Well I have been going crazy trying to do character animation in Carrara.  I use V4 (and M4) but even using targets for the IK im finding it near impossible to do basic full body movement (walks, ups and downs) and I do not want to be doing it using BVH or aniblocks. So I want to see if I can do key frame character animation using Victoria 4 and quite frankly it is pretty tough if not impossible to do anything but static body movements. 

Ha, I've just wanted to avoid taking a year out of my hobby life to actually work to see if I can set up a character and rig in say Lightwave or even blender but I think I may have to step a way for a while. So frustrating I fear. I've spent many a year playing with Carrara and I like my renders overall but as for animation, but I am not where I would like to be.

Anyway, suggestions on workflow, or perhaps alternative software is always appreciated.

Yes, I hair is falling out (metaphorically) and I am banging my head against the wall (almost literally).

Thanks

You don't mention what is happening that you don't like. 

The most common mistake when animating is to get too detailed, too fast. Only set initial key frames for major body parts at significant movement start and stops. (usually hips, IK'd feet and shoulders) From there, it's a process of course to fine movement refinement. 

There is more to say, but I want to hear your specific frustrations first. 

Mark

Mark is right, people always try to mimic things like in real life in one shot. Start with basic key frames, for a simple walk 3 key frames are a good start, so start to refine them with more details. Use loops, dont try to animate someone walking along a line using all frames that you have, always use loops and clips to mix movements :

hi, thanks for the response, sorry i wasn't more specific. I am having some issues with pose to pose animations where i am finding things tough to, say on stairs, keep the character from being at the correct level. Even using targets for IK I am having issues. I am doing it at 12 fps to manage the tweeners better. I still am trying to find a workflow for character animation but I am not there yet.  

I am just a bit frustrated as I would love to keep every thing in Carrara. 

Question then, would be what type of animation workflow has worked for you all ?

Quote - Question then, would be what type of animation workflow has worked for you all ?

Well, the one workflow that works consistently well for me is aniBlocks. I have used them since the aniBlock importer came out and really like them.

I have used poses, but sometimes there aren't enough poses to make the animations I want and the amount of "tweaking" gets to be time prohibitive.

I know you said you don't want aniBlocks, but that's what has produced the best results for me.

Thanks tsarist. I have used aniblocks and they are nice. Since I am aiming at doing the first short animation of Keepers of Wrath I wanted to hand key this. I can see some things that that would be good for but in my experiments I can't really mix the aniblock or BVH and hand keyed at the same time, which I would likely need for most shots I've planned out. Some would just not be possible with it.

But I do see the value in it.

I used some aniblocks converted from BVH and add changes by hand creating another aniblock with hand key frame without problem. Was a simple walk in BVH that I converted to aniblock and after that I need that the character give a goodbye with hands and I did another aniblock only for the arm and hand, and work s fine.

I'll see if I can squeeze in a how-to today and post back. 

Thanks Mark and GKDantas, much appreciated!

I worked on a small animation, pose to pose, using target helpers for the IK on the feet.

One thing Found difficult was keeping the foot planted on the floor. Seems if I move the hips  the foot often went below the ground so I had to adjust keys to keep the models foot firmly on the ground.

Any suggestions on making this process more effecient?

Here is the link to my Vimeo site and this animation. Let me know if there are tips you may have. Thanks

Adrea Kick Demo animation:

https://vimeo.com/73917960

Hi Restif, 

I haven't had a chance to piece together a demo yet. 

You have a good start in the animation. One thing I see right away is issues with center of gravity. Balance is maintained by keeping the center of gravity over the foot that is on the ground. Therefore, as the leg gets higher, the torso will also ascend upward. Likewise when the leg extends outward, the torso will extend in the opposite direction. 

These are relationships we see everyday and are so common we don't even pay attention to them – unless it's not happening correctly. 

Mark

Thanks Mark, Yes it is subtle and even when I think I got it correct I have to go back. I am enjoying this but certainly look for tips on both improving animations and technical tricks, such as feet planting

Thanks for taking time to answer!