Introduction to The Animation Workflow in Maya for Games

Utilize animation layers to non-destructively adjust a character's pose, preserving existing motion while editing with layer weights, graph editor tweaks, and selective controller edits.

Learn how to bake animation in Maya by merging layers, choosing smart bake or sample by settings, and cleaning keyframes with graph editor tools like Euler filter and curve simplification.

Plan before you animate by gathering reference and thumbnails to inform your poses, timing, and action. Consider the context—film, game, or single shot—to tailor your approach and workflow.

Use video reference to plan key poses, breakdowns, and in-betweens, and timing, not copy frame-by-frame; observe life to inform silhouettes, line of action, and motion.

Block key poses and breakdowns in Maya, manage center of gravity, line of action, and silhouette with exaggeration, while blending FK/IK and constraints for readable animation.

Convert key poses to spline and smooth transitions with tangent handles, applying overlap, easing, and timing offsets to refine hips, feet, and spine motion.

Polish the animation by cleaning up foot sliding and refining key poses between frames. Align hip, knee, and hammer arcs with breakdowns and spline controls to improve timing and weights.