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Run Cycle Crits?

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Run Cycle Crits?

I guess this is where this post should go? Anyway, I was hoping to get some feedback on a run cycle I did for practice. Actually, this is the second version, but it still looks...hm..wrong somehow. Any crits would be welcome. Clickity-Klak

Also, I'm working in Flash, and was wondering if anyone had a suggestion on how to get the cleanest lineart. I've been drawing by hand and scanning images in, and I always get jaggedy lines. No matter how clean my paper art is, or how much I tweak in PS.

Thanks in advance. Happy New Year and all that jazz.

I went frame by frame (if you right click, other people viewing, just use Rewind and Forward; I don't personally know of another way) and found that when her knees are up there are two frames that are nearly identical, and also when her leg is kicked out full there are two nearly identical frames (they look offset by a pixel or so, or even the difference between aliased and non-aliased).

I find I have the most success with even spacing in a run, but because of the anatomy of these poses you'd benefit from what you're doing, just either cut out those double frames and see how it plays, or figure out some different spacing for them (ie maybe make them inbetweens of the two frames surrounding each one for a smoother movement). I really like the drawings though.

As far as the second question, is the jagged element from PS or Flash? If Flash, make sure you're using the Ink option instead of curves or the jaggedy block thing, if you're using that pencil tool. If you've got time and patience, and if it's a PS problem, use the Pen tool and set up your curves individually. Other people can tell you the exact name (I wanna say DigiCel but I'm sure I'm wrong or off somehow) but there is some software that claims to take your best efforts in turning drawings in PS to lineart, and convert them to some good clean usable form in animation.

Thanks Logical,

I cut out 3 redundant frames, like you mentioned, and posted it next to the original. click Its a very subtle difference, but I think it will be better. (think I forgot, I wanted to squash the downs a bit.)

No, I mean that my scanned line art becomes jagged when I do the "trace bitmap" thing in Flash. I guess I need to learn to draw right into Flash, but anything more complicated than a square or circle, is beyond me. I guess I could trace hand drawn pics with the pen tool but that would take me a LOnG tiMe. Doh.

Thanks again for the imput.

Yes, that's awesome! I watched them separately, and then together, and it instantly occurs to you which of the two makes for a better, more hectic run. I actually like the staccato rhythm too, because it looks like she's smacking down her dress to avoid tangles.

As for the technical matter, I don't know a person whose had great success with Trace Bitmap unless something started -out- as a bitmap created on the comp. With drawings, photos, anything with the slightest bit of noise it's always been a bit more arsed-up than it started. What I can tell you that might help is take the shape/lines that gives you and use the Modify>>Shape>>Smooth feature. Your lines would have to be pretty damned clean from the get, but occassionally it can interpolate the jaggedness and get a more consistent line.

Run

It's kind of hard to tell by just doing the rewind and forward thing, but it looks like you passing pose for the 1st step and 2 step are a lot different, so it looks like the character is kind of jumping forward when she extends her leg to the highest part of the step. If you take your passing pose for the 1st step, and do it the same for the 2nd step i think that would help. Also just another suggestion, she faces 3/4 the entire time, maybe have her shifting her upper body as he arms swing too. For scanning, were these just done with a peg bar on animation paper, then put into falsh? If so, you might want to try using digicel flipbook or something for that, and skip to color, especially for just a test. Or even a PVR if you have access to one. I do like the secondary animation that you did add, it adds to the overall feel

Volumes/cup size could be a bit more consistant, hair and skirt movement is a little distracting for a cycle.

With all respect, I totally disagree. Not only is it completely healthy to have variations on breakdowns for either step of a walk/run cycle, but it actually works to a benefit here to keep for less repetitive (and thus more likely compulsive) viewing. Reason being is the last comment: There are a lot of loose bits, and not subtly done, so in order to avoid taking the focus off of the main action itself some pizzazz must go there too.

As far as facing 3/4, the decision here might be leaning toward realism, where there isn't a lot of sway in direction. Think about pedalling a bike: If you're too slow and resting your feet, it will eventually stop and lose its balance. But if you speed up and go extremely fast, it's got more power in a straight line and in no danger of falling down. Besides, "face" wise, literally, she's snapping her neck trying to look in every direction all at once, so it's far from stationary (whether that's a good thing or not is subjective).

In my evaluation anatomically she's fine. As far as the breasts go, if ANYTHING were able to be malleable in terms of "squash and stretch"/distention and distortion, what have you, it would be a big ball of fat. I found a -single- frame that --perhaps-- could be argued was inconsistent with the others in the series. Other than that, it's in the nature of a breast to jump around and flatten as the situation demands.

I do think there's merit, as I said above, in the distracting qualities of -all- that secondary action. Don't eliminate it, because it's accurate to put it in there..."loose bits" as it were...but so it's ALL about the run, maybe tone it down. I would also recommend maybe making that right arm help out with more of a pump instead of a whipping action; it's just that it seems with her extreme forward lean and the TYPE of run she's in, that those kinds of arms would be more conducive to producing her particular type of locomotion.

Good luck.

Run

It's fine to have a variety of breakdowns for the run/walk, but at this point, I don't think there are enough drawings to have it look smooth. To me it looks like she is almost pulsing. I think that what Scattered said about having the arms help out more would look better. I still think the secondary animation works fine. Just another thing you could try, that might work out pretty well, would be to have her dip down more when she touches that ground, so it gives her even more spring. I don't know, im just throwing out possibilities.

Hello, thanks for the comments. That's whats great about this forum. As far as the secondary action, I guess it could make sense that it would be distracting or too much, because this run was sort of an exercise in secondary action, or at least something I was concentrating on.
I think you are right, to perfect this I need lower lows.(the lazy method of squishing them in Flash, looks funny.) Also, shifting the position of her upper body could make it look more..uh..sophisticated? Or as ScatteredLogical pointed out that it is a straight line sprint, in that case, now that I look at it again, I think I need to get rid of the little bit of head movement.(That and the hair is terribly done.)
Thanks again for the replys, these are some excellent points.