AW02 – Advanced Body Mechanics

AW02 – Advanced Body Mechanics

Duration: 12 Semanas

Ready to level-up your torso game? This course dives into the structure and flexibility of the torso—the powerhouse that sells believable weight. We’ll break its hierarchy down step by step all the way to the arms, then sprinkle in some IK-FK magic so your characters can show real-deal effort, strength, and leverage. By the end, they’ll push, pull, and heave props in complex scenes, and your audience will feel every ounce!

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Body Mechanics

What’s this module about?

This module is all about breaking the technical barrier and kicking off your journey to becoming a true animation artist. Here you’ll master the essentials that bring characters to life – weight, balance, arcs, lines of action, and more.

What’s in AW02?

WEEK 1 – 4 : Intermediate Mechanics 

This month you’ll learn: what makes a great video reference; what golden poses are (and why they matter); how to find the right rhythm for your character; and how to know how far to take your blocking.

Assignment:

  • Animate a two-legged character showcasing physicality – i.e., clear interaction and integration with the environment – through shots inspired by parkour, dance, gymnastics routines, martial arts, ice skating, and more.

What we’ll look for (rubric)

  • Clarity of intent: we instantly know what the character does and why.
  • Weight & balance: believable centers of gravity; recoveries after impacts.
  • Contact credibility: feet/hands stick when they should; no foot sliding.
  • Arcs & lines of action: clean, readable arcs; strong C/S shapes through the body.
  • Timing & rhythm: contrasts, anticipation, overshoot, and settle are intentional.
  • Appeal & personality: choices match the activity (parkour vs. dance vs. martial arts, etc.)

WEEK 5 & 6 : Torso Build & Flexibility

This month you’ll dive into contrapposto, lines of action, and mass impact to sell weight – plus how to switch between C- and S-curve shapes to reveal the shifting centers of power that lead your character’s motion.

Assignment:

  • Animate an armless character doing an activity where torso twist and flex carry the performance – convincingly showing weight, balance, agility, and personality while respecting real-world forces like gravity, inertia, and centrifugal force.

Here are the big takeaways :

  • Contrapposto & dynamic balance. Clear opposition between hips/shoulders to sell weight and attitude.
  • C/S lines of action. Switch between strong C- and S-curves to show shifting centers of power through the spine.
  • Weight & center of gravity. Obvious COG shifts before/through impacts; believable recoveries after pushes, turns, and stops.
  • Real-world forces. Gravity, inertia, and centrifugal force must be consistent – momentum carries through arcs and pivots.
  • Armless constraint on purpose. Solve beats with torso, hips, spine, and legs – don’t “cheat” with phantom arm actions.

WEEK 7 & 8 : Full Body Walk Cycle 

Next two weeks: your first full-body character!
You’ll break down how hips, spine, arms, and feet team up to move—then put it all back together into a walk that feels alive. Not just mechanics: we’ll dial in personality, weight, timing, and speed so every step makes sense and your character actually breathes on screen.

Assignment

  • Basic: Full-body walk cycle with a clear attitude/personality.

  • Advanced: Full-body walk cycle with personality starting from idle and coming to a clean stop.

These are the main takeaways:

  • Master locomotion mechanics: pelvis leads, clean COG shifts, heel-strike → foot-flat → heel-up → toe-off.
  • Control timing & spacing (typ. 24-frame cycle), avoiding even timing, foot sliding, and knee pops.
  • Build clean arm swings, overlap, and counter-rotation (hips vs. shoulders), plus subtle spine/head stabilization.
  • Practice IK/FK strategy for locked feet and arcing arms; polish arcs and silhouettes.

 

WEEK 9 – 12 : Advanced Body Mechanics 

Final stretch of the module: IK + FK to the rescue!
You’ll discover why IK and FK are your best allies—and why smart animators switch between them constantly instead of choosing a “favorite.” That’s how you make your character truly plant, push, lean, and interact with the environment.

Assignment:

  • Animate a full-body character performing actions that lean on or plant against environmental props, putting IK↔FK switching into practice. For the legs, include intentional chain “breaks”/offsets – thigh, calf (shin), ankle, and ball/toe – to sell convincing drag and overlap.

What you’ll master:

  • Confident IK↔FK switching mid-shot (arms & legs) without pops: match poses, bake keys, handle world/local space, and keep motion seamless.
  • Rock-solid plants: zero foot/hand sliding; believable pushes, pulls, leans, and pivots (heel/ball/toe) that transmit force through the body.
  • Environment interaction that reads: using props and surfaces to sell weight-bracing on walls, pushing off ledges, sitting/standing transitions.
  • Leg drag & overlap done right: intentional “chain breaks” and offsets across thigh → calf → ankle → ball/toe for organic follow-through.
  • Timing that sells contact: sharp accents on plant → load → release → recover, with clean antic/overshoot/settle.
  • Staging for clarity: camera and silhouettes that make contact, pressure, and support lines unmistakable.
  • Troubleshooting like a pro: eliminate knee/elbow pops, gimbal hiccups, mismatched spaces, and IK drift fast.

 

Start of Course: September 18, 2025
Total number of sessions: 12 Live classes + 12 Personal Video Reviews + Daily Reviews
Schedule options:

 

September 18 – Thursdays 12pm CST (Mexico Time)

Visit www.time.is/mexico to know the actual time in your country

 

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