Body
Mechanics
Pro Animators Mentor You to Be Successful
Our mentors are veteran studio animators from DreamWorks, Pipeline Studios, Industrial Light & Magic and beyond, who work with you 1:1 every week to help you master complex body mechanics.
Why Take Body Mechanics at Animation Mentor
Personalized Mentorship
Our mentors are working professionals with years of experience under their belts, and they're passionate about training the next generation of animators. Learn 1:1 from a working studio animator who shares weekly feedback to grow your craft.
Studio-Level Animation Tools & Assets
Train the way professionals work, with exclusive access to production-quality character rigs and Autodesk Maya. We teach our students how to work in a studio environment so they are ready for jobs when they graduate.
Live Weekly Q&As
Join weekly 1-hour live sessions with your mentor, on top of on-demand lectures and animation assignments, so you can ask questions and get feedback every week of the course.
Ongoing Rig Access
Keep access to your character rigs after the course ends so you can keep building reel-ready body mechanics shots long after class is over.
What You'll Be Able to Do
- Animate a full-body walk cycle that demonstrates realistic weight, balance and physicality
- Use observational skills and human anatomy to inform your posing and mechanics
- Understand the source of realistic motion and how the body drives movement
- Use timing and spacing choices to take your animation from realistic to stylized
- Block out and refine more complex body mechanics shots with studio-style workflows
- Add polish and shine to push a shot to a finished, reel-ready level
Skills You'll Gain
Reel Pieces You'll Walk Away With
Body Mechanics is built around hands-on animation assignments, each one a polished, portfolio-ready shot for your demo reel.
The Full-Body Walk
A complete walk cycle built on realistic weight, balance and physicality, the body-mechanics shot every studio looks for on a reel.
Anatomy & Mechanics Study
A study driven by observation and human anatomy that shows you understand the true source of realistic motion.
The Stylized Mechanics Shot
A shot where you push timing and spacing to take movement from realistic to stylized, then refine it to a polished finish.
The Body Mechanics Curriculum
Anatomy, Observation & Posing
Hone your observational skills and understanding of human anatomy in relation to posing and mechanics.
Build the foundation for believable physicality.
- Observational skills for animators
- Human anatomy and the body in motion
- Posing that reads with weight and balance
Realistic Body Mechanics
Understand the source of realistic motion and animate the physicality of bipeds, including full-body walks.
Dive deep into how the body really moves.
- The physicality of animating bipeds
- Full-body walk cycles
- Weight, balance and realistic mechanics
From Realistic to Stylized
Learn how timing and spacing choices can take your animation from realistic to stylized.
Make deliberate choices that shape the performance.
- Timing and spacing
- Stylizing realistic motion
- Personality through mechanics
Polish & Shine
Add polish and shine to push your body mechanics shot to a finished, reel-ready level.
Bring your shot to a professional finish.
- Refining and polishing
- Final cleanup and shine
- A reel-ready body mechanics shot
Ready to Start Animating?
Body Mechanics is a 12-week, mentor-led course. Apply at Animation Mentor, choose your mentor, and register for class.
- 12-week mentor-led course
- Weekly live Q&As + 1:1 feedback
- Taught in Autodesk Maya
- $2,499 USD
Frequently Asked Questions
Body mechanics is the study of how a character's body moves with realistic weight, balance and physicality: full-body walks, runs, jumps and shifts of weight. In this course you dive deep into the physicality of animating bipeds, starting from human anatomy and observation, then moving from realistic to stylized motion before adding polish.
Character animation is the art of bringing a character to life through movement and performance. Body Mechanics focuses on the physical foundation of that performance (believable motion, weight and timing), which is essential before moving on to acting and dialogue.
Yes. Body Mechanics is an intermediate course that assumes a working understanding of basic animation and Autodesk Maya. If you're new, start with Animation Basics first, then come back for Body Mechanics.
12 weeks, mentor-led: pre-recorded lectures, weekly 1-hour live Q&As, and animation assignments with weekly 1:1 feedback from your mentor.
Working studio animators from studios like DreamWorks, Pipeline Studios and Industrial Light & Magic. You choose your mentor after you're accepted.
Body Mechanics is application-based. Apply at Animation Mentor, and once you're accepted you choose your mentor and register for class. Registration is open from May 18, 2026 to July 6, 2026.
