Week 3: Tail Animation Exercise -blocking – Maya

Movement rule of tail:

1. Takeoff Phase – Anticipation:
When the squirrel prepares to jump, its tail slightly swings downward or backward while the body crouches to gather strength, helping generate forward or upward thrust.

2. Aerial Phase:
At the highest point of the jump or during the aerial phase, the tail remains extended and slightly tilts upward or downward to maintain balance.

3. Landing Phase:
The tail quickly swings downward or backward to stabilize the centre of gravity.

The tail is a secondary motion part of the body. Its movements follow the primary actions of the body (such as jumping, turning, or running) and are expressed through inertia and delayed effects, which can be achieved through offsetting.

The tail’s motion should lag behind the primary actions of the body. When the body makes a quick turn, the tail will initially remain in its original direction and then follow with delayed movement due to inertia. When the character stops moving, the tail will exhibit slight oscillations (overshoot or settling) to reflect inertia.

Therefore, on the animation timeline, the keyframes for the tail should be offset slightly behind the keyframes for the body’s actions.

Moreover, the segmentation of the tail shares similarities with a pendulum. The tail’s root, middle section, and tip have different levels of movement. The root moves slightly earlier, the middle section follows later, and the tip moves last.

My Playblast 1 for blocking: