Creating footsteps manually is useful for complicated footwork, such as dancing. Manual footstep creation allows you to place each new footstep carefully where you want it.
Multiple footsteps can also be generated automatically. To quickly generate a simple walking, running, or jumping footstep patterns, see Creating Footsteps Automatically.
There are two ways to create footsteps manually:
As with all footsteps, any footsteps you create with these methods are inactive upon creation. You must activate them with Create Keys for Inactive Footsteps in order to make the biped move through them.
Preparing to Create Footsteps Manually
Before placing footsteps, you must choose the gait, then set parameters for the gait in the Footstep Creation rollout.
Footstep creation and gait buttons
When you select the Walk, Run, or Jump gait, parameters for that gait appear on the Footstep Creation rollout. See Choosing a Gait for information on gaits and parameters.
Switching Between Left and Right Footsteps
By default, manually placed footsteps alternate left, right, left, right. The footstep cursor, which appears during individual footstep creation, shows you whether a left or right footstep will be placed next.
If you want to change the footstep side that will be placed when you next click, press Q to toggle between them. Pressing Q also changes the cursor, showing you which footstep side will be placed next.
During manual footstep creation, your display remains at the current frame. However, footsteps are created sequentially in time. If the footsteps you create require more frames than are in the active time segment, the footstep creation process extends the active time segment, which can create new frames.
Creating New Footsteps Between Existing Footsteps
If inactive footsteps exist, you can only create new, inactive footsteps within or directly before or after the time of the inactive footsteps. If you need to add more footsteps near a time where there are only active footsteps, deactivate all footsteps first, then add footsteps and activate them again. See Deactivating Footsteps.
To prepare for manual footstep creation:
You are now in Footstep mode, and can create, activate, or edit footsteps.
To create footsteps beginning at the current frame:
Watch the footstep cursor to see whether a left or right footstep will be placed next. If you want to place two left or two right footsteps sequentially, place one footstep, then press Q once before placing the next one.
To append footsteps onto the existing footsteps:
To create footsteps using AutoGrid:
The AutoGrid feature creates objects on a surface other than the default construction plane. You can use this feature to place footsteps on an irregular surface.