Post 13 - Sylvanas Channel Mount For Heroes of the Storm
*The contents below are my own opinions and not that of my employer*
Animating The Dark Queen
I think I've mentioned this before, but Sylvanas holds a special place in my heart. When I was first hired on the Heroes of the Storm Team I was given the task to create her FaceFX. She was the first asset I would get to play with. So when I was given the list of Heroes that needed what's called a 'channel mount' animation and I saw Slyvanas on that list, I smiled from ear to ear and knew she was my first pick.
The main thing I like to do with any Hero that's already been animated before me is to look at all of the animations. Especially when the Hero has a very iconic pose while they're sitting on their horse or spider or bike. With Slyvanas I knew I wanted to incorporate the pose that her primary animator Denny Jovic had created for her horse mount. The way she balances herself in a catcher's pose is fantastic. Very agile, to say the least.
I mainly just had to focus on the transition from her stand ready into the kneel down position. I also needed to put away her bow too. I played with several different timings on when she seethes her bow and kneels down. I didn’t record myself on this one, but I did act it out several times at my desk. The end result below, enjoy!