Animation Reference from the BBC Motion Gallery and Getty Images

Here is some great reference for animators, specialising in animal locomotion and behaviour, from the BBC and Getty Images.

The site is easily searchable so, say you need some reference footage of a cheetah running, it's all very easy to find. You can easily download the videos as .mp4 files, and then open them up in QuickTime so you can step through them frame by frame. It's a great resource for animators looking for reference to create accurate, realistic animal motion.

On the downside, all the movie files come with a Getty Images watermark, but that doesn't undermine its reference utility. We only need the video for reference anyway, so a watermark doesn't stop us from doing our job as animators.

And, with YouTube increasingly cluttered with bizarre (but often popular) videos, it can be hard to find the reference you want there. The BBC motion gallery is dedicated to animal locomotion, and finding what you need can be much quicker, with much better quality footage.

To read more about how to use live action reference in your animation and get an excellent, realistic result - including how to import the footage directly into Maya - see this blog post.

To find the BBC/Getty images site, follow this link.

The Escape Studios Animation Blog offers a personal view on the art of animation and visual effects. To apply for our BA/MArt (September 2017), follow this link. To apply for one of our intensive 3 month animation short courses, click here.