Learning to animate a walk cycle is a foundational skill for any character animator. In this in-depth tutorial, Supervising Animator Jason Martinsen demonstrates his workflow for creating a natural, appealing walk cycle in Maya. Whether you’re new to animation or looking to strengthen your fundamentals, Jason’s process is practical, clear, and packed with professional tips.
Meet Jason Martinsen
Jason Martinsen has been a professional animator since 2006 and is currently a supervising animator at Sunrise Productions. He previously worked at Framestore, Reel FX, Sony Imageworks, and Blue Sky Studios on film productions like Storks and Ferdinand. Other projects include Scoob!, Back to the Outback, Rumble and Monkey King.
You can learn more about Jason and his work here.
Getting Started: Key Poses and Planning
Jason begins by emphasizing the importance of strong key poses. The main keys for a walk cycle are:
- Stride (contact) pose
- Down (impact) pose
- Passing (mid-stride) pose
- Up pose (optional, for added nuance)
- Mirrored stride/contact on the opposite side
A typical walk cycle is 20–30 frames at 24 frames per second. Jason recommends referencing classic animation resources like Richard Williams’ book and studying both realistic and caricatured walks for inspiration.
Blocking the Walk in Maya
Jason sets up his workspace with front and side cameras and the graph editor. He blocks out the stride pose, focusing on hip rotation toward the front leg and clean body mechanics. He demonstrates how to mirror poses efficiently – using tools like animBot or by manually flipping values and curves in Maya.
Adding Breakdowns and Refining Motion
Jason explains how to add breakdown poses between the main keys:
- The passing pose, where the weight shifts and the foot passes the planted leg
- The down pose, where the body absorbs impact
- The up pose, where the body rises before the next contact
He shows how the hips swing side-to-side, and how the chest and upper body counter-rotate for natural movement. Jason also covers how to add subtle squash and stretch to the spine for extra life.
Splining and Polishing
Once the main poses and breakdowns are in place, Jason moves to splining. He uses auto-tangents for most curves but keeps foot translation linear to prevent sliding. He cycles curves in the graph editor to ensure a seamless loop and cleans up any knee pops or foot sliding by adjusting foot roll and translations.
Animating Arms and Overlap
Jason animates one arm first, focusing on natural swing, overlap, and drag in the upper arm, forearm, and wrist. He then copies and offsets the animation to the other arm for efficiency. He demonstrates how to add shoulder movement and subtle head offsets for a more organic feel.
Walking Forward in Space and Stopping
After perfecting the cycle on the spot, Jason shows how to convert the walk to move forward in space using animation layers and root translation. He explains how to adjust the walk to stop naturally by slowing root movement and blending the feet and arms into a final pose.
Key Tips for a Great Walk Cycle
- Start with strong, clear key poses.
- Use reference and plan your poses for attitude and style.
- Mirror efficiently and use breakdowns to clarify weight shifts.
- Refine curves and fix pops for smooth, believable motion.
- Add arm swings, overlap, and subtle offsets for realism.
- Practice converting your walk to move forward and come to a stop.
With these steps, you’ll be able to animate a walk cycle that feels natural, appealing, and ready for your demo reel.
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