Body Mechanics

Learn the Principles Behind Complex Movement

Make the Next Move in Your Character Animation Career

In the Body Mechanics animation course, dive deep into the physicality of animating bipeds, including full body walks. Begin by honing your observational skills and understanding of human anatomy in relation to posing and mechanics. Once you understand the source of realistic motion, you’ll learn how timing and spacing choices can take your animation from realistic to stylized. Finally, add polish and shine to your animation.

Body mechanics animation course

12-WEEK COURSE

$2,499 USD

Start the Week of
March 25, 2024

Apply By
March 24, 2024

Pro Animators Mentor You to Be Successful

Our mentors are the heart and soul of Animation Mentor. They are professional, working animators from studios like Pixar, DreamWorks, and Industrial Light & Magic, who will teach you the ins and outs of production-level animation. Continue your journey in the Body Mechanics animation course, the second of our Core Character Animation Courses.

Eddie Prickett - Body Mechanics Mentor

Eddie Prickett

Senior Animator
Sony Pictures Imageworks

Eddie Prickett has been a professional animator since 2012 and is currently a senior character animator at Sony Animation in Vancouver. He worked on the Oscar-winning film, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, The Michells vs. The Machines, and many other blockbusters.

Read Full Bio

Ere Santos - Body Mechanics Mentor

Ere Santos

Senior Animator
Sony Pictures Imageworks

Ere has been a professional animator since 2017 and is currently a senior animator at Sony Pictures Imageworks. Originally from Canada, Ere has worked at prominent studios including Pixar, MPC, and DEG.

Read Full Bio

Paul Allen - Body Mechanics Mentor

id software Logo

Paul Allen

Senior Animator
Id Software / Xbox Game Studios

Paul Allen has been a professional animator since 1997 and is currently a senior animator at id Software, known for the DOOM video game franchise, and Xbox Game Studios. He started his career in television and was a character animation supervisor for the Nickelodeon classic, Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius.

Read Full Bio

Choose Your Mentor

Once you've applied and been accepted into Animation Mentor, you can choose your mentor and register for class.

Registration is open from

January 22 - March 24, 2024

Studios that Hire Our Character Animation Students

On-Going Rig Access

STAN

STELLA

STEWART

STEWIE

î‚‹

Personalized Mentorship

Our mentors are working professionals with years of experience under their belts, and they’re passionate about training the next generation of animators. In this course, you will learn from your mentor in live sessions as they share insights about what studios are working on and what qualities they look for in an animator. Your mentor will work directly with you to grow your skills, sharing weekly 1:1 feedback and reviews to help you improve your animation.

Studio-Level Animation Tools and Assets

We teach our students how to work in a studio environment so they are ready for jobs when they graduate. This training starts from day one, with exclusive access to professionally designed assets and character rigs. We ensure that they learn using the same tools and animation workflows that professionals use in their day-to-day work.

Course Requirements for Body Mechanics

Course Details

LIVE Q&As | Weekly 1-Hour Q&As

LECTURES | 12 Pre-recorded Lectures

ASSIGNMENTS | 3 Animation Exercises

ACCESS |Over 150 hours of additional content

SOFTWARE | Autodesk Maya

HARDWARE | Meet Minimum Requirements

AGE | 18 Years or Older

LANGUAGE | Taught in English

Skills You Need Before You Start

This character animation course requires you to have a working understanding of, and experience with, Autodesk Maya software. If you don’t you can take our Maya Basics Workshop.

 

What You’ll Learn

Now that you have the basics down, it’s time to focus on Body Mechanics. In this course you will:

  • Use anatomy and physiology to animate a convincing full body walk cycle
  • Learn and explore different animation workflows, adapting them to more complex characters and ideas
  • Animate a biped character using proper mechanics to maintain the relationships between the hips, chest, head, and limbs
  • Explore physicality by adding personality and character to your animation, integrating key storytelling components in each shot
  • Film clear video reference, study the source of realistic motion, and learn where to deviate in your animation in order to further your story

Animation Mentor Interest-Free Payment Plans

Animation Mentor offers interest-free payment plans. Payment Plans allow students to distribute the $2,499 USD tuition into flexible payments throughout the school term.

$333
Per Month

$500 to save your seat and
6 monthly installments of $333.

$500
Per Month

$500 to save your seat and
4 monthly installments of $500.

$625
Per Month

$624 to save your seat and
3 monthly installments of $625.

FAQ for Body Mechanics

What is body mechanics in animation?

Body mechanics is a term that describes how elements of the body work together to move a character. For example, to pick something up requires more than just moving just your fingers. The fingers, hand, arm, elbow, and shoulder all work together to get the job done. When we animate characters, we have to understand the basics of how body mechanics work in order to move our characters in a realistic way. Check out this blog post for more details.

What is character animation?

Character animation is the act of taking a fully modeled and rigged character and animating their movements and expressions with the help of a digital tool or animation software, like Autodesk Maya. At Animation Mentor, our students learn keyframe animation.

Related Courses

If you’re interested in 3D animation, we think you’ll love these courses! Our Core Character Animation Courses provide a great foundation in animation and will help prepare you for a career in the industry.

Maya Workshop: Animation Basics

6-Week Workshop

Master this key software before diving into the art of animation.

Learn More

Animation
Basics

12-Week Course

Begin your character animation journey and master the basics.

Learn More

Advanced Body
Mechanics

12-Week Course

Create exciting and dynamic action sequences.

Learn More

Introduction
to Acting

12-Week Course

Make your characters come alive with emotion.

Learn More

Advanced
Acting

12-Week Course

Tell a complex, two-person story with dialogue.

Learn More

Feature Animation
Acting & Polish

12-Week Course

Animate a shot the pros would be proud of and finish your demo reel.

Learn More