3D Animals in Motion

Samy Mandrake Fecih on the facebook group Bring your own Animation - London posted up his workflow he uses and the video he uses to teach his students.
http://vimeo.com/79022941

I'm going to follow his video and try his way to make a walk cycle, as it will help my own and looks like it will be a lot quicker than the way I've been animating. If it's not, I will take some points that I like and use it with my own.

8.11.13

Horse walk test 2D

I used the Animators Survival guide book to produce this as a reference for myself in 2D.
I think the up and down movement is too much and shouldn't be as obvious unless the legs are pulled up higher and the head should be lower and more horizontal to the body. Although it does look like a foal (baby horse) and not an adult, which is not what I wanted as my model is of an adult horse.

But it served it's purpose to visualise the movements from these.

30.10.13

References from books and websites

Animating quadrupeds

A very informative tutorial on Animating quadrupeds
http://www.rocket5studios.com/tutorials/approaches-to-animating-quadrupeds-the-walk-cycles/

Digital Tutors - Animating a horse run cycle
Although it's an older version of maya and I'm not sure if that horse model will work properly on 2014 I think it still will be very useful to follow.
http://www.digitaltutors.com/lesson/940-Introduction-and-project-overview

Animating technical

Animating on Layers
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFfyCUV7nz8

Anime dailies is a facebook group that have members post animations tutorials, animations and show reels that can be very useful.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/animdailies/

Books

ImagineFX How to draw and paint Anatomy pp: 58-95 - Animal Anatomy

How to Cheat in Maya 2014

Eadweard Muybridge, horse walking images.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTbwE7kQzil52CcXI17bTvEGyxt3HM_SkmGkh0atzdwDj3GAzmcafJKyMYVuMoR9yLuDcFRGE38_XEu8Iy6y_1_IFgEmLD6LQUJF9A9loNWCesOdWUq2kmnH7tf3dEZ1msJyZ8sIWA2U0/s1600/Eadweard+Muybridge+-+Horses+and+Other+Animals+in+Motion.jpg

How to draw Animals by Jack Hamm

Useful websites

Bring your own Animation is another facebook group that have experienced and new animators.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/417454175044/

Interesting article talking about how many animators are getting it wrong when it comes to animating quadrupeds.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090126121348.htm

http://www.pinterest.com/keyframeguy/animation/

Other animals ref (placeholder)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-EPxNDCaeY

Slow mo dog walk on a tredmill
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrqOAwCPowg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAnRURDEyGY

I will add more as I look into them.