Quadruped Horse Walk Tutorial

Horse walk by Matt Lawson-Hall

We've uploaded a new series of video tutorials on animating quadrupeds, a "Horse Walk Tutorial" using the "Rhett The Clydesdale" Maya Rig, which is free to download.

All animators need to learn how to animate a quadruped walk cycle.  The horse walk tutorial is password-protected but available to all our current students.

Quadruped Walk Tutorial

The tutorial is broken into four parts, and is based on a simplified breakdown of a quadruped walk, using basic techniques to get a fast and accurate result. 

Thumbnails

Start with the thumbnails on the right. 

Work Method

1. Begin at frame 1 with the rear right foot contact.  Frame 33 must be the same. 1 & 33 must be identical for the cycle to work.
2. Then do frame 17 - a mirror image of frame 1 and 33.
3. Then do frame 9 - front right foot contact, and frame 25, front left foot contact. Frame 9 and 25 are mirror images of each other.
4. Now do frame 5 and frame 21 - the high point at the shoulders, and the low point at the back. These poses are also mirror images of each other
5. Now do frame 13 and frame 29, the low point at the shoulders and the high point at the back. These poses are also mirror images of each other.
6. Finally, tidy your curves. 

Image Plane in Maya

Import an Image Plane into Maya

You can also import the thumbnails directly into your shot onto an image plane - watch this short video to see how to do this. 

Rhett the Clydesdale Horse Rig

The tutorial uses the Rhett the Clydesdale rig, which can be found here. If you can't find it, email us for a copy at info@animationapprentice.org. 

Other Horse Rigs

Alternatively, use a different horse rig, such as one of these rigs here. Popular free horse rigs include the Horse Rig from Mothman TD, the Samson Horse Rig from Joe3D, and the Gorgeous George Horse Rig.  

Quadruped Locomotion - Walks - Animation Reel

To see some of the best quadruped walks done by our students, watch the reel below:

Horse Walk Tutorial Part 1

Free Gorgeous George Horse Rig

How to set up the rig, and optimise the settings.  Then, we start to animate the walk. 

https://vimeo.com/959038186

Horse Walk Tutorial Part 2

In part two, we position the feet at frame 1 and 33

https://vimeo.com/959038588

Horse Walk Tutorial Part 3

Get the feet moving, using as few keyframes as possible to make the motion work effectively, adding the extreme positions on the shoulders and rear of the animal.

https://vimeo.com/959038901

Horse Walk Tutorial Part 4

https://vimeo.com/959043748

The horse walk tutorial is password-protected, but free for all our currently enrolled students. 

Animal and Creature Animation at Animation Apprentice

Animate a Crab Scuttle

We have many, many video tutorials for animating 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
• Scorpion 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
• Animate a Crab Scuttle

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.