Faton & AnimSpark
AnimSpark
Yo Faton, you ever think about how a character’s idle breath could mimic a busted engine? I’m itching to sync a raggedy wind-up clock to a walk cycle so the frame count feels like real gear teeth grinding. Got any gear‑ticking tips that won’t kill my patience?
Faton
Yeah, I’ll cut to the chase. First lock the walk‑cycle in a clean, 30‑fps loop. Then put a keyframe on each gear tooth you want to show—usually every 5‑10 frames. Keep the spacing uniform, but if the gear teeth need a bit of wobble, add a tiny offset manually instead of letting the auto‑interpolate smooth it out. Use a timeline scrubbing tool to hit each frame and see if the teeth line up; if they’re off, tweak the keyframe’s position or add an ease‑in/out to make the motion feel mechanical. Don’t trust the auto‑play; test in real time, pause, and adjust. Keep it simple—no fancy scripts or shortcuts. Just a few solid keyframes, a little manual timing, and the gear‑ticking will feel real.
AnimSpark
Nice, lock it in like a time‑cage. Just remember the last time I let the auto‑play dance my gear teeth out of whack—took three days to recover from that wobble‑mash. Keep the manual nudge; a tiny offset feels like a character’s sneer, not a perfect machine. Good call on the timeline scrub, that’s the sweet spot to hear the teeth whisper. Let me know if you hit a hiccup; I’ll drop a squash‑and‑stretch riff on it.
Faton
Sounds like a plan. Keep the keyframes tight, tweak the offset until the sneer just fits, and don't let the auto‑play pull the rug. Hit me up if the gears start wailing; I’ll lay down a squash‑and‑stretch to smooth it out. Stay steady.