Simple Animation question for games
polygon
Following the recommendation of members of this community I have begun delving into the rigging and animation process. At this time, I have primarily been rigging and I'm just now starting to make that last little step into animation. I've been collecting tutorials and doing my research online and there are still a few things I havent exactly figured out. One of the main issues I have encountered is that most (if not all) animation tutorials I've previewed orient around setting up animations for films. Now while I definitely still believe there is a lot of useful information within these tutorials, I am wondering what, if any, considerations need to be kept in mind If a person intends to animate for a game.
I did some googling and most articles stated that one needs to keep in mind the player has the ability to view the animation from all angles, that one is pretty obvious. However, when animating (in blender in my case) should I attempt to keep my character's global location static and in one place and have him perform the motions without actually moving across the scene? What considerations should be kept in mind for export? Are there any other things that I should keep an eye out for game animation?
Thanks! I know the question is a little open ended. Hopefully it's still sufficient enough for some feedback or additional resources.
I am using Blender and Unity.
I did some googling and most articles stated that one needs to keep in mind the player has the ability to view the animation from all angles, that one is pretty obvious. However, when animating (in blender in my case) should I attempt to keep my character's global location static and in one place and have him perform the motions without actually moving across the scene? What considerations should be kept in mind for export? Are there any other things that I should keep an eye out for game animation?
Thanks! I know the question is a little open ended. Hopefully it's still sufficient enough for some feedback or additional resources.
I am using Blender and Unity.
Replies
In games, animations get spliced together to make the final result. You might have a walk blending with a run cycle, with a pose for the upper body so it holds a weapon, and all that has an aim offset applied over the top and mixed with directional leaning input coming from a controller run by a spastic chimp that only cares about responsiveness. Making sure that all looks good at all times under all situations is your main goal. You need a firm foundation in the basics but you don't have full control over what the end results.
In film you have full control over just about everything from beginning to end. All of the motion is planned out and played up for full effect.
So if you're looking for a firm foundation then just about any tutorial will work. Most game animation tutorials assume you have the basics mastered and they are just showing you engine specific tips and tricks without ever touching the fundamentals.