Animation Research for the Plated Borgalon

Before I animated my creature i first need to find some references for how it moves. I have chosen big cats has they have the same bone structure and movement style I want.

So firstly I need a walk cycle. 

(Taken from http://vimeo.com/9810267)

There we go. This video gives a great angle to work from. From this I see how he moves when he walks, which legs are moving and when. Key details from the video are the paws flicking and the movement of the shoulders, hip and head. 

In my planned scene, my creature will walk, jump and roar while being on its hind legs. 




Now I need some references for jumping. For one of the references, I have chosen this video from Dreamworld.

From the 5:37 mark, the tiger show a series of jumps. From this I will be able to see how the animal gets ready to jump and how he lands.

I also got some slow motion footage of a cat jumping so I really see the detail of how cats move. 

I also looked at other animations to get a feel how other people have animated a big cat. This animation is really well done, as it has the anticipation and the follow-through of a big cat jumping. This will help in my own animation, as it shows how the momentum carries on after a jump and how the body prepares itself for the jump.  

(Taken from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3L2gah8tXU)

These reference will help me compile a accurate a series of animations for my creature.