19.0

81AutoRigger and CMotion
The Finishing Touches
Play the animation again and observe how the arms swing back and forth. We have created a simple walk cycle
animation, which of course can still be fine-tuned quite a bit. Copy and paste the Push (P.Z) action to the other arm.
To tone down the movement we have to modify one setting for the arms. Currently, each arm moves with the leg
on its own side, which is far from a natural walk behavior. To change this, select the L_Arm object in the CMotion
menu and set its Phase value to + 25 %. This will set this arm‘s phase to the exact opposite to that of the right arm.
Change the Phase value of the R_Arm object to -25 %, which will cause this arm also to have an opposing motion.
You can, for example, make the character actually walk past the camera instead of having it walk in place. To do so,
all you have to do is set the Walk parameter to Line or Path (which lets you move the character along a given Spline)
in the CMotion’s Attribute Manager’s Object menu.
You can also fine-tune the character’s gate, for example by modifying the Lift Action’s sinus curve. This curve defines
now far the feet rise and fall. Currently, the curve is smooth, which causes the feet to also rise and fall smoothly. If
you move the crest of the curve to the right near the end of the curve, the character will walk with a more stomping
motion.
You can also add Actions. You can, for example, assign Tilt and Rotate actions to the Root and set their respective
values to 4°. This will make the gate more natural. You can also begin modifying the character’s characteristics
much earlier by fine-tuning the character’s weighting during the binding process via the Weights Manager. You can
ensure a more accurate deformation of geometry at the joints by adding a Smoothing parameter, or you can add a
Muscle parameter to make muscles bulge. All of the available parameters and options can be used to fine-tune your
character’s motion and characteristics until you have an ultra-realistic animation.