YUNOVA · After Effects
Module 14: Character animation
Puppet pin tool
Key points
- Puppet pins deform a layer like a flexible mesh.
- Advanced and bend pins control position, rotation and scale at a point.
- Starch pins stiffen areas that should not bend.
Rigging a character with DUIK
Key points
- DUIK is a free script for rigging characters in After Effects.
- Bones and controllers let you pose limbs instead of moving each layer.
- Inverse kinematics moves a whole limb when you move its hand or foot.
Walk cycle animation
Key points
- A walk cycle repeats contact, down, passing and up poses.
- Looping keyframes with loopOut makes the cycle repeat.
- Body bounce and arm swing opposite to the legs make the walk believable.
Facial animation and lip sync
Key points
- Mouth shapes for groups of sounds are swapped to match the audio.
- Converting audio to keyframes helps drive mouth movement automatically.
- Blinks and eyebrow moves add life between spoken lines.