What causes animation to feel stiff even when poses are anatomically correct?

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What causes animation to feel stiff even when poses are anatomically correct?

Asked on Nov 08, 2025

Answer

Stiffness in animation often arises from a lack of fluidity and natural motion, even when poses are anatomically correct. This can be due to rigid timing, absence of overlapping action, or insufficient use of arcs and easing, which are crucial for creating believable and dynamic movement.

Example Concept: Animation stiffness is often caused by linear motion and lack of secondary action. To avoid this, animators should incorporate overlapping action, follow-through, and easing to create more fluid and natural movement. Using arcs in motion paths and adjusting timing for more dynamic spacing can also help in reducing stiffness.

Additional Comment:

Ensure that timing is varied and not uniform across frames.
Incorporate secondary motion like hair or clothing to add life to the animation.
Use arcs to guide movement paths for smoother transitions.
Apply easing to soften starts and stops, making them less abrupt.
Check for overlapping action to maintain fluidity and continuity.

✅ Answered with Animation best practices.

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