Throw

A wind-up, a release, and a loose follow-through; the arm winds back, lets go of whatever it is holding, then relaxes back down.

Use it in a cartoonOpen it in the block editorThe pack file (JSON)

What it is for

Throw is for pitching a ball, tossing something underhand, or hurling an object in anger or in a game. The marked moment partway through, where the hand lets go, is where the site's throw-and-catch pairing lines this move up against another character's Catch, and against where a thrown prop's own flight begins.

The principle it shows: follow-through

After the marked let-go, the arm does not simply stop: it keeps moving down and in for two more glides before it finally comes to rest with the legs. A thrown arm that stopped dead the instant the object left the hand would look stiff; letting it keep moving and settle afterward is follow-through.

The program, line by line

when it starts
  glide right arm 150, right forearm 64, left arm 30, rot 6, dx -4, right leg 10, right shin 8, left leg -10, left shin 6 over 0.38 s (out)
  glide right arm 80, right forearm -4, left arm -20, rot -8, dx 10, right leg 20, right shin 14, left leg -14 over 0.14 s (in)
  set flag_let_go to (tau)
  glide right arm 40, right forearm 0, left arm -10, rot -4, dx 8 over 0.2 s
  glide right arm 0, right forearm 0, left arm 0, rot 0, dx 0, right leg 0, right shin 0, left leg 0, left shin 0 over 0.28 s

• when it starts — begins when the move is put on a character.
• glide right arm 150, right forearm 64, left arm 30, rot 6, dx -4, right leg 10, right shin 8, left leg -10, left shin 6 over 0.38 s (out) — the right arm winds back high and bent, the body leans 6 degrees back and the stance widens, slowing as it reaches the top of the wind-up.
• glide right arm 80, right forearm -4, left arm -20, rot -8, dx 10, right leg 20, right shin 14, left leg -14 over 0.14 s (in) — the arm swings forward fast and straightens, the body leans 8 degrees the other way and drives ahead, speeding up into the throw.
• set flag_let_go to (tau) — marks this instant, when the arm is at the front of the swing, as a named moment called Let go.
• glide right arm 40, right forearm 0, left arm -10, rot -4, dx 8 over 0.2 s — the arm keeps moving forward and down after letting go.
• glide right arm 0, right forearm 0, left arm 0, rot 0, dx 0, right leg 0, right shin 0, left leg 0, left shin 0 over 0.28 s — and the whole body relaxes back to standing.

Try this

1. Slow the wind-up from 0.38 s to 0.6 s. The character pulls back for much longer before throwing, building more suspense before the release.

   In the program: ramp · over 0.38 → 0.6

2. Swing the arm to 110 degrees instead of 80 at the release. The throw reaches further forward before letting go, a longer, more committed motion.

   In the program: ramp · to.part:arm:1 80 → 110

How it differs from Sword swing and Catch

Sword swing marks a Hit! where the swing lands on something, and settles back into a ready stance rather than relaxing fully. Catch is the move this one is meant to pair with: where Throw lets something go, Catch is where another character takes hold of it.

Works on

c4c:beh:throw · version 1.0.0 · c4c-free · by Jabbertoon