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Mastering Body Mechanics: Combat, Parkour, and Quadruped Locomotion

Last updated: Oct 21 2025

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link:https://coloso.global/en/products/characteranimator-alexiswanneroy2-us

About This Course​

Learn to stage chases, combos, and stunts through rhythm, posing, and storytelling and turn raw motion into memorable cinematic action. This advanced course covers body mechanics for both biped and quadruped animation with professional workflows.

info

Instructor: Character Animator, Alexis Wanneroy

Course Features​

  • Learn to bring high-impact animation to life with clear intention and cinematic energy
  • Master core principles behind strong posing, dynamic movement, and physical storytelling
  • Explore parkour stunts, combo attacks, and fundamentals of quadruped motion
  • Professional workflow and creative insight for versatile animation tools
  • Build skills that elevate your portfolio to AAA studio standards

What You'll Learn​

  • Introduction to Workflow & Tools: An overview of current tools, rigs, and animation techniques. Learn how to build a streamlined workflow that supports efficient, high-quality animation from start to finish
  • Mastering Body Mechanics: Focus on the mechanics of body movement: how to animate dynamic poses, weight shifts, and fluid transitions to create grounded, believable action
  • Dynamic Action Mechanics: Master dynamic action by breaking down timing, weight, and impact. Learn how to analyze references to design stronger poses and push the force and clarity of your animation
  • From Blocking to Polish: Cover the full workflow from blocking to final polish. Start with stepped keys, move into spline, and refine each shot to add depth, detail, and precision
  • Quadruped Locomotion: Learn how to animate clean quadruped walk, trot, and gallop cycles by mastering rig control and studying top references. Focus on body mechanics and rhythm to bring four-legged characters to life!
  • Cinematic Camera Techniques: Build your expertise in camera movement, angles, and composition to support storytelling and improve the overall flow and energy of your shots

Requirements​

  • Autodesk Maya (required program for this course)
  • Intermediate animation skills recommended
  • Understanding of basic animation principles

Description​

Learn to bring high-impact animation to life with clear intention and cinematic energy. Under the guidance of 20 year veteran animator Alexis Wanneroy, students will break down the core principles behind strong posing, dynamic movement, and physical storytelling. From parkour stunts to combo attacks, to the fundamentals of quadruped motion, each lesson is designed to help animators refine their skills and approach complex sequences with confidence.

Beyond the mechanics of motion, the course builds a strong foundation in visual storytelling. Students will explore how to use camera angles, intercutting, and staging to shape action into compelling, readable shots. Covering both biped and quadruped body mechanics, the training combines professional workflow and creative insight—equipping animators with versatile tools they can apply across genres and styles. Enroll now to start building the skills and shots that will elevate your portfolio to AAA studio standards!

Target Audience​

  • Beginners who want to develop foundational animation skills, focusing on body mechanics and dynamic movement to bring characters to life
  • Intermediate animators looking to deepen their understanding of physicality, timing, and weight for more nuanced and impactful animation
  • Experienced professionals aiming to refine their technical workflow and elevate their animation with more impactful, physically grounded movement

Course Content​

Section 01: Orientation​

  • Instructor introduction - Learning objectives of this course

Section 02: Introduction​

  • Plugins, Scripts, and Tools - Getting familiar with Maya - Why Maya is still considered the industry standard - Demo of tools and scripts for efficient animation
  • Workflow+Rig Overview - Demo of the workflow used in studios for strong mechanics shots - How to use the rigs in this class

Section 03: Full Workflow Demo: Parkour Shot​

  • Full Demo with No Cuts - Showing all the steps from blocking to final polish - Uncut, behind-the-scenes look at decision-making throughout the process

Section 04: Shot Breakdown: Combo Attack​

  • Posing - Principles of strong, appealing poses - Building dynamic body poses with clarity and intention - Tips for avoiding stiffness in poses
  • Blocking - Showing all the steps from blocking to final polish - Breaking down movements into simple blocks - Iterating and refining blocking stages
  • Spline & Cleanup - Techniques for refining animations in spline mode - Showcasing the entire process and addressing common issues
  • Polish: FX, BG, Hardware Fog - Showcasing examples of various student shots

Section 05: Camera & Composition​

  • Framing Dynamic Action for Maximum Impact - Using Maya to frame and animate dynamic action shots - Breaking down strong composition and posing through examples - How to boost a shot's energy levels with cutting and timing

Section 06: Quadruped Locomotion​

  • Understanding Quadruped Motion - Studying animal motion through references - Breaking down timing, rhythm, and weight distribution
  • Quadruped Walk Cycle - Building a clean, believable walk cycle - Controlling body parts and maintaining rhythm - Reference analysis and animation refinement
  • Quadruped Trot & Gallop Cycles - Building clean, believable trot and gallop cycles - Controlling body parts and maintaining rhythm - Reference analysis and animation refinement

Section 07: IK/FK and Clean Rigging Workflows​

  • Smooth IK/FK Transitions & Clean Parenting - Switching between IK and FK cleanly - Using simple tools to manage parenting and re-parenting - Best practices for scene management and rig predictability

Section 08: Hand Animation​

  • Hand Animation: Appeal & Control - Observing real-world references to understand shape, flow, and expression - Animating hands with intent, and thinking about function, emotion, and silhouette - Avoiding counter-animation and keeping poses functional and readable

Section 09: Conclusion​

  • Course Recap & Final Words - What studios are looking for in mechanics shots - How knowledge from this class can be applied to your portfolio

Class Exercises​

  • Parkour Shot
  • Quadruped Walk
  • Quadruped Trot
  • Combo Attack: Key Poses
  • Combo Attack: Blocking
  • Combo Attack: Polish
  • Camera Movement
  • IK/FK Transitions
  • Hand Animation (Neutral)

Course Highlights​

  • Mastering Body Mechanics & Physicality: This class builds a strong foundation in weight, balance, and momentum—core principles that bring animated movement to life. Through clean posing and dynamic timing, you'll learn how to create physical clarity in both biped and quadruped animation
  • Streamlined Animation Workflow: Instead of following step-by-step shortcuts, you'll develop a deeper understanding of how to work efficiently with modern tools, production rigs, and professional workflows. Through practical techniques that boost speed without compromising quality, you'll learn to navigate complex scenes with clarity and control
  • Animating Dynamic Action with Purpose: Whether you're animating a chase, a combo attack, or a high-impact stunt, the key is intent. In this class, you'll learn how to stage action-driven scenes that combine rhythm, posing, and storytelling clarity. Using reference effectively and framing each shot with cinematic precision, you'll transform raw motion into meaningful, memorable action

Instructor​

Alexis Wanneroy is an animation supervisor at Fortiche Productions with a passion for mentoring and sharing his knowledge. Over the years, he's had the privilege of working on incredible projects like Arcane, How to Train Your Dragon, and Kung Fu Panda. His specialty lies in dynamic body mechanics and naturalistic, acting-driven animation.

In this class, Alexis shares the principles and techniques behind animating believable, physically grounded movement. Students will explore the full animation process through a series of action-driven sequences, including parkour, combat, and quadruped motion. With a focus on rhythm, posing, and physical clarity, Alexis demonstrates how to bring weight and intention into every frame, using reference effectively and shaping each shot with cinematic purpose.

Notable Projects:

  • Arcane, Seasons 1 & 2 (2021, 2024)
  • Rise of the Guardians (2012)
  • How to Train Your Dragon (2010, 2019)
  • Kung Fu Panda (2008, 2016)
  • Flushed Away (2006)
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