question about anime studio pro 8

[mykim]

I own toon boom studio 6, and find it lacking especially after seeing what anime studio can do. I think i chose the wrong program and regret not getting anime studio instead.

Im really impressed by the head turns and blend morph capabilities of anime studio. But has anyone used a similar technique for animating limbs such as arms and legs? So far, I have only seen arms move in one plane of direction(typical cutout animation style).

I am wondering if a simulated 3d arm movement is possible using bones/morphs? Can anyone show me such a thing?

[Rudiger]

You might find Synthsin75's rig experiments interesting:
viewtopic.php?t=12808

I have also been doing my own experiments using a variation on my original MorphDials idea. It basically involves creating a psuedo 3D skeleton by making the tip of one bone automatically track the base of the next. The amount of foreshortening on each bone is then used to automatically apply a foreshortening morph to the corresponding limb.

I've had great results, but nothing I want to post yet. I've also decided that the system would be even better if the skeleton was a true 3D skeleton instead of a 2D skeleton made to look 3D. You could then use all of the 3D data of the bones to generate the correct morph for the limbs, whatever the pose. You could even do things like change the camera view after animating, just like you can with 3D.

[GCharb]

It can be done, but it is a pain to set-up in my humble opinion.

I think good old animation with bones and point motion will get you there faster and with less trip to the tylenol bottle.

recently I reproduced 2 seconds of a Disney movie with point motion alone, it is very powerful.

[Rudiger]

That's very impressive, GCharb! Just imagine if AS let you animate the shape order as well! To get an idea how good AS is at auto-tweening, for the head in particular, roughly how many of these frames are keyframes (eg every 4th, 10th, etc)? Also, any chance you could share the anme file?

Also, not many people know about this way of using AS, either users or non-users. Is there any chance you could do a tutorial on it for your Blog, or perhaps that was always your intention.

[funksmaname]

Gille's described the process in another thread, I think he manually inked every 2 frames - nothing fancy, just hard work

Here's something I did recently - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jec8MaRl-sM

The sketch on the right is the 'key poses' I roughed, and initially I just used point motion at those extremes to get the general animation roughed out - then I just added other frames where necessary. (I used Synthsins script here for animated shape ordering)

When I added the legs, I used bones to help me... but other scenes in the same animation were done with purely point motion too. I'll post the draft animation in the share your work section with a process description.

point is: without a plan, and just using bones you will be unwittingly locked in the flat cutout plane. If you push yourself with roughs that require that false 3rd dimension it will drive you to find ways of creating those illusions without pseudo 3D rigs... look at the recent posts (and files) from 'the user colloquially known as numbers'

[SvenFoster]

Hey Funks+Gilles, I've got to say that you guys (and numbers and selgin..and mostly everyone) have really opened my eyes. Till recently I really felt that all that was possible was x,y but now I just keep seeing turns in my head.

I have a burning desire to push myself and do something fluid and "animated". I still think there is a place for bones and 45 degree poses in sketch shows/series etc but I sooooooo want to get a character and his friends out of my head + paper onto the screen doing the moves I see in my minds eye.

I will be waiting for @funks draft anim and @GCs tutorial series.

One day I will unleash my cr@p on the world.. and it will be awesome

thanks guys.

PS: funks did you not use the mighty-morphin-rudger-dials on this?

EDIT: Ask funks a Q
EDIT: Just seen funks thread..doh

[GCharb]

Rudiger, Wes on the animators forum came up with a shape order script, but it invloves switch layers and the sort, so yes, if LM came up with a better solution it would be great!

This one was animated on two's with step interpolation, as was most of the movie!

I think that the trick for a real production would be to do it in passes, you start by blocking things out, then you add details as you go!

[Rudiger]

But it's all one layer, right? So if you wanted to change the interpolation to smooth and only create the keyframes, you could right?

[mykim]

You might find Synthsin75's rig experiments interesting:
viewtopic.php?t=12808

I have also been doing my own experiments using a variation on my original MorphDials idea. It basically involves creating a psuedo 3D skeleton by making the tip of one bone automatically track the base of the next. The amount of foreshortening on each bone is then used to automatically apply a foreshortening morph to the corresponding limb.

I've had great results, but nothing I want to post yet. I've also decided that the system would be even better if the skeleton was a true 3D skeleton instead of a 2D skeleton made to look 3D. You could then use all of the 3D data of the bones to generate the correct morph for the limbs, whatever the pose. You could even do things like change the camera view after animating, just like you can with 3D.

that's pretty mind blowing stuff especially for a 2d app like anime studio. Im seriously considering just selling toon boom studio 6. That arm movement looks amazingly fluid. Wish i saw more of this in web animation.

so sick of the cut out style that is rampant in most online animation

[GCharb]

Gille's described the process in another thread, I think he manually inked every 2 frames - nothing fancy, just hard work

Funksmaname, inking means putting the colors in, no need for that in that process, as all the shapes already have fills assigned to them.

It is very straight forward, you create the character, you plan it then you animate the whole thing!

[mykim]

looks like Synthsin75 did not end up releasing a tutorial, but im guessing his technique can be studied with the anme files he uploaded?

Wish i was not so tight on funds so i can get anime studio pro already. Blew $130 on toon boom.

Anyway, looking forward to your 3d rig, Rudiger

[funksmaname]

Funksmaname, inking means putting the colors in, no need for that in that process, as all the shapes already have fills assigned to them.

I'm thinking from a comic perspective where inking is adding the polished ink line over the rough pencils you're tracing (or in this case the original source material that you are tracing), not necessarily colouring - but that too in this case

mykim, there's no way around the fact that to do this quality of turns etc in any 2D app requires either very good drawing skills, or very good source material to trace over... this could easily be done in toonboom too - i reccomend you buy a tablet before more software and see what you can do with TB when you're not trying to draw with a mouse. If nothing else it will really help you learn the fundamentals of animation (though, you could do that with free software too like PAP and Pencil - so if you want/can sell TB, then do it and buy AS, but don't expect AS to give you a better fbf experience than TB if that's what you're after)

[mykim]

Funksmaname, inking means putting the colors in, no need for that in that process, as all the shapes already have fills assigned to them.

I'm thinking from a comic perspective where inking is adding the polished ink line over the rough pencils you're tracing (or in this case the original source material that you are tracing), not necessarily colouring - but that too in this case

mykim, there's no way around the fact that to do this quality of turns etc in any 2D app requires either very good drawing skills, or very good source material to trace over... this could easily be done in toonboom too - i reccomend you buy a tablet before more software and see what you can do with TB when you're not trying to draw with a mouse. If nothing else it will really help you learn the fundamentals of animation (though, you could do that with free software too like PAP and Pencil - so if you want/can sell TB, then do it and buy AS, but don't expect AS to give you a better fbf experience than TB if that's what you're after)

i've decided that FBF is not for me. Too tedious and time consuming. Recently, i started doing more cutout animation instead of FBF, but i figure that anime studio is better for cutout/bone animation.

This is why im looking more favorably upon anime studio pro for its advanced bone animation/morphs/point motion, etc.