Perspective and Movement DirectionThe chosen perspective for a project significantly affects the number and complexity of animations.
For example, a
side-scroller usually requires movement left and right. A walking animation can be drawn once and mirrored for the opposite direction. In some cases, a mirrored version may need adjustments if the character is asymmetrical or if clothing/weapon placement must remain consistent.
In contrast,
isometric animation requires at least four movement directions: diagonally up-right, up-left, down-right, and down-left. This means creating two distinct animations and mirroring them for the opposite directions.
In a
top-down view, you can choose between two approaches: either animating movement in all eight directions or limiting it to four.
- A top-down eight-direction movement requires five unique animations, with three mirrored for the opposite directions, if character design is symmetrical. Otherwise, you will need 8 unique animations drawn per each action.
- A top-down four-direction movement requires three animations, with one mirrored, if character design is symmetrical. Otherwise, you will need 4 unique animations drawn per each action.
The same applies to all other animations – idle, attacks, jumps, deaths, and damage reactions must be created accordingly.
Besides influencing animation count, drawing animations in isometric and top-down perspectives is more complex than for side-scrollers.