Okay, so I’ve been wanting to get into this whole “digital pet” thing, and I thought, why not start with something super cute? That’s how I landed on trying to make a “toy Persian cat.” Fluffy, virtual, and hopefully, less messy than a real one. Here’s how it went down:
Getting Started
First, I needed to figure out what this digital kitty would even look like. I spent a good chunk of time just googling pictures of Persian cats. You know, the ones with the smooshed faces and the ridiculously long fur? Yeah, those.
I grabbed a bunch of images, trying to get different angles and poses.I wanted to get all details right, so it is a hard working process.
Making It Move
Next up was making this thing move. This part was… tricky. I decided to keep it simple for my first try. I wanted to make a basic animation cycle – you know, like walking, sitting, maybe a little tail wag.
- Walking: I just sketched out a few frames of the cat putting one paw in front of the other.
It looked super janky at first, but I just kept tweaking it until it looked somewhat natural.
- Sitting: This was easier. Just a few frames of the cat lowering itself down.
- Tail Wag: I made the tail swish back and forth. It’s a small detail, but it adds a lot of life.
Putting It All Together
Finally put these animations together. I just wanted to see my cat in action!
It was… rough, to say the least. But hey, it was my rough digital Persian cat! The fur looked more like static than actual fluff, and the walk was a little wonky, but it was moving, and it was kinda cute. At this beginning step, I think it is a not bad result.
What I Learned
This whole thing was a lot harder than I thought it would be.
- Drawing is tough: I have a newfound respect for animators. Seriously.
- Details matter: Even little things like the tail wag make a big difference.
- Practice makes perfect(or at least, better): It’s gonna take a lot more work to get this thing looking really good.
I’m definitely going to keep messing around with this. Maybe add some purring sounds, or even try to make the fur look a little more… fluffy.
Stay tuned for updates! It might take a while, but I’m determined to make this the cutest digital Persian cat the world has ever seen (or at least, the cutest one on my computer). Wish me luck!
