1Week
The rig and pose to pose
An introduction to the human rig and to the pose-to-pose method on a full character. The focus is on building poses and reading them, before taking on more complex locomotion.
← All courses3D track · Course 2 · Live course in English · Autodesk Maya
Body Locomotion
From the basics of movement to the mechanics of a whole body.
In the second course of the 3D track you move from fundamental exercises to human locomotion. For the first time you work with full human rigs, learning to coordinate legs, hips, torso and arms to build believable walks, runs and jumps, up to a walk with a character of its own, developed from video reference.
Prerequisite · Principles of Animation, or an equivalent level assessed by the teaching board
Maximum 5 students per classIndividual review, 20–30 min5 exercises that build on each other
- Length
- 11 weeks22 live classes
- Classes
- 2 a week3–6 live hours a week
- Software
- Autodesk Mayalicence included
- Class size
- 2–5 studentsindividual review, 20–30 min
- Practice on your own
- 20–40 hoursa week, on top of the classes
- Certificate
- Autodeskof attendance, on completion
Before you enrol
Is this the right course for you?
It is, if…
- you have finished Principles of Animation and want to apply timing, spacing, arcs, overlap and follow through to a far more complex character;
- you can already animate objects and simple rigs, but want to go deeper into the body mechanics of a human character;
- you want to build believable locomotion, working on contacts, weight, coordination and how the parts of the body relate to each other;
- you want to start using video reference as a way of analysing and planning animation.
What you should already be able to do
- If you come from course 1, finishing Principles of Animation is the natural way into Body Locomotion.
- If you come from outside Vivo, send us your showreel: the teaching board looks at it and tells you where to come in. It should show a solid grasp of the animation principles and basic control of timing, spacing, arcs and posing in 3D.
- You need to be comfortable with Autodesk Maya for animation: timeline, Graph Editor, animation curves and handling a rig.
- You need to be able to apply the basics in 3D: timing, spacing, arcs, anticipation, squash & stretch, leading action, follow through and overlap.
Student work
From the cycle to locomotion with character.
Examples of work made during Body Locomotion. The course moves gradually from basic mechanics to more dynamic movement, and on to a walk where attitude and emotion change the way the character moves.
The programme
Eleven weeks, five exercises that build on each other
The course starts from posing a human rig and builds full locomotion step by step. First a walk with Tina, then a run and a jump; the last four weeks go into the Personality Walk Cycle, the most demanding exercise of the term.
2–3Weeks
Tina walk cycle
With Tina you build the first walk cycle of the course. You work on the mechanics of the walk, on contacts and on how weight transfers, coordinating the movement of the hips and the legs.
4–5Weeks
Run
From the walk you move to the run, where the rhythm, the contacts and the handling of energy all change. The body has to stay coordinated while timing and dynamics become more extreme.
6–7Weeks
Jump
The jump takes locomotion out of the continuous cycle. You study the preparation, the push, the airborne phase and the landing, controlling weight, trajectory and how the impact is absorbed.
8–11Weeks
Personality walk cycle
The last four weeks go into a walk with a character of its own. You start from observation and video reference and build a walk cycle where posing, rhythm and body mechanics carry attitude and personality.
What you take away
The body starts working as one system.
Body Locomotion is the step between the fundamental principles and body mechanics proper. By the end you are no longer working on isolated parts: you think about the character as a whole body that has to carry weight, rhythm and intention.
Pose to pose and 3D posingWalks and locomotion cyclesRun and jumpWeight and weight transferBody coordinationLeading actionOverlap & follow throughReading video referenceAttitude in locomotion
How you study
A typical week
Two live sessions a week: the class, given to the subject and to the work you are about to do, and the review, where the instructor spends twenty to thirty minutes on each student's work. Classes hold between two and five students.
Outside the classes you need around twenty hours a week for exercises, reference and practice of your own. Recordings, annotations and materials stay available after the course ends. The days and times of your class are told to you before you enrol.
How Vivo worksCharacters and tools
From the hips to a full human rig
Body Locomotion brings in rigs made for studying the mechanics of the body. Tina, with a simplified rig, lets you concentrate on legs and hips; then the work moves on to full characters built for body mechanics exercises.
Vivo's characters are made for the courses and include workflow tools such as a picker, IK/FK switch and match, space switch, reset and mirror pose. They stay available to you after the course ends.
TinaLucaMarioManuelaDavide
Along with Maya you also get a licence for animBot, the professional animation toolset, for the whole length of the course.
See all of Vivo's rigs and characters
Maya included for the whole length of the course. On completion you receive a certificate of attendance from Autodesk.
When it starts
Next term: Autumn — classes from October to December, enrolment closes on 24 September. Classes of two to five students.
The exact days and times depend on the class and are told to you before you enrol, so you can check them before confirming your place. Our instructors work in different time zones, so a class is scheduled around the instructor teaching it and the students in it. All the dates of the year are in the enrolment calendar. If you did not take course 1 with Vivo, allow time for the showreel assessment before enrolling.
Questions
About Body Locomotion, specifically
Can I enrol straight onto Body Locomotion?
Yes, if you already have the level it asks for. If you have not finished Principles of Animation with Vivo, send your showreel: the teaching board looks at it and tells you which course fits. The call with one of the founders is where we work out where you are starting from.
I studied the principles of animation at another school. Do I have to redo course 1?
Not necessarily. If your showreel shows a good grasp of the animation principles and enough control of timing, spacing, arcs and posing in 3D, the teaching board can place you directly on Body Locomotion.
Is Body Locomotion only about walk cycles?
No. The walk is an important part of it, but the course is about the mechanics and locomotion of the body more broadly: the exercises also include a run and a jump, up to the personality walk built from video reference.
Do I have to film reference?
Yes. During the course you start using video reference as a way of analysing movement. In the final exercise you observe and develop attitude and emotion in order to build a walk with a character of its own.
What is the difference between Body Locomotion and Body Action?
Body Locomotion builds the foundations of body mechanics and locomotion. In course 3, Body Action, the character starts interacting with the world around it through more complex actions, weight, balance, force and collisions.
Where you come in
Already have experience? Have your level assessed.
If you did not take Principles of Animation with Vivo, send us your showreel. The teaching board looks at your level, and the call is where we go through your goals, your availability and the path, so we can find the course that matches what you can already do.