Learning to animation quadrupeds is one of the key skills animators must master. Much of the animation done in the UK is animal and creature work; such as the stunning animation of Disney's re-make of The Lion King, completed at MPC in Soho.
Marc Stevenson Tutorial Playlist
Horse Rigs
Below are some recommendations on horse rigs which are free to download:
Rhett the Clydesdale rig
Rhett the Clydesdale rig can be downloaded here. It's a good rig, and doesn't have a tail, which means you don't have to deal with overlapping action. It can be hard to shape the legs at times.
Samson Horse Rig by Joel
The Samson Horse Rig by Joel 3D is also available for free download here. This horse rig is based on the character "Samson" from Disney's 1950s classic Sleeping Beauty.
The rig is an elegant design, with few major weaknesses. We've tested it in the classroom and it works well. The model was created by Hung Vodinh and the rigging was done by Joel Anderson.
Setup
To get the best use of Samson, make sure you click on the little blue cross labelled FKIKSpine_M and, in the Channel Box, change FKIKBlend to 10. This will give you more flexible control over the shoulders and backside of the horse.
Animation with Samson Rig
Below are some recommendations on horse rigs which are free to download:
Rhett the Clydesdale rig
Rhett the Clydesdale rig can be downloaded here. It's a good rig, and doesn't have a tail, which means you don't have to deal with overlapping action. It can be hard to shape the legs at times.
Samson Horse Rig by Joel
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| Horse Rig by Joel 3D |
The rig is an elegant design, with few major weaknesses. We've tested it in the classroom and it works well. The model was created by Hung Vodinh and the rigging was done by Joel Anderson.
Setup
To get the best use of Samson, make sure you click on the little blue cross labelled FKIKSpine_M and, in the Channel Box, change FKIKBlend to 10. This will give you more flexible control over the shoulders and backside of the horse.
Animation with Samson Rig
Above is some excellent wild horse animation by Escapee graduate Giuseppe Candido, based on live-action reference.
Horse Rig by Mothman TD
We also like this horse rig available for free download from the Mothman TD website.
It's a good choice for animating quadruped locomotion, a useful alternative to the (also very good) Rhett the Clydesdale rig.
Real time playback
You should, in theory, be able to get real-time playback with this rig without difficulty.
Tail
Gorgeous George Rig by Dmitri Kolpakov
Marc's tutorial uses Gorgeous George, by Dmitri Kolpakov, available for $15 from Gumroad. https://gumroad.com/dkolpakov
We also have a wide selection of horse rigs at Escape Studios.
Horse Locomotion Tutorials at Vimeo
To find the horse locomotion videos at our Vimeo Channel, follow this link.
https://vimeo.com/showcase/6711043
Note that all our tutorial videos at Vimeo are password-protected. If you're a current student or Escapee, just email us for the password.
Animal & Creature Animation Resources
To see more about animating animals and creatures, follow the links below:
Horse Rig by Mothman TD
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| horse rig by Mothman TD |
It's a good choice for animating quadruped locomotion, a useful alternative to the (also very good) Rhett the Clydesdale rig.
Real time playback
You should, in theory, be able to get real-time playback with this rig without difficulty.
Features
One very useful feature of this rig is a knee bend control, which (unlike the Rhett the Clydesdale horse rig) allows you to fine-tune the position of the legs, getting rid of unwanted knee bends. Meanwhile, keep an eye out for over-stretching the legs.
Tail
Rhett has one big advantage over this horse rig - no tail. Not having a tail means less animation to deal with, though if you have the time and inclination then the tail does give the opportunity to create an attractive overlapping action. It does mean extra work though.
Gorgeous George Rig by Dmitri KolpakovMarc's tutorial uses Gorgeous George, by Dmitri Kolpakov, available for $15 from Gumroad. https://gumroad.com/dkolpakov
We also have a wide selection of horse rigs at Escape Studios.
Horse Locomotion Tutorials at Vimeo
To find the horse locomotion videos at our Vimeo Channel, follow this link.
https://vimeo.com/showcase/6711043
Note that all our tutorial videos at Vimeo are password-protected. If you're a current student or Escapee, just email us for the password.
Animal & Creature Animation Resources
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| Bear animation by Amanda Costa |
- Vimeo Channel - animal & creature tutorials
- Module AN5002 - Animals and Creatures
- Leopard Walk Tutorial at Vimeo
- Spider Animation Workshop
- How to film animals and creatures for live action reference
- Ziva muscle systems tutorial with Michael Davies
- Scorpion Animation Tutorial at Vimeo with Alex Williams
- Horse Animation Tutorials at Vimeo with Alex Williams
- Dragon in Flight Tutorial with Jamie Floodgate
- Quadruped Transitions with Maria Robertson
The Escape Studios Animation Blog offers a personal view on the art of animation and visual effects. To apply for our BA/MArt in 3D Animation, follow this link. To apply for our storyboarding evening class, visit this page here. For the next 12 week animation course, click here. And to apply for the next evening class in Producing Animation, see this page.
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