Let’s look at an example of this. We have chosen to animate a generic head turn. The character is going to look from left to right as if following a car that’s zooming by. Let’s set an initial pose keyframe, an ending pose keyframe. Image 1. If we just take those two positions and let the computer in-between for us, we’ll get an animation that looks like Movie 1. The resulting path of the computer’s interpolation is basically a straight line. As you can see, the motion looks very rigid and stiff. The computer’s in-between poses lack a sense of weight and the necessary arcs needed to make the character feel more like a human being.

Image 1. To view the animated version of this image click here (Movie 1).

Now let’s fix this scene. Concentrate on watching the arc the character makes. As a reminder or in case you didn’t know, everything that’s organic or natural moves in arcs or circular motions. Without these arcs, characters feel mechanical and stiff. Even though it’s hard to detect arcs when analyzing your own motion, believe us... there are arcs everywhere in almost every motion that you see. Only rigid objects like machines will move in a linear fashion. By concentrating on creating arcs you will clearly understand how different the computer is from your in-between process. Take the time to let the computer do it the wrong way to gain a better understanding of how to animate the correct way.

Let’s take similar beginning and ending poses and begin to break down the in-betweens how WE want them to be. The first additional pose that I’ll set is shown in Image 2. This middle key (orange pose) will help give the character it’s initial arc as it swings from left to right. This first pose will get us closer to achieving the desired arc, but a few other poses will be necessary to really get the desired look.

Image 2. To see the animated version, click here (Movie 2).

As I study my performance in front of a mirror and on the reference video I’ve shot, I notice that there’s small rise in my body before I make the big motion to the right. My path is going to take a small loop on the left side of the action then swoop down to the middle pose, then loop again as the action completes. This action is similar to that of a figure eight. We’ve created an image with a path that represents the path of action that our character has taken. Once again, I’m moving the body outside of the motion the computer is creating. I’ll continue with this process until the character is swinging in a natural and realistic way. Don't forget it’s important to pay attention to all parts of the body. The head, chest, hips, and arms will all move in different arcs and all move at different times.

All in all, the general rule to animating effectively on the computer is that it is better to set MORE than LESS keyframes to create something that will come alive. This is not to say that you need to go crazy and have all the controllers or joints of your character keyframed at every frame. We are simply pointing out that in order to create animation people will respond to, be conscious of what YOU can do to create that believability. Be vigilant in your approach to keyframing. By the time you are finished with a scene, all of the choices in how your character is animated are controlled by your own decisions. Once you begin to implement this approach into your animation you will begin to create characters that even your mom would be proud of.... and then and only then.... can you call her and say that you are an animator. Good luck.

Kyle Clark and Michael Ford are Co-founders of Animation Foundation. Animation Foundation provides information about advanced animation techniques and assisting student animators in developing and improving their abilities. We offer a multitude of services including animation seminars, training materials, curriculum development and consulting. Kyle and Mike currently work as character animators at Industrial Light and Magic and have worked on numerous feature film and commercial projects.