Help me with head and body turns please

[Pinesal]

So this is my first attempt at a head and body turn. I think it turned out ok but I have seen much much better stuff from other's on this forum. I can't quite put my finger on what's wrong. Any tip and/or suggestions on how to improve?



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rggluvXOtw

[heyvern]

Well, from the effectiveness or accuracy of the turn aspect it seems to me to work quite well. In the very beginning of the turn it feels as if the body gets "longer" at the bottom area. I think that possibly what you feel is "bad" about it is that it's not in context. There isn't any animation or "acting" so it has no "life".

Is there something specific you want to improve?

[Pinesal]

OH. I did forget to ask this in the first post.

I am using a smart bone for the body turn. But I couldn't make change layer order a part of the smart bone like I thought I could. I had to animate the layer order in the main timeline.

Can you change layer order with a smart bone?

[heyvern]

OH. I did forget to ask this in the first post.

I am using a smart bone for the body turn. But I couldn't make change layer order a part of the smart bone like I thought I could. I had to animate the layer order in the main timeline.

Can you change layer order with a smart bone?

I think so. Trying to remember if this was possible since "the beginning". Not sure if it was available from the first version that had smart bones.

v9.5 and of course v10 can can have animated layer order control in a smart bone. However, You can only control layer order with one smart bone "at a time", if more than one smart bone effects the same group layer. If more than one smart bone controls layer order, you have to "reset" the smart bone to it's zero or default value before using another smart bone with layer order.

Also you can't animate layer order in the main timeline if a smart bone is also controlling it.

This can be a bit tricky because you don't always have the same layer ordering even when turning a body. Suppose you want an arm to go behind the body? If you use smart bone layer order in your body turns you can't do this.

Because of this, I have been putting my required layer order combinations in a single smart bone with different ordering at different rotations. I then use step keys on that smart bone to change order. This may seem "over the top" but quite frankly it's ten times easier than keying layer order "by hand" dragging layers in the group layer in the main timeline.

So if I use my body turn smart bone, I also set my layer order smart bone to "match" how the body is turned.

[Little Yamori]

Like Vern said, since it's not animated it doesn't have "life" but it looks good, like an action figure on a rotating table. Try animating it and see how it looks. On the Layer-Order question, I have a suggestion for a work around. Right now I'm still using debut 6, I have debut 9.5 as well, but I still prefer the interface and options in 6. I used this work around before I knew about animating layers, but it works anyway. Create a duplicate layer of the layer you want to order and put it in the layer order place you'll want it for at a later frame, but first make it invisible. At the needed moment you can make it visible and the original invisible at the same key frame, thus making a switch.

Hope this helps

LY

[Hentron]

I think it looks good, but that is one weird looking dog, Pinesol.

[Furpuss]

Today I posted a tutorial on head turns which may help you out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOyfJz2 ... e=youtu.be

Furpuss

[Little Yamori]

Thanks for the tutorial Furpus. Very straight forward and helpful.