Animation

Game-ready motion with clean keyframes. Readable silhouettes in motion. Engine-compatible export.

When to Use

• Character locomotion (walk, run, idle)
• Combat animations
• Mechanical/prop animation
• Camera animation
• Object animation with constraints

Workflow

Reference → Blocking → Breakdown → Splining → Polish
    → Cycle Validation → NLA Strip → Export

Locomotion Cycles

Cycle	Key Poses	Frames (30fps)
Walk	Contact, Down, Pass, Up × 2	24, 32
Run	Contact, Drive, Flight, Recovery	16, 24
Idle	Breathe, weight shift, blink	60, 120 loop

Naming: AN_[Char]_[Action]_[Variant]

Animation Principles (Applied)

1. Timing, Weight through spacing
2. Arcs, Natural limb paths
3. Overlap, Secondary motion offset
4. Anticipation, Wind-up before action
5. Exaggeration, Style-dependent (see style skills)

Mechanical Animation

• Use constraints over bone deformation
• Hinge: Limit Rotation constraint
• Pistons: Stretch-to or Copy Location
• Gears: Driver for synchronized rotation
• Doors: Empty pivot + rotation keyframes

Graph Editor Workflow

1. Block stepped keys (Constant interpolation)
2. Splining: Bezier with auto handles
3. Ease: Weighted handles for acceleration
4. Cycle: Copy first/last frame; verify loop seam
5. Clean: Remove redundant keys

NLA for Game Export

1. Action created and named per convention
2. Push down to NLA strip
3. Strip set to Repeat for cycles
4. Single strip active for export
5. Scale: 1.0; no NLA time remapping unless intentional

Camera Animation

• Smooth Bezier interpolation always
• Avoid sudden direction changes
• Match focal length to subject scale
• Camera shake: noise modifier on location (subtle)

MCP Integration