Animating Stylized Attacks in Maya by Brad Faucheux

Ready to make your character attacks pop? This workshop dives into creating seriously cool, readable, and powerful stylized attacks using Maya. Whether you’re aiming for games or cinematics, you’ll learn the tricks Senior Cinematic Animator Brad Faucheux uses to make every hit feel impactful. We’re talking about going from a character’s idle stance all the way to the final knockout blow, using Maya’s powerful tools like the Graph Editor and Animation Layers.

🎯 What you’ll learn

• Animate complete combat sequences from idle to impact.
• Craft strong key poses and control timing with anticipation and recovery.
• Break down attack frames: startup, active, and recovery.
• Use offset keys and smears to boost impact.
• Implement industry techniques like hitstop and frame data considerations.
• Balance visual clarity with gameplay responsiveness.

✅ Requirements

• Skills: Intermediate to advanced understanding of Maya animation principles.
• Tools: Maya, Epic Pen tool, Xrig by Ahmed Shalaby, Maya ViewPort VFX Pack V1.1 by Shadrak Guichard-Foster.
• Hardware: A computer capable of running Maya smoothly.

📝 Description

This workshop is all about making attacks look good and feel powerful in Maya. Brad Faucheux, a seasoned animator from NetherRealm Studios, walks you through the entire process of creating stylized fighting game animations. You’ll learn how to nail the timing, spacing, and visual cues that make attacks readable and impactful, even at high speeds.

We’ll cover everything from setting up your character’s fighting style and creating solid idle poses to breaking down the anatomy of an attack – startup, active frames, and recovery. Brad shares industry secrets on using hitstop simulation, offset keys, and smears to really sell the impact. Plus, you’ll get insights into working with frame data, a crucial aspect of gameplay animation that balances visual flair with responsive controls.

This isn’t just about making things move; it’s about understanding the ‘why’ behind every pose and timing choice. You’ll gain practical skills directly applicable to professional game development pipelines, enabling you to design and animate your own compelling combat systems with confidence.

🧑‍🎓 Who this course is for

• Intermediate to advanced animators looking to specialize in fighting game animation.
• Game developers who need to create fast, readable, and impactful character attacks.
• Artists aiming to improve their understanding of timing, spacing, and visual storytelling in action sequences.
• Anyone interested in the professional game animation pipeline for combat.

🧑‍🏫 About the Author

Brad Faucheux is a Senior Cinematic Animator with 15 years of experience across film, TV, VR, web series, cinematics, and video games. He’s worked on projects like Free Birds, The Book of Life, Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and cinematics for Blizzard Entertainment (Hearth is Home, Honor and Glory, Kiriko, World of Warcraft, Overwatch). Currently, he’s at NetherRealm Studios working on Mortal Kombat 1 and an unannounced project, while also developing his own indie game. Brad is known for his creative approach and technical skill, always focused on continuous learning.

🏁 Final Result

By the end of this workshop, you’ll have a polished, portfolio-ready attack animation sequence designed for speed, force, and style. You’ll also possess the foundational knowledge to confidently design and implement your own combat systems.