next »

[Skomakar'n]

NO
(Hint :  imagine a sinusoidal wave that goes along the whole body, the head needs to go down at one point.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=F4BgRlIF_9M#t=75s

It does a bit, doesn't it? I've been doing this before I saw your message, so I'll post the current progress. There is now some flesh on the poor stickman. I was intending on slightly rotating it back and forth 30 degrees or so programmatically. I was also planning on making the arm a loose sprite and moving it a bit more differently according to the general angle of the character (swimming up, down or not moving much or anything vertically at all).



I see what you mean, though, and I was actually just trying to do that before I came here just now.

[moi]

right now, it looks like he's crawling like a snail

[Skomakar'n]

Working on bringing that upper body down at the right point in time. I'll keep you updated.

[shao]

You can also play ecco the dolphin of genesis and check each frame of your animation while swimming, I think I could help.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=WS6_UZEiXr0

[shao]

You can also draw a wave and make frames on it.

[Seiseki]

Don't forget to take into account the highest and lowest point of the tail fin, since that's when it's supposed to slow down, so you need more frames around these areas to make it look like it's accelerating, up and down instead of moving at a steady pace. Because it takes time for an object in motion to slow down.
Also referred to as Ease-in, Ease-out..

Right now the entire body moves in sync, when it should move like a wave as Shao points out.




(notice the flexible tail fin)

[Skomakar'n]

I kept going without looking here again until now, so I kept going without seeing there replies (thanks!), but I just put the frames together, and it's very rough and needs lots of smoothing and fine-tuning, but am I moving in the right direction?

[Skomakar'n]

Much fewer frames and, in my opinion, much better looking:



Still needs lots of smoothing, though.

[Seiseki]

I think the type of motion you're going for is one where the tail fin sorta snaps, as seen by the way the chest and fin are kinda synced in their motion.
But the most important part is the tail fin which looks really irregular, it needs more like a whiplash kind of motion..

I think the tail moves more like a wave, while the body moves like a whip..
This is a contradiction.. (I think..)

Don't start smoothing it, a good animation looks good without smoothing.
Smoothing will just make it look.. yes.. smoother. It won't fix the actual problems with the motion.
(Assuming that by smoothing you mean more frames)

[moi]

still seems to be missing a couple frames where the pelvis would go up

[eyeliner]

The animation is weird. Check some videos of swimmers in the Olympics, right after they dive.
Your merman is doing something, but that movement doesn't tranpire that he is swimming.

He seems to be doing that dance move where people slide while laying on the floor face down. Don't know the name of the move, though.

[Skomakar'n]

I applied it roughly to the actual sprite:



I like it, except for the tail fin.

I think the type of motion you're going for is one where the tail fin sorta snaps, as seen by the way the chest and fin are kinda synced in their motion.
But the most important part is the tail fin which looks really irregular, it needs more like a whiplash kind of motion..

I think the tail moves more like a wave, while the body moves like a whip..
This is a contradiction.. (I think..)

Don't start smoothing it, a good animation looks good without smoothing.
Smoothing will just make it look.. yes.. smoother. It won't fix the actual problems with the motion.
(Assuming that by smoothing you mean more frames)

That is true wisdom. You're right. I am pretty happy with the rough application above now, though.

still seems to be missing a couple frames where the pelvis would go up

The animation is weird. Check some videos of swimmers in the Olympics, right after they dive.
Your merman is doing something, but that movement doesn't tranpire that he is swimming.

He seems to be doing that dance move where people slide while laying on the floor face down. Don't know the name of the move, though.

What about now?

[moi]

imagine a wave moving from the head to the feet, it's transmitting

[Skomakar'n]

imagine a wave moving from the head to the feet, it's transmitting

It seems I've succeeded in doing that for everything but the head right now, I guess, but I figure he's also trying to look forward to see what's ahead of him, trying to keep his eyes and head as steady as possible (but of course failing somewhat). There will still be the programmatic rotations and the player consonantly steering him about anyway. Don't you think that'll add up?

Here's what he looks like after getting his chopped up body patched:

[shao]

I think some parts are good, but at one point makes a rare move the tail does not fit in the chest, try to draw the wave, this has taken me 5 minutes and I think it is on the right track.