SORCERESS
Browse the wiki

Procedural Walk

Updated July 4, 2026Open the tool

Open Procedural Walk

Procedural Walk is a creature rigging and locomotion tool for multi-legged characters. It turns a static creature mesh into a marker-based skeleton, computes skin weights, lets you test deformation and procedural walking in the browser, and exports a Three.js package with the skinned creature and walk controller settings.

What it does

Procedural Walk is designed for characters that do not fit a standard humanoid rig: insects, spiders, quadrupeds, fantasy beasts, mechanical walkers, and other multi-legged creatures. Instead of drawing a skeleton manually, you place guided markers on the head, body, tail, and legs. Procedural Walk builds a skeleton from those markers, computes mesh deformation weights, and previews an IK-driven procedural walk.

A typical project moves through these stages:

  1. Load a 3D creature model.
  2. Orient and scale the model.
  3. Choose the number of body markers, legs, and joints per leg.
  4. Place guided markers on the mesh.
  5. Build the skeleton.
  6. Compute weights.
  7. Test deformation in Pose Mode.
  8. Preview locomotion in Drive Mode.
  9. Tune the gait.
  10. Export for Three.js, or prepare a WizardGenie bundle when opened from WizardGenie.

Supported model formats

You can load:

  • .glb
  • .gltf
  • .fbx
  • .obj

Drop a model into the viewport or the Load Mesh panel, or click the upload area to browse. After loading, Procedural Walk normalizes the model to a practical working size, centers it, and places the lowest point on the ground plane. A tutorial video is shown in the left panel before a model is loaded.

Interface overview

On desktop, Procedural Walk uses three main areas:

  • Left sidebar: load mesh, scale controls, undo/redo, and walk tuning after weights are computed.
  • Center viewport: 3D model view, marker placement, camera controls, orientation controls, display controls, and overlays.
  • Right sidebar: marker profiles, skeleton/weight actions, pose testing, drive mode, export, and reset.

On mobile, the tool uses two top tabs:

  • Upload opens the left controls drawer.
  • Inspector opens the right actions/inspector drawer.

Basic workflow

1. Load a mesh

  1. Open Procedural Walk.
  2. Drop a supported model file into the upload area or the viewport.
  3. Confirm the model appears in the 3D view.
  4. If needed, use Orientation before marker placement.

The model should be a complete creature mesh with visible legs and contact points. Clean geometry generally produces better deformation than intersecting, fragmented, or extremely dense meshes.

2. Set scale

After loading, the Load Mesh panel shows a Scale slider.

  • Range: 0.01x to 5.00x
  • Quick buttons: 0.1x, 0.5x, 1.0x, 2.0x

Scale affects the viewport model and Drive Mode simulation. A height indicator in the viewport helps you judge character size. Use scale before final testing so movement and step height feel appropriate.

3. Orient the model

When a mesh loads, Procedural Walk may show an orientation hint. Use the Orientation overlay in the viewport to rotate the model in 90° increments:

  • Tilt Fwd
  • Tilt Back
  • Turn L
  • Turn R
  • Roll L
  • Roll R

Use the Camera panel to inspect from:

  • Front
  • Back
  • Left
  • Right
  • Top
  • Bottom

The model should face forward in the tool’s front-facing setup before marker placement. You can use Save in the Orientation panel to remember the current orientation for the same mesh name, and Load to restore it later. If a saved orientation exists for the loaded mesh name, the tool can restore it automatically on load.

4. Choose body, leg, and joint counts

Once a mesh is loaded, a configuration bar appears at the top of the viewport.

Available counts:

  • Body: 2 to 10 body markers
  • Legs: 2 to 12 legs, adjusted in pairs
  • Joints: 2 to 8 joints per leg

Body markers always include the head, neck, optional middle body sections, and tail/rear. Leg markers include the root/attachment point, intermediate joints, and the final tip/foot/claw point.

For leg joints, the UI uses intuitive labels such as Root, Upper, Mid, Lower, and Tip depending on the number of joints per leg.

5. Place markers

Click Place Markers to begin guided placement. The overlay tells you the current marker and gives a short instruction.

Body guidance includes:

  • Head: click the center of the head.
  • Neck: click where the neck meets the body.
  • Body sections: click the center of each body segment.
  • Tail: click the center of the tail or rear.

Leg guidance includes:

  • Root: click where the leg connects to the body.
  • Intermediate joints: click the next joint down the leg.
  • Tip: click the end of the leg, foot, claw, or contact point.

By default, Mirror ON is enabled. For paired legs, place the marker on the left side and the right-side partner is created automatically. If your creature is asymmetric, turn Mirror OFF and place each side manually.

Body markers are kept on the model centerline. When clicking through thin or double-sided geometry, the tool attempts to place the marker midway through the hit surface, which can help keep markers inside the mesh rather than only on the visible surface.

6. Edit markers

Before building the skeleton, you can refine marker placement:

  1. Click an existing marker to select it.
  2. Click the mesh to move it to a new location, or drag the colored axis arrows for fine movement.
  3. Use Mirror ON/OFF while editing paired leg markers if you want the opposite side to move with it.
  4. Press Escape or click the close button in the editing overlay to cancel editing.

Marker editing tools:

  • Red axis: move along X.
  • Green axis: move along Y.
  • Blue axis: move along Z.
  • Marker Size: changes marker display size.
  • Mirror ON/OFF: mirrors paired leg marker edits.
  • Undo / Redo: restores marker placement states.

Keyboard shortcuts:

  • Ctrl/Cmd + Z: undo marker placement or marker movement.
  • Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + Z or Ctrl/Cmd + Y: redo.
  • Escape: cancel marker editing.

7. Save marker profiles

The right panel includes Marker Profiles after a mesh is loaded. Profiles save marker layouts for the current mesh name.

You can:

  • Save New: save the current marker layout as a named profile.
  • Load: restore a saved marker layout.
  • Overwrite: replace a saved profile with the current markers and current body/leg/joint settings.
  • Delete: remove a saved profile.

A marker profile stores marker positions plus the body marker count, leg count, and joints-per-leg setting. Loading a profile resets the skeleton and weight state so you can rebuild from the restored marker layout.

8. Build the skeleton

After all required markers are placed, click Build Skeleton in the Actions panel. Procedural Walk creates a body chain and leg chains from your marker layout.

If markers are missing, the log reports which markers still need to be placed. The button is disabled until the required marker count is complete.

9. Compute weights

After the skeleton is built, click Compute Weights. Weight computation is required before Pose Mode, Drive Mode, or export.

When complete, the Actions panel shows Weights computed. You can then enable Weights in the viewport display toggles. In Pose Mode, select a bone to inspect its influence as a heatmap.

Pose Mode

Pose Mode lets you test whether your skeleton and weights deform the mesh correctly before exporting.

Click Enter Pose Mode after weights are computed.

In Pose Mode:

  • Click a bone segment to select it for rotation.
  • Click a joint to select it for IK-style movement.
  • Use the Selected dropdown to choose a bone manually.
  • Click Reset Pose to return to the rest pose.
  • Click Exit Pose Mode to leave pose testing.

Pose interaction modes:

  • Rotate mode: drag colored rings around the selected bone.
  • Grab mode: drag the crosshair to move a joint; the limb chain follows.

Keyboard controls in Pose Mode:

  • R: switch to rotate mode.
  • G: switch to grab mode.
  • X, Y, Z: rotate or move on that axis, depending on the current mode.
  • Shift + X/Y/Z: use a larger step.
  • Escape: deselect the current bone.

Good deformation signs include smooth bending around joints, minimal collapsing at hips/shoulders, and feet that remain usable as contact points. If deformation looks poor, adjust markers and rebuild before recomputing weights.

Drive Mode

Drive Mode previews the procedural walk using your skeleton, weights, and gait settings. It switches the viewport into a walk-preview state, hides marker editing, and lets you control the creature directly.

Click Drive Mode after weights are computed. Click Stop Drive to exit.

Controls:

  • W: move forward
  • S: move backward
  • A: turn left
  • D: turn right
  • Q: strafe left
  • E: strafe right
  • Shift: sprint
  • Space: hold to crouch, release to leap in the current movement direction
  • Arrow keys: alternate movement controls

Drive Mode options:

  • Terrain Obstacles: turns the test obstacle course on or off.
  • Debug Lines: shows procedural walk visualization lines.
  • Dynamics Debug: shows a live dynamics overlay.

Terrain obstacles are useful for checking stepping, slopes, ledges, uneven ground, platforms, and clearance under the body. If the creature catches on obstacles or clips through terrain, adjust body clearance, foot conformity, stride, and step height.

Walk tuning

After weights are computed, Walk Tuning appears in the left panel. You can apply a preset, then fine-tune individual sliders.

Built-in gait presets

Built-in presets include:

  • Default
  • Heavy
  • Creep
  • Spider Scurry
  • Mechanical
  • Gallop
  • Prowl
  • Frantic
  • Waddle
  • March
  • Tippy Toes
  • Lumbering

Click a preset to apply it. The selected preset’s values are immediately used by Drive Mode.

My Presets

Signed-in users can save custom gait settings.

In My Presets, you can:

  • Save Current: save the current gait values as a named preset.
  • Load: apply a saved preset.
  • Overwrite: replace a saved preset with the current values.
  • Delete: remove a saved preset.

If you are not signed in, the panel prompts you to sign in to save presets.

Fine tuning settings

Step Motion

  • Stride: distance each foot travels per step. Higher values create longer strides; lower values create shorter shuffling steps.
  • Step Height: how high feet lift relative to leg length. Higher values create a more exaggerated march; lower values create a flatter, gliding walk.
  • Step Speed: time for one foot to complete a step. Lower values make steps snappier; higher values make movement slower and more deliberate.

Leg Coordination

  • Turn Dead Zone: minimum turn angle before legs start stepping to follow. Helps avoid jittery micro-adjustments.
  • Foot Conformity: how much feet rotate to align with terrain. Low values keep feet flatter; high values conform more strongly to slopes and surfaces.

Body Dynamics

  • Body Weight: simulated mass affecting sag and bounce. Higher values feel heavier and slower.
  • Momentum Lean: body tilt caused by acceleration and deceleration.
  • Body Clearance: how aggressively the body lifts over terrain under the abdomen. Set to low values for low crawling creatures; raise it if the body scrapes obstacles.
  • Turn Banking: how much the body leans into turns.
  • Sway Damping: reduces body sway during turns. Higher values make the body more rigid.
  • Upright Posture: keeps the body more vertical on slopes; useful for bipeds, upright walkers, and mechanical creatures.

Spine & Head

  • Spine Conformity: how much the spine follows terrain contours. Useful for long-bodied creatures.
  • Head Stability: how much the head compensates for body bobbing. Higher values keep the head steadier.
  • Idle Breathing: subtle breathing motion while standing still.

Movement

  • Acceleration: smoothing time to reach full speed.
  • Deceleration: smoothing time to stop.

Speed

  • Forward Speed: movement speed when walking forward.
  • Reverse Speed: movement speed when walking backward.
  • Turn Speed: how quickly the creature rotates.
  • Sprint Multiplier: speed multiplier while holding Shift.

Each slider includes an expandable tooltip in the UI. Click the small arrow beside a setting name to show its explanation.

Viewport controls

Camera

Use the Camera panel to jump to preset views:

  • Front
  • Back
  • Left
  • Right
  • Top
  • Bottom

The viewport also supports orbit, pan, and zoom. Right mouse panning is available, and while right mouse is held you can use movement keys for fly-style camera movement.

Display modes

The Viewport panel includes four display modes:

  • Shaded: shows the model with imported material appearance where available.
  • Geometry: solid neutral geometry view.
  • Wire+Shade: solid view with wire overlay.
  • X-Ray: transparent view for easier marker and bone placement.

Lighting modes

Lighting options:

  • Unlit
  • Simple
  • Standard

Use Unlit if you want to inspect silhouettes or colors without lighting influence. Use Standard for a more typical shaded preview.

Visibility and appearance toggles

Depending on the current state, you can toggle:

  • Wireframe
  • Markers
  • Bones
  • Grid
  • Weights

You can also adjust:

  • Marker size
  • Bone size
  • Mesh color and opacity in X-Ray mode
  • Wire color and opacity in X-Ray mode
  • Mirror mode for marker placement and marker editing

Exporting

Exports become available after weights are computed. Enter an export name in the Actions panel; the tool shows the sanitized asset name that will be used.

Three.js export

The active public export is Export ZIP for Three.js.

The Three.js package includes:

  • The skinned creature mesh
  • Walk configuration
  • Procedural walk controller assets

Use this export when you want to bring the creature and its procedural movement into a Three.js project.

Unity export

Unity export controls are visible but currently unavailable. The interface indicates that Unity export is temporarily disabled while issues are being fixed.

WizardGenie embed export

When Procedural Walk is opened inside WizardGenie, additional options may appear after weights are computed:

  • Prepare for WizardGenie
  • Drag to Explorer

Use Prepare for WizardGenie to build the bundle, then drag the prepared bundle into a WizardGenie Explorer folder.

Resetting

Click Reset All in the Actions panel to clear the current marker, skeleton, pose, and weight state. This does not unload the mesh, but it returns the rigging workflow to an earlier stage so you can place markers again.

Tips & troubleshooting

The skeleton button is disabled

All required markers must be placed first. Check the marker count at the top of the viewport and continue guided placement until it reaches the total.

The model faces the wrong direction

Use the Orientation controls before marker placement. If you have already placed markers and then load a different saved orientation, you may need to place markers again so they match the transformed mesh.

A marker is in the wrong place

Click the marker to select it, then click the mesh to replace it or drag the axis arrows for fine adjustment. Use Undo/Redo if needed.

The mirrored leg is wrong

Make sure the model is centered and oriented correctly before placement. For asymmetric creatures, turn Mirror OFF and place each side manually.

Weight computation fails or deformation looks bad

Try this workflow:

  1. Confirm all markers are placed at true joint centers, not just on the surface.
  2. Rebuild the skeleton.
  3. Compute weights again.
  4. Test in Pose Mode.
  5. If needed, adjust problem markers and repeat.

Poor results are more likely with broken surfaces, heavy self-intersection, detached pieces, or markers placed far outside the mesh.

Feet slide or clip in Drive Mode

Try reducing Stride, increasing Step Height, or adjusting Step Speed. For rough terrain, increase Foot Conformity and Body Clearance.

The body scrapes over obstacles

Increase Body Clearance. For long creatures, also experiment with Spine Conformity so the body follows terrain more naturally.

The creature feels too floaty or too stiff

For a heavier feel, raise Body Weight and reduce overly fast step speeds. For a mechanical or rigid creature, increase Sway Damping and Upright Posture, and lower breathing/spine motion.

Export buttons are missing

Complete the full rigging pipeline first:

  1. Load mesh.
  2. Place all markers.
  3. Build skeleton.
  4. Compute weights.

Export options appear after weights are available.

  1. Load your creature mesh.
  2. Set scale.
  3. Rotate it with Orientation controls until it faces correctly.
  4. Set Body, Legs, and Joints counts.
  5. Click Place Markers.
  6. Place body markers, then leg markers.
  7. Edit misplaced markers with mesh clicks or axis arrows.
  8. Save a Marker Profile.
  9. Click Build Skeleton.
  10. Click Compute Weights.
  11. Enter Pose Mode and test deformation.
  12. Enter Drive Mode and test movement.
  13. Apply a gait preset and tune sliders.
  14. Export for Three.js or prepare for WizardGenie when available.