Another Dimension: Maya - Moom Walk Cycle

The finalization of this brief came along with a simple yet complex exercise of manipulating a pre-rigged 3D character in a walk cycle: simple because it is based on a template, complex because it requires an understanding of body dynamics. All in all, the tutorials were very coherent and clear to that extent that I carried on doing the cycle without following the instructions after I saw how keyframes are to be made - or perhaps this has to do with the logical embrace of Maya's interface. However, I found it kinda cumbersome to have to set keys every time I move some of Moom's limbs; they did not set themselves alone although the automatic set key toggle was on. Initially, I started only doing the walk cycle by looking at Moom solely from the profile, making the front look a bit mechanical since hips do move in a walk cycle, as well. This was something that directly reflected to the world of 2D animation - if it's a profile walk and it looks good, the front cannot be altered or imputed and is therefore irrelevant as long as the illusion of movement is solid and carried through. With careful consideration afterwards, I went back to every keyframe and modified the position of Moom's hips just to make the movement more realistic. I also stumbled in a dilemma where I had one extra keyframe on the 8th frame by accident which did not cause an issue in the long run, however was very bothersome in terms of positioning as I didn't know how to delete it and just went on altering it as if it were a frame. Although this was the case, I noticed that due to the leaning back on the last frame the cycle does not perfectly loop as it has a choppy frame - a mistake I made and think about next time. Nevertheless, the reference that we were instructed to use (something I've been referencing time and time again) was perfect even for 3D, meaning that Richard Williams grasped the art of movement even in 2D. Due to the lack of videos displayed on Maya, I consulted the all-knowing internet on how to smooth out the movement by adding automatically generated in-betweens based on the existing keyframes and had no trouble figuring it out; again, Maya is very pragmatic and logical which is something I am fond of in software. Overall, although this is our last assigned task, and although I am STILL not that fond of 3D as I am of 2D and stop-motion, the more I know the merrier for I can intertwine different techniques into a final piece. In other words, it's good to know the basics for if I ever have the need to utilize it again it won't be a whole new journey, but an already ice-cracked continuation of something I've gotten comfortable with.