Pixel Joint Forum: Need help with idle.

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   Hi! First time poster on a forum! Hope I did everything right.

Its my first time working on a proper idle. I used 3 frames like this 1,2,3,2.

I tried to make it fidgety, but im not sure if I did it right.
Please if there are any mistakes or ways I can improve it, before Ill shade it.

Im still somewat of a beginner especially when it comes to animating.

Author	Message
Cows_scare Seaman Joined: 01 September 2019 Online Status: Offline Posts: 3	Topic: Need help with idle. Posted: 02 September 2019 at 2:46am
	Hi! First time poster on a forum! Hope I did everything right. Its my first time working on a proper idle. I used 3 frames like this 1,2,3,2. I tried to make it fidgety, but im not sure if I did it right. Please if there are any mistakes or ways I can improve it, before Ill shade it. Im still somewat of a beginner especially when it comes to animating.
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Chonky Ben Midshipman Joined: 25 June 2019 Online Status: Offline Posts: 15	Posted: 03 September 2019 at 1:41am
	I could do with a little context here. What kind of animal is this? Is it on the ground or swimming in water? How does it move when it's not idling?
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Cows_scare Seaman Joined: 01 September 2019 Online Status: Offline Posts: 3	Posted: 03 September 2019 at 2:08pm
	Body wise its more or less a snake with fins and ears, so I imagine him slither when walking. It on the ground during the idle. I had a fun idea with him being able to "dive" underground as if the ground was water. Thank you for reply by the way, means alot :)
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Sarahboev Midshipman Joined: 29 December 2024 Online Status: Offline Posts: 78	Posted: 03 September 2019 at 2:43pm
	Looks pretty good so far for an idle. The only parts that seem a bit static are the bottom and possibly the head? For the bottom it might make sense to have it curl then uncurl a bit? The neck movement works but it might be cool to have the head bob a bit too, possibly a small head tilt?
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Chonky Ben Midshipman Joined: 25 June 2019 Online Status: Offline Posts: 15	Posted: 04 September 2019 at 3:44am
	That's annoying! I accidentally deleted a post when trying to edit it. :/ So I found this video of a snake idle animation: https://elements.envato.com/snake-idle-936X84L Things to note are: - The snake is supporting itself on the ground by coiling its tail. (Your animation shows it balancing on a curve.) - The end of the tail is moving in a different way to the head. I also looked at some videos of snake charming (which I won't share because of animal cruelty :( ) and the snakes were pretty much completely stationary except for the head and a little of the neck. If I were to edit this, I'd try a few things: - Give the snake a flat base, maybe even try a coil as per the video. - Stagger the tail and head animations so there's no obvious "start" and "end" frame. - Make the tail animation more subtle maybe. Keep it closer to the ground and move it at right angles to the head movement. - Maybe try a few different head movements: side to side, up and down, tongue coming in and out, etc. depending on the character qualities you want to portray. - Experiment with periods of showing a stationary snake, broken up by the different animations. Pulling back a bit for a wider view, when I play games the idle animation can really help define the personality of your main character. Look at Sonic the Hedgehog who taps his foot impatiently, you just know he's itching to get running! Some others here: https://www.gamesradar.com/16-idle-animations-worth-dropping-your-controller-see/ Have a think about what kind of character this water-snake is, then which actions could get that idea across. Maybe look at some cartoons for inspiration. (Original Jungle Book and Robin Hood by Disney spring to mind.) Because you're dealing with a snake, I don't think the "constant breathing" style animation is as necessary as with a humanoid character. I don't think of snakes as animals that visually breathe much... And this gives you a bit of creative freedom...
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Chonky Ben Midshipman Joined: 25 June 2019 Online Status: Offline Posts: 15	Posted: 04 September 2019 at 7:47am
	Other than that I like the line work in your idle. Your curves are generally smooth and consistent. The neck becomes a little narrow as the head moves to the right, but it's nothing too serious. Obviously there's many directions you could take it with shading, lighting, shadow, palettes etc. but I'm guessing you want to keep the simplistic style as an aesthetic?
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WIP (Work In Progress)
Pixel Joint Forum : Pixel Art : WIP (Work In Progress)