Rigs and Driven Keys, Blocking and Animation

SQUASH

Apply squash to grouped model (if the eye is separate etc). (Or individual limbs) Low bound set to 0 and set the high bound to the top of the model. 

Create a circle nurbs curve and a surrounding rectangle nurbs curve. Call nurbs square as squash_control_outline and the circle as squash_control. Then lock the square.

Animate > Set Driven Key

Select circle and click Load Driver, and select squash1 itself and click Load Driven.

Driver: Translate Y (squash control)

Driven: Factor (squash1)

Bring up the graph editor, linear for a 1:1 relationship.

With circle at the bottom and top of the square, go Limit Information and set min and max.

FOOT

Make the foot controls as we did for the squash two

FootRoll_Outline

FootRoll_Control

Driver: FootRoll_Control (Translate Z)

Driven: Reverse_heel (Rotate X, translate Y and Z)

Driven: Reverse_ball (Rotate X, translate Y and Z)

or whichever you've set up for your model.

Key all 3 steps of the foot and limit how far the control can move.

REFERENCING

In the environment, open reference and load the character from its scene file. Any modifications to the original affect the instance of it in the environment file.

BLOCKING AND ANIMATION

Have perspective and graph editor open. 

Preferences > Settings > Animation. Tangents set to Clamped and Stepped.

Set Keys of all parts of the rig, to set default position.

Block out the main poses first and worry about timing as you fill in the gaps.

Window > Animation > Dope Sheet

To move around the timings of the key poses. Middle mouse drag them around. Grab the summary bar at the top and move the whole pose around.

Once all blocked out, start adding in splines as a case by case basis. Don't just auto everything or it will break and start doing strange things.