Quadruped Run Tutorial

In this animation tutorial we show how to animate a quadruped running - in this case a horse. Every animator needs to understand how to animate quadrupeds in motion; these are the basic "scales" of animal and creature animation.  The basic gait for all quadrupeds is more or less the same (allowing for anatomy), so this tutorial can be applied to any four-legged creature, but the easiest way to follow the tutorial is to use the free horse rig - available for download from the Mothman TD website. 

Horse Running - Animator's Survival Kit

Start by watching this video of a horse running from the Animator's Survival Kit. Then follow the thumbnails below. 

horse running by Edward Muybridge

Quadruped locomotion

Learning to animation quadrupeds is one of the key skills animators must master here at Animation Apprentice. 

Much of the work being done in the London animation industry is animal and creature work; such as the photo-realistic animation of Disney's re-make of The Lion King, most completed at MPC in Soho.

Thumbnails

The key thing is to start with good thumbnails which you can use for reference. Our tutorial uses the thumbnails on the right, which set out the key poses for a slow horse gallop. 

12 frame horse run cycle

See Saw Motion

A quadruped gallops in a rocking motion, like a see saw.  In addition, the body of the animal extends ends and compresses as it runs.  Note on the thumbnails to the right where the high and low points are on the shoulders and the rear, as well as the extension and compression extremes on the body.

Rear Right Foot Contact
Start with the rear right foot contact at frame 1 and also frame 13 - which is identical to frame 1. Then do the half way point at frame 7, and then fill in the breakdown positions at 3, 5, 7 and 9.  Then do the in-betweens at 2,4,6,8, 10 and 11. Then refine your curves. 

Horse Run Tutorial

Horse gallop by Edward Muybridge

You can watch the horse run tutorial below. The password is the same as for all our videos. 

Horse Run Tutorial Pt 1 - Rig Setup

https://vimeo.com/838257477

 

Horse Run Tutorial Pt 2 - Key Poses

https://vimeo.com/838257572

Horse Run Tutorial Pt 3 - Add the Breakdowns

https://vimeo.com/838304811

Horse Run Tutorial Pt 4 - Smooth the Motion

https://vimeo.com/838304889

Horse Run Tutorial Pt 5 - Add a Set and Camera

https://vimeo.com/838304971

Horse Rigs

Below are some recommendations on horse rigs which are free to download. 

Horse Rig by Mothman TD

horse rig by Mothman TD

The tutorials uses this horse rig available for free download from the Mothman TD website.

It's an excellent choice for animating quadruped locomotion. It is a light rig and you should be able to get real-time playback in your Viewport with the Mothman TD rig without difficulty.

Rhett the Clydesdale rig
You can also use the free Rhett the Clydesdale rig, which you can download here. This is an older rig, but very useful. It has a very short tail - so you don't need to worry about animating the overlapping action on the tail. 

Samson Horse Rig by Joel

Horse Rig by Joel 3D

We also like the Samson Horse Rig by Joel 3D, available for free download here.
The horse rig is based on the character "Samson" from Disney's 1950s classic Sleeping Beauty.

The rig is an elegant design, with few major weaknesses. We've tested it in the classroom and it works well.  The model was created by Hung Vodinh and the rigging was done by Joel Anderson.

Setup
To get the best use of Samson, make sure you click on the little blue cross labelled FKIKSpine_M and, in the Channel Box, change FKIKBlend to 10. This will give you more flexible control over the shoulders and backside of the horse.

Horse Animation by Giuseppe Candido


Above is some excellent wild horse animation by Animation Apprentice graduate Giuseppe Candido, based on live-action reference.

Animal and Creature Animation at Animation Apprentice

Gorilla animation by Michael Davies

We have many resources here at Animation Apprentice for students looking to learn how to animate animals and creatures. 

To get started, see the blog posts below:

• Animal Anatomy for Animators
• How to Animate a Quadruped Trot
• Leopard Walk Tutorial
• Dragon in Flight Tutorial
• How to Animate Quadruped Transitions
• Horse Animation - Best Free Horse Rigs
• How to Plan Animal & Creature Animation
• How to Animate a Dinosaur Walking
• How to Block Out Creature Animation
• How Framestore Use Live Action Reference to Create Great Animation
• Animal Locomotion for Animators - Free eBook from Stuart Sumida
• Leopard Rig by Truong - How to Use It
• Animate Quadrupeds with Michael Schlingmann
• Spider Animation Tutorial
• Crow in Flight Tutorial
• Animation Locomotion for Animators - Free eBook from Stuart Sumida
• The Five Key Rules of Animal Anatomy with Stuart Sumida
• Stuart Sumida Explores the Principal Animal Gaits
• Butterfly Animation Tutorial
• Dinosaur Walk Tutorial

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.