One tired animator
Oh, yeah – we’re animating a unicycle, by the way.
Figure 3.1: The unicycle
Animating a unicycle will be more challenging than the ball we animated in the previous chapter. It can bounce and roll but it will also need to steer and lean in the direction of its movement. It is also made up of multiple movable parts, so you’ll need to pay closer attention to what you have selected.
This particular unicycle will move down the provided course sans rider. Imagine that it has come to life on its own, or perhaps there’s an invisible person sitting on the saddle. Even without a rider, a unicycle can still be thought of as a character by itself!
The connected parts of our unicycle
Our unicycle model comprises four objects. These objects are “connected” via the use of parenting and constraints, a topic we shall cover in greater detail in the next chapter. For now, all you need to know is that the...