Dog Run Animation Tutorial

Dog run thumbnails - ASK - simplified 

Every animator needs to learn to animate a quadruped running.  All quadrupeds run in the same way, allowing for anatomy (herbivores have stiffer spines), but it's still helpful to use thumbnails of the actual animal you are animating. 

The dog run thumbnails to the left are taken from the Animator's Survival Kit, the book we recommend all animators buy, but they are simplified to make the basic blocking of the dog run easier and quicker. 

Quadruped Run Tutorials

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 our quadruped run tutorials can be applied to any four-legged creature.

Horse Running - Animator's Survival Kit

Start by watching this video of a horse running from the Animator's Survival Kit. This shows the basic running gait for all quadrupeds. 

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

Start with good thumbnails which you can use for reference. All our locomotion tutorials are basically the same; they all start with the rear right foot contact position as the first and final frame.  

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. 

Quadruped Run Tutorial

You can find the quadruped run tutorial here. The password is the same as for all our videos. 

Quadruped Runs

Quadruped run - student work

Dog Rigs

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

• Wolfdog rig (based on "Balto)
• Cartoony Great Dane Rig

Animal and Creature Animation at Animation Apprentice

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.