1.0 Pendulum
- Follow Through: This type of overlapping action is generated by external forces like weight, wind, gravity etc. Follow through can be applied to loose extremities such as: hair, cloth, ears, tails etc. At its core, follow through can be animated after the primary animation is done. As the primary animation drives how these extremities will “follow through” the movement. Follow through obeys the key concepts of successive breaking of joints, drag and lead and follow.
- Successive Breaking of Joints: In the pendulum example with multiple sections, each section would be affected “successively” (one after the other) down the chain of events starting from the point where the pendulum connects to the base down through the tip. One section would lead as the subsequent sections would follow afterwards slightly delayed. This would give the feeling of overlapping action. This is what happens in the world around us is all “non-mechanical” movement.
- Drag (wave principle): Drag plays an essential part in how an object “overlaps.” If the base of a pendulum leads, each preceding section will “drag” being then catch up to the movement.
- Lead and Follow: One object leads as it pulls the other behind it. If there are more sections preceding the primary force, those sections will be followed successively down the chain from the top down to the tip.
Step 1: Planning
- Design the motion trajectory to a curve.
- Draw the keyframes.
- Draw the swaying angles.
Step 2: Animating
- Set keyframes for the movement of the main model.
- When the pendulum moves to the left, the tail points to the right. And when it moves to the right, the tail points to the left.
- When the pendulum stops, the angle of its swing gradually decreases.
2.0 Pendulum
Note:
Note that each segment of the tail id driven by the previous segment, and the movement of the next segment is delayed compared to the previous one.
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