Tutorial – Maya for Animators: Body Mechanics
The Gnomon Workshop has released Maya for Animators: Body Mechanics, an intermediate-level guide to animation in Maya, recorded by former DreamWorks Animation artist Erik Castillo.
The workshop, which follows Castillo’s Introduction to Maya for Animators, provides over two hours of video training in one of the apps most commonly used for VFX and movie animation.
Improve your character animation skills in Maya
In the workshop, Castillo explores the core principles that bring animated characters to life, including concepts like squash and stretch, anticipation, timing, balance, and follow-through.
Designed for those familiar with Maya, the workshop aims to help animators elevate their understanding of how body mechanics affect a character’s movement and overall performance.
It includes practical exercises for creating walk cycles and animating common actions like standing and lifting objects, along with an analysis of famous animation sequences.
The demonstrations in the workshop use commercial character rigs from ProRigs.
About the artist
Erik Castillo has worked as an animation artist at DreamWorks Animation, on projects including Kung Fu Panda: Dragon Knights, and at leading VFX facilities, including Framestore and DNEG.
He is also an assistant professor at ArtCenter College of Design, where he teaches both introductory and advanced courses in aniamation.
Pricing and availability
Maya for Animators: Body Mechanics is available via a subscription to The Gnomon Workshop, which provides access to over 300 tutorials.
Subscriptions cost $57/month or $519/year. Free trials are available.
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