Making a character move is easy. Making it move the way a studio game does is another matter: the start needs weight, the stop must not slide, the body has to lean into turns, and the quick turn has to be a real animation rather than an instant rotation. This series builds that system end to end, on a blank project.
What the series covers
- Starts and stops, for natural transitions instead of a character skating around.
- Lean: the character tilts dynamically left or right as it turns.
- Quick-turn detection, firing a full animation when the player heads back the other way.
- Slope, which pitches the body forward or back on climbs and descents.
- The dynamic jump: take-off, apex, fall and landing, different depending on whether the character is running.
- Foot placement, so the feet stay anchored to the ground whatever the terrain.
Every episode stands on its own. If you already have a locomotion system and only want to graft on quick turns or foot placement, the matching episode is enough.
The order of the episodes
| Episode | What it builds |
|---|---|
| Character Blueprint | The character, the camera, the controls and the jump. |
| Animation Blueprint | Idle, start, cycle, stop — and animation syncing. |
| Quick turn | Detecting the change of direction, and the pivot animation. |
| Lean & Slope | The additive poses and the Blend Space that tilt the character. |
| Jump | The In Air State Machine, with apex, fall and landing. |
| Foot Placement | The IK foot bones, and feet that hug the ground. |
| Thread Safe | Going multicore, once the system is complete. |
The character and its animations are available to download, so the work goes into the system rather than into hunting for assets.