Bone rigging
for this task we needed to create skeletal rig for a character and create a set of different animations, this is done by creating the bone rig and moving the parts around at the movement points to make sure that the animation looks somewhat realistic.
We were provided with a 2d asset with separate parts that was perfect for learning how to use the unity bone rigging feature.
The bone rigging was done by selecting the asset in the asset list and clicking on the sprite editor, then selecting the “skinning editor” and then using the create bone tool creating bones on the sprite, I did this starting from the waist and then creating two bones in the chest, one in the head and three bones in each arm and leg, the waist bone is the root bone.
Then using the sprite influence tool I changed which parts each bone can move around when moved, this is done so that the character does not deform when a part moves such as when you move the chest the shoulder would get deformed and change shape.
using these movement and rotation points I created a walk, run, jump and idle animation, the idle animation is an attempt to simulate a person that can not stand perfectly still at all times and moves slightly.
Next i created a jump animation, the height does not change in the animation as in a game it would cause problems with the character being too high, the animation consists of the arms and legs raising and the head leaning forward.
My walk animation consists of the legs and arms moving and the body leaning slightly forward, the character does not move as to use an animation in a game the animation should not move as it would separate from the actual player object.
My run animation is similar to my walk animation, however the legs and arms move faster and the body and head are tilted further forward, I did this to simulate how people are positioned when they actually run.
From this task I learned how to create a bone rig and manipulate a character to create animations without drawing them frame by frame, this is helpful as it saves time and is a simpler alternative.