In this lesson, students are introduced to the Creature Animation module, where they’ll learn how to animate quadrupeds and winged creatures through research, reference, rig controls, walk cycles, run cycles, and flight mechanics. They’ll also download and customize the new creature rigs they’ll use to build a complex portfolio-ready creature animation.

In this lesson, students learn how to create a quadruped run cycle using the Milo rig by breaking fast four-legged motion into key poses, contact timing, midair movement, compression, and push-off. They’ll refine the loop with offsets, secondary details, Graph Editor cleanup, and forward translation so the creature feels like it is running with speed, weight, and believable momentum.

In this lesson, students learn how research and reference help bring creature animation to life by studying anatomy, behavior, instincts, intelligence, size, secondary motion, and movement patterns. They’ll begin shifting from human body mechanics to quadruped and creature performance, using observation to understand how different animals move, react, and express personality.

In this lesson, students study the fundamentals of flight so they can animate winged creatures with more believable movement, weight, and lift. They’ll explore aviation forces, wing shapes, flight cycles, wing motion, and the Chim rig before creating their own flying creature animation using blocking, timing, Graph Editor cleanup, body motion, and secondary details.

In this lesson, students get familiar with the Milo and Falkor quadruped rigs and learn how their controls differ from the humanoid rigs used earlier in the curriculum. They’ll explore posing, rig pickers, four-legged ground contact, and winged creature controls so they’re ready to begin animating quadruped movement in the next lesson.

In this final portfolio project, students bring together everything they’ve learned in Creature Animation by creating an 8–12 second creature performance using either the Milo or Falkor rig. They’ll plan a scene with strong reference, animal behavior, walk/run or flight mechanics, polishing, and rendering to create a final portfolio piece that showcases emotion, drama, appeal, and advanced creature animation skills.

In this lesson, students learn how to create a quadruped walk cycle using the Milo rig by breaking animal movement into predictable key poses, timing patterns, offsets, and details. They’ll build a looping walk, refine it in the Graph Editor, add secondary motion like head, ear, jaw, and tail movement, and optionally use the NLA Editor to combine it with other actions.