Rotation on Two Axes [Animation]

Rotation is a simple form of movement!
However, that simplicity means we have to be careful that things don't end up looking too mechanical.
By the way, this is the final video in the Animation category!

[@ShinoSarna]

In case someone wants to do more research on this, in animation in general this is called a principle of arcs - basically that human bodies generally move in complex arcs, rather than simple lines.

[@juanjesusligero391]

Yeah. The 12 principles of animation (animate using arcs is one of them) is what any animator should study and know by heart. Also, there are very good videos about them in KZbin :)

[@theresnothinghere1745]

Yeah I was gonna say just saying "2 axes rotation" isn't really enough as a simple 2 axes rotation in 3d space can be described by a rotation along some single axe. The real principle here isn't that there are 2 axes involved in the rotation but that the rotation is not along a single set plane (aka rotating along curves not straight lines).

[@BronzeAgePepper]

I think of how both in Smash and practically any fighting game, those attack trails that are added as both visual flair and a readability aid tend to be arc-shaped a lot more than a straight line. one of the few exceptions is quick jab (and a few tilt) attacks, because the startup of those attacks is too fast. The character is still winding up very quickly to strike, technically still making an "arc" with the body, but the full animation is short enough to to have a trail be communicated with a straight line. You might also see a more straight attack line on a very slow and forceful attack like a down-air meteor attack. It's the other extreme case of this where the character needs a lot of time to build up power, using a way of working around the body's natural arc-shaped movement to deliver a big hit that will send its target in a more linear direction than usual.

[@whitecrow20XX]

Expert like Sakurai make things easier, while layman make it seems complex.

[@joelruys9604]

Now I know how to turn my head, thanks Sakurai

[@shawnheatherly]

Got to remember how the body all flows together as it moves, and how someone moves tells you about their character.

[@FloatingSunfish]

Sakurai is a cyborg confirmed. But seriously, another very useful video! Animators do this all the time. Things move in arcs rather than straight lines.

[@vonvirgo]

He explained xyz-axis better than any math teacher I’ve had.

[@LiamWins]

Sakurai is a robot confirmed Also so many categories are being finished... is this really the end?

[@seekertosecrets]

Well, he did state that this is the last year of making these videos.

[@saphcal]

yeah :(

[@ajpink5880]

​@@seekertosecretsSource please?

[@FennecFoxLabs]

was not expecting to see shadow of the collosus in a sakurai video

[@Edagui97]

I don't know, from what I have seen, you should probably expect every game in existence to appear in these videos at some point.

[@BJGvideos]

I swear he's used it before...

[@MartKart8]

The mechanical movement , felt like Pokémon, how those NPC move around.

[@MidoseitoAkage]

Like Game Freak get stuck in 2D mind. They're never good with 3D to begin with and show how they don't undersand it. They should return with 2d sprites.

[@Morphinegaming_]

NO FUCKING WAY THEY GOT SHADOW OF THE COLOSSUS LOOK WT MY PFP I LOVE SHADOW OF THE COLOSSUS

[@LuigiTheMetal64]

Bodies do change when doing different moves. That is why 3D characters today have no personality since it is reusing the same models. 2D characters have multiple frames that show their scripted personality.

[@zarfa-de1266]

Samurai is rob in disguise confirmed

[@Aperez]

I thought Sakurai became an AI robot for a moment 😅

[@WoahCuber]

I can't believe Sakurai would actually reveal his true robot identity

[@Chris_Thorndyke]

Me too

[@orbrat212]

explains why he doesn't age

[@GerardMenvussa]

He'll be back 👍 .... next week with another fascinating video.

[@Shayma98]

Sakurai = Transformer Pretender confirmed? 😂

[@whitecrow20XX]

@@GerardMenvussa Yeah but this is his final video in Animation category.

[@DPedroBoh]

Reminded me of how much personality Tanks have of all things in the metal slug series, mostly because the movement is not on 1 axis, even though they use 2d sprite animations there.

[@GenericSoda]

Metal Slug's animations are so good

[@VRNGGF2]

your videos have inspired me to make my own video games, while keeping your advice in mind! Thank you!

[@CatsLilaSalem]

Those mechanical sounds are really funny to me and fit so well

[@RingTeam]

Thanks for this advice! When I studied 3D production, I always had a hard time animating by rotation because some examples I got from my teacher were not particularly straightfoward. As a result of that, some of my best works according to him were furnitures like tables and chairs, because I was able to make them as quick as possible.

[@DarkBloodbane]

Another attention to detail again! thanks for sharing this Mr Sakurai!

[@michipeka9973]

0:25 Depending on your 3D software or game engine, the Y axis might not be the up axis as there is no standard for this. The axes configuration Sakurai San describes here (Y up, Z front) is consistent with Maya, Houdini and Unity, however Blender and also typically CAD or 3D printing software are Z up for example.

[@michipeka9973]

Moreover, in animation jargon, we call what Sakurai refers to as a "breakdown". In a general way, it is an intermediary pose which will give some intent or character to go from a pose to another pose. A well known master animator (Richard Williams of "Roger Rabbit" fame) has built a career on this - and also wrote (and drawn) a book where he teaches about this extensively.

[@jasonshere]

That seems weird. When working on a 2D plane, y is vertical and x is horizontal; z for depth in 3D makes more sense to me. (I guess for 3D printing it does make sense for Z to be the vertical, since that does represent the depth.)

[@tcg2717]

Yes, and why does it matter? If I teach you not to walk into a wall, do you go "oh actually you might not be walking, you might be on a motorbike"? You learn the point of the lesson, and not what labels are used in the lesson, lol. X, Y, Z, U, MNLOP, it doesn't matter in the least what they're called. The point of the lesson is about moving in 2 axes. Those 2 axes can be called John and Sarah and the point doesn't change in the least.

[@michipeka9973]

@@tcg2717 It matters because conventions and habits. If every time we used our tools the naming convention changed at whim, it would drive us insane. Also, it gives some hint at which software Sakurai San might be using. But you do call them John, Sarah or Kyle if you wish... but don't be surprised people look at you weird 🙃

[@quelkun]

@@jasonshere or X is sideway, Y is forward and Z is height (top down view). In most 3D games you mostly move horizontally and it seems more natural to me to work with X and Y rather than work with X and Z

[@NovaTedd]

if you wanna get a little sad, check the description of this video...

[@HarryLLC]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

[@Evilriku13]

I feel an omen coming up, and I'm not ready for it yet! D:

[@GTAGAMER222]

Five Nights at Sakurai.

[@jimbob3332]

One underappreciated element of human movement is overshooting, people aren't robots who can judge distance with 100% precision, there's going to be some error when moving an arm up or whatever it is you're doing.

[@hemangchauhan2864]

SHADOW OF THE COLOSSUS MENTIONED! 🗣🗣🗣🗣🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@qrowing]

Tell us about the final secret, Sakurai!

[@jr01theweeb]

Sakurai confirms that Y is up!

[@pkmntrainermark8881]

I mean, they teach you in like fifth grade that the Y-axis is vertical.

[@GANONdork123]

​@@pkmntrainermark8881 That's true in 2D, but in 3D, it becomes far more debatable. Many pieces of 3D software, such as Blender, SketchUp, 3DS Max, and the Source Engine, use a Z-Up orientation, while others like Maya, Unity, and ZBrush use a Y-Up orientation. To add further to the confusion, some software uses Left as it's positive X-Axis, while others use Right as the positive X-Axis. As a result, you end up with weird situations like with Unreal Engine, which is the only 3D software that I'm aware of that uses both Z-Up, and X-Left Positive orientations.

[@xerveeon]

For screen space, yes, Y is up/down. For world space, it makes sense for the primary axes (X/Y) to be those you use *most often.* For sidescrollers that makes Y up, for topdown and first/third person views that means Z is up. Or whatever >90% of your tools are already using.

[@implosive4778]

@@pkmntrainermark8881 in 2D space yes. In 3D space y and z are often interchangeable for the vertical axis

[@Ninja_Reborn]

And here I thought this was a guide for dps rotation on Fury Warriors in World of Warcraft. xD

[@SobmicSSBB]

Sakurai is a terminator, I knew it! This is why you put your characters in a rig, so the other axes are already moving together with the one you wanted to move by default. Rigging a model takes a lot of time and work, but key-framing every single thing is even more exhausting. It is work that you don't want to start, but once you do, the end result is worth it. This lesson equals with the "secondary action" animation principle.

[@HarryLLC]

I was just listening to Arin Hanson talk about that the other day. Secondary animation is the stuff that moves WITH you, right? Like a flowing cape? Usually offset a bit time-wise because that's how real physics work?

[@LakituAl]

He's the furniture of law enforcement, with an exciting movie look.

[@thecunninlynguist]

Sakurai mathematics

[@TheHylianBatman]

It's always a commitment to the human-ness that animators need.

[@JTCGameAn1En7823]

Rotating axis? Interesting. I think I'm taking notes on the animation as I was taking notes on coding and planning on my own game projects. Oh, he’s uploading his last videos for those categories already? Oh wow, looks like I better hurry, but I don’t wanna rush, because a rushed game might be pretty bad. I just wanted to put my time and effort into it. 😅

[@JTCGameAn1En7823]

Thank you. 👍

[@GamerFunOriginallyAarush]

Rotation time!

[@CyberDragon10K]

Tangent, but I'm reminded of the granular nuances of simply standing, such that a human standing on both legs will tend to rest the majority of their weight on _one leg,_ making it stock straight/rigid while the off-leg is bent slightly. I've _always_ posed my figures with this in mind (even the robots!). Wish double ball pegs were used more commonly as neck-to-head joints, so much better than hinges.

[@ArcaJ]

I knew it! You can't spell Sakurai without A.I.😮😮😮😮

[@Poyostar]

''SQUIDWARD! The robots have taken control of Masahiro Sakurai!'' ''NOT MASAHIRO SAKURAI!'' ...hey, someone had to. =P

[@ojhat]

someone on Sakurai's editing team had fun going through a whole slew of mechanical sfx for this episode! that last line about over-rotation of head movement when combined with eye movement is REALLY important, and if not done right can easily break the immersion of the illusion of life, or, animation, in a human character.

[@ArcRay20]

"keep their eye movement in mind as well" the SHEER number of games ive seen with a bog focus on character faces and then the eyes almost NEVER move. seen it in many games regardless of region or company and its always confusing to me.

[@connordarvall8482]

I only realised that rotations do most of the heavy lifting in 3D animation, so it makes sense to have an entire video just on rotating things.

[@FrnzFrdnnd]

All the categories are ending. What's Sakurai-san's next adventure?

[@herobrinesbestminion6766]

basicly: don't do what shadow did to knuckles in the sonic 3 trailer. that only worked because he broke his hand. look at the dances in splatoon instead. full blown choreografie to analize.

[@Mautar55]

Y up, Z backwards... Godot coordinates right there

[@NameNotNeeded]

God doesn't paint in straight lines, as they say. Similarly, you'll notice a lot of animators have a character blink as they turn the head.

[@MasterLYT]

I kinda hate that theres meme potential of just sakurai looking to his right in several different ways

[@denischen8196]

When should you to use inverse kinematics when animating to handle the two axis rotation on multiple joints automatically?

[@elmagogog4190]

Thank you master Sakurai. Send you a hug from Mexico

[@SonicTheCutehog]

I always knew Sakurai was a robot

[@Brods11]

Excellent info!👍

[@SkyArcherDev]

Not mentioning gimbal lock was funnily evil 😂

[@ToddBlackToddTalk]

Robo Sakurai!!! No wonder he looks so young! lol

[@K3Vz0]

This explains how he made ultimate so quick

[@thrillhouse_vanhouten]

Thank you for sharing your wisdom with us

[@yannatoko9898]

This video makes me shake my head in agreement.

[@benpilotti]

Xenoblade 2 and 3 should take notes.

[@GraceofGod247]

🕺🏻🕺🏻🕺🏻🕺🏻🕺🏻🕺🏻🕺🏻🕺🏻🕺🏻

[@Spamkromite]

I'm applying this to my future 3D animations. Thanks for the advices!

[@chiptuni]

It is amazing how kind and supportive the comments on sakurais videos are. What an amazing man.

[@unrezonable]

quaternions not mentioned 🥲

[@kiwi__1011]

robo-sakurai

[@Antasma1]

Sakurai’s a robot!

[@TheGreenManThom]

his body is a machine

[@DestinySeeks]

Gimbal lock

[@chum9017]

all games will now spin

[@ExploDjinn]

I swear, one of the few, single axis movements I do is turning my head. Guess I'll be self conscious about this for a while.

[@dajaca2586]

This came at the right time! I just started animating my character and I was thinking it looked pretty robotic.

[@RebelliousTreecko]

In Blender, the Z axis is up instead..a rather unique thing for that program for some reason.

[@lamarhoward8478]

Yes!

[@jedisquidward]

Perfect video as always. This also reminds me of how Disney costume characters tend to tilt their head a little bit when posing for photos, as this "feels more natural". Additionally, these small movements before the final pose occurs says a lot about the animation - in Smash Bros, moves that some people would call "the same" are actually very different because this gives them a different feel.

[@tehbeernerd]

Good timing with the Shadow of the Colossus thumbnail. I watched “Reign Over Me” the other day where there was a montage of Don Cheadle playing it. Terrible movie, though.

[@PhilipMurphy8]

Always lovely when Sakurai uploads a video

[@luckykaaby1629]

💖

[@RealTal.]

That is some very precise control of your neck sakurai san!

[@Morgil27]

I friggin' knew it! Sakurai was actually a robot this whole time!

[@drkmethos]

Sakurai giving the yakuza glare in three different ways to somebody off camera

[@kipper1668]

Austin: 0:30 Sakurai reeling up for the whip

[@Gammaplex]

Tilting when the head turns is something I realized while doing drawing studies. Still images also look far more natural when you keep the axes in mind

[@DylanKatt]

0:07 This explains everything! How he never ages, and how he's able to do so much work! 😆

[@DGFTardin]

0:50 Sakurai likes dual wielding barbarians when he plays RPGs

[@TramiNguyen-oi3kp]

Good morning!

[@sonicfanbelike]

hello

[@Trickbot7000]

Hold on, he speaking the truth with this one

[@fernandobignardi6716]

THAT IS WHY SAKURAI IS THE GOAT THE GOAT

[@The_Markimator]

It's spelled Axis in America

[@svenfletcher5322]

The plural of 'axis' is 'axes', pronounced 'ack-sees'

[@WoahCuber]

svenfletcher is right

[@The_Markimator]

@@svenfletcher5322 no way

[@HappyYummmy]

​@@The_MarkimatorCommon Mr. Sakurai W and common cringe L from mark

[@WoahCuber]

@@The_Markimatorthen why are you feeding people false info

[@The_Markimator]

"Axis" is spelled right sometimes but not in the title or in the top right corner

[@WoahCuber]

multiple axis is axes

[@The_Markimator]

​@@WoahCuber This WAS educational

[@WoahCuber]

@@The_Markimatorwdym??

[@Leopez02]

Ooh it's so interesting to see games like Shadow of the Colossus, Death Stranding and Final Fantasy VII Remake what would be the perfect Nintendo Switch 2 games and about of the axes no one can beat God of War Kratos axes! 🌌🏞❄️🪓🫅🏻🪓