including Spirit - Stallion of the Cimarron. He is a regular guest at Escape Studios, lecturing on animal biology, locomotion and mechanics.

To find the free download, follow this link.

To find out more about Animation Apprentice, click here for a link to Frequently Asked Questions. To sign up for our next classroom at Animation Apprentice, follow this link.