Walk cycle

A simple four-frame walk cycle

In animation, a walk cycle is a series of frames or illustrations drawn in sequence that loop to create an animation of a walking character. The walk cycle is looped over and over, thus avoiding having to animate each step again.

The walk cycle has grown into one of the essential fundamentals within the animation industry, given that it is an action performed by every character and thus allows the audience to readily notice any discrepancy. It constitutes the most compelling means of demonstrating one's comprehension and proficiency in animation, as it demands the application of more than half of the twelve principles of animation technique, in addition to keen observational skills and a capacity for attending to detail. The personality and background of a character can be conveyed by means of the walk cycle, which is precisely why it holds such importance.

Creating a walk cycle

Walk cycles can be broken up into four key frames: the forward contact point, the first passing pose, the back contact point, and the second passing pose. Frames that are drawn between these key poses (traditionally known as in-betweens) are either hand-drawn or interpolated using computer software.

Key frames of a walk cycle

Besides the apparent move of the legs, many more details are necessary for a convincing walk cycle, like animation timing, movement of the arms, head and torsion of the whole body.

There exist many techniques to create walk cycles. Traditionally, walk cycles are hand-drawn, but over time with the introduction of new technologies for new mediums, walk cycles can be made in pixel art, 2D computer graphics, 3D computer graphics, stop motion, and cut-out animation, or using techniques like rotoscoping.

External links

• The Walk and the Whip(archived) sample animation with video (awn.com)