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Balancerun

by NM-8·Workflow

Illustrative cover generated by AnyPlugins — no product screenshot available.

Why we like it

Balancerun stands out for turning a single animated follow object into a first layer of character walk cycles, with the rig's own leg length analysed into the walk algorithm. Its author, NM-8, works in 3D for advertising and television and studied physics, and the add-on has been developed and used in production for several years.

What is Balancerun?

Balancerun is a Blender add-on by NM-8 for animating rigged characters as they move around a scene. You animate a single follow object to guide the character, then select that object, the feet IK-targets, and optionally other IK-targets to swing while walking. After setting parameters like steptime and swing intensity, one button generates the keyframes, based on natural walk rhythms such as walk, trot, and gallop together with spring mechanics.

The starting pose acts as the character's comfortable pose, and the rig is analysed to retrieve leg length, integrating the rig into the walk algorithm. You can define up to 8 feet and up to 8 additional swinging objects, plus a hip and a landscape to walk on, covering humans, horses, insects, and figures like monsters, aliens, and robots. Bipeds can be animated with a rigify rig.

Any mesh can serve as a ground object for the feet, and rotating the target object sets the character's orientation and the up-direction of its walk poses, so one animated target can drive walking, running, and climbing. The hip and swinging objects add secondary motion through stiffness and damping parameters.

Who is Balancerun best for?

Balancerun is best for blender users animating rigged characters, from humans and horses to insects, monsters, aliens, and robots.

How much does Balancerun cost?

Balancerun is completely free to download and use.

Key features

  • Animate a single follow object to guide the character; select the object to follow, the feet IK-targets, and optionally other IK-targets to swing while walking.
  • Set parameters like steptime and swing intensity, then create all the keyframes with one button.
  • Walk rhythms cover walk, trot, and gallop, combined with spring mechanics.
  • Supports up to 8 feet (IK-targets) and up to 8 additional swinging objects, plus a hip and a landscape to walk on.
  • Define any mesh as a ground object; rotate the target object to control character orientation and the up-direction of walk poses.
  • Bipeds on a two-feet armature can be animated with a rigify rig.
  • Spring mechanics with stiffness and damping parameters drive secondary motion of the hip and swinging objects.

Tags

#Blender#character animation#walk cycle#IK animation#rigify#keyframe generation#animation workflow

Frequently asked questions

Does Balancerun work with rigify rigs?

Balancerun supports rigify rigs for bipeds, meaning characters built on a two-feet armature. For rigged characters more broadly, Balancerun uses your starting pose as the comfortable pose and analyses the rig to retrieve leg length, which integrates your rig into the walk algorithm. You define the feet as IK-targets and can optionally add other IK-targets to swing while walking. This setup lets the add-on drive the animation from the rig you already have rather than from a fixed template.

How many feet and swinging objects can Balancerun animate?

Balancerun lets you define up to 8 feet, set as IK-targets, and up to 8 additional swinging objects, along with a hip and a landscape to walk on. That range covers humans, horses, insects, and figures like monsters, aliens, and robots. The hip and swinging objects follow the motion of the feet, getting pushed by each step to add secondary motion, controlled through spring mechanics with stiffness and damping parameters similar to those known from Blender simulations.

Can Balancerun make a character walk on uneven ground?

Balancerun lets you define any mesh as a ground object for the feet to stand on. By rotating the target object, you rotate the character's orientation and set the up-direction of the walk poses, so an insect can align to a steep surface while a horse stays upright. From one animated target object you can control walking, running, and climbing. The character follows the target like it is attached to a rope, and eases into its starting pose whenever the motion comes to rest.

Do I still need to refine the animation by hand after using Balancerun?

Balancerun shapes a first layer of your walk rather than a finished result. The developer notes you will still want to adjust the animation by changing or animating the parameters and calculating again to see the new outcome, and sometimes it will be necessary to manually refine keyframes. Even so, refining an existing animation is described as much faster than doing all of it by hand. The workflow is designed to use the least input from the user and produce predictable behaviour.

Is Balancerun free to use?

Balancerun is listed as free in this catalog, so you can add it to your Blender setup without a purchase here. The developer also notes that once you have the add-on you get access to all its updates for free, and that the code is in ongoing development after several years of use in production. For current licensing terms and any conditions, along with the most up-to-date details on access, check the developer's page.

Alternatives to Balancerun

Also in Workflow for Blender.

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