Finding it Difficult to Draw in Moho Pro.

[James Liam]

Hello, I'm new to Moho Pro and in this forum. I wanted to ask if there's a shape builder tool in the program, similar to Illustrator, where it's not just creating holes in shapes but more complex shape builders like intersect, unite, etc.

The fill and stroke is also confusing me a lot. Every time I try to fill a shape, some new shape seems to be created on top of it with more complex points. Sometimes I just want to change or remove a shape's stroke or fill but it seems I'm not fully getting it. I could sort of do it just fine when a shape already has a fill; I just select the shape and tick the boxes on the upper left of the toolbar. But sometimes when I create a shape without a fill yet and I use the paint bucket, the points just gets ruined.

[MrMiracle77]

Near as I can tell, the bucket tool in Moho kind of acts like the bucket tool in MS Paint. In MS Paint, the software drops a blob of pixels that expand until it finds a border, then it stops. In Moho, the software drops a blob of color until it finds some vectors, then it stops. If you have overlapping vectors or vectors joined in irregular ways, Moho will create an entirely new shape that is an approximation of the vectors the paint tool reaches.




Once a shape is created, turning the fill or stroke on or off is done from the style panel (upper right). Using the Object Select tool, click on the shape you want to manipulate and it should show a checker-board texture. The style panel can now be used to change the color and outline of the shape. Stroke and fill can be enabled or disabled by clicking on their appropriate check marks in the style panel.

There are some scripts that can do things similar Illustrator's shape builder, found under the Scripts -> Draw menu. I'm not that familiar with Illustrator, so I can't say which is which, though.

[Greenlaw]

Hi James,

Point-by-point drawing in Moho is kinda like modeling in 3D programs: you plot out points to create lines or curve segments and then close the segments to create a 'polygon'. You can have Moho automatically fill and/or stroke the 'polygon' to create a Shape, or select the points yourself and create a Shape manually.

The key thing is to be aware that Curves and Shapes are two very different elements in Moho. Think of Curves as the underlying framework or skeleton for the shape, and the Shape is the skin part that's visible to the renderer. That might seem confusing but there are many useful 'animation' reasons to work this way.

I can't go into a lot of detail right now but here's what you need to know to get started:

• Curves are the wireframe structure for Shapes
• Shapes are the skin stretched across point in Curves
• Shapes can be made from any two or more points in a Curve
• Any Shape can have Strokes, Fills or Both.
• Curves are created using Add Points, Draw Shape, Freehand, and Blob Brush
• Curves can be edited using the Transform Points, Magnet and Curvature tools.
• Select Points has additional features for editing curves, like Weld Points (see below for details)
• You can edit Points in two different Modes: Regular and Bezier. Bezier is similar to Adobe Illustrator. It's great when you want to draw with fewer points have have a lot more control over the curvature of the points. However, Regular Points can behave more predictably in Bones animations. You'll get a feel for when to use which with a little practice. Generally speaking, it's safer to avoid Bezier for Bones animation, especially if you're just starting out.

Freehand and Blob Brush simulate traditional drawing tools like Paint and Pencil to create vectors. In Moho, they work best for creating non-deforming items like props, backgrounds and frame by frame animation. I don't recommend using these tools to create that will be animated using Bones or Point Animation.

Draw Shapes creates common shapes like rectangles and circles. It's similar to using Primitives in a 3D program.

Finally, we have Add Points, the most important drawing tool in Moho. Add Points is used to create art with a click-and-drag motion to build segments point-by-point. This is preferred for creating vectors art that will be deformed by Bones and Point Animation. When you've mastered this tool, you can create artwork that will deform efficiently, predictably, and most pleasingly.

...I wanted to ask if there's a shape builder tool in the program, similar to Illustrator, where it's not just creating holes in shapes but more complex shape builders like intersect, unite, etc.

Moho doesn't officially have tools for boolean operations with overlapping shapes but you can use Weld Crossings under the Select Points tool to do something similar (i.e., slice, intersect, merge, etc.) It's not as convenient as what's in Illustrator but it can have some advantages if you're clever with it. Hopefully we'll get more traditional boolean tools in the future.

Regarding the Paint Bucket, this tool works in two different modes:

1. If the curves are cleanly drawn with no overlaps, the shapes are created as if you selected the points and used the Create Shape tool.

2. if there's any ambiguity in the curves Moho is being asked to fill, Moho will auto-trace what it assumes is the shape you want and creates the fill that way. This is probably the 'extra' curves you're seeing, and it's not an ideal way to create shapes for bone rigging. This methods works better for creating non-deforming art like backgrounds, props and frame-by-frame animation.

The best and most predictable way to create a shape is to choose the Create Shape tool, select the points you want to use in the Shape by holding Shift and click-drag over the points or select them all by clicking on a path edge, check your Fill/Stroke option and press Enter. With practice, this can go very quickly. Of course Auto Fill and Auto Stroke are other options.

There's a lot more I can get into if I had the time but hopefully the above will help get you started.

[James Liam]

Thank you very much for your answers. I've only started Moho Pro last month and still have a lot to learn. I've finished the manual but I'm probably going to return a lot to this forum for more questions.

[James Liam]

I think what's giving me the most trouble with the fill and paint bucket is when I create the shapes first without fill. I resort to using the paint bucket tool and I always get confused with select points and select shape. I think that's when a more complex shape gets pasted on top of the shape I'm trying to fill.

[Greenlaw]

I suggest not using the Fill Bucket for shape creation...it's more reliable to use Auto Fill and Auto Stroke as needed, or to select the curves using Create Shape and pressing Enter to create the shapes manually. Personally, I never use the Fill Bucket unless I'm drawing FBF in Moho.

As mentioned above, Fill Bucket works in two modes and, depending on how you use it, it may be generating its own curves. IMO, it's probably best to avoid using it until you're more familiar with how shapes are created in Moho.

[Hoptoad]

I suggest you start simple. Like Greenlaw said, forget that the paint bucket tool exists. I suggest you also turn off auto fill and auto stroke. In my opinion, it's not worth trying to save yourself five seconds if you're getting confused.

I suggest you do this a few dozen times:

Use the add points tool to make a 'closed' shape.

Choose the Select Points tool and click on any line between two points -- this will select all the points in the shape.

Click the Create Shape lima bean, then click the Create Shape rectangle button at the top of the screen (or press spacebar, if you have enabled this "old school" option; I prefer spacebar).

Adjust the color of the fill and stroke in the Style window.

Press the Return key to exit the selection mode for the shape.

Once you rarely make mistakes with shape creation, start using the auto fill and auto stroke options, and other nifty features.

To enable the spacebar as a shape creator, check the box here: Preferences > Tools > Classic Point Editing Keyboard Shortcuts.

[Greenlaw]

Hoptoad's suggestions are good! Yes, keep it simple at first.

Here are some more tips. Note that some of these suggestions are easier with practice, so you might want to just pick one or two and try it for a while:

1. With the Add Points tool, I like using Auto Weld. This means when you get close to another point, it becomes highlighted and when you release the mouse button, the curve will weld to that point. If you have Auto Fill and/or Auto Stroke enabled, it will apply your selections instantly. This is a really fast way to work but, as Hoptoad said, you can try that later if it confuses you.

2. The current settings in the Style window will always be applied automatically. If you want to change the Style settings for the shape, you need to select the shape with the Select Shape tool first.

3. If you want to change the default settings for the Style window, be sure nothing is selected and then change the settings. The next shape you create will adopt the settings.

4. Sometimes I'll create 'sample' tiles in a layer with all the styles I will be using. This serves as a palette for not only color but all the attributes in a Style. You can save this layer in the Library if it's something you use a lot, but usually I just Copy Layer/Paste Layer to move it between Projects. To sample a Style, use the Eyedropper; to apply the sample, use Alt-click with the Eyedropper.

5. You may know this already but Copy Layer/Paste Layer is NOT the same as Copy/Paste. The former copies/pastes selected layers, and the latter copies/pastes the selected contents of a layer.

One annoying thing about this command is that it's not available under the Layer window's r-click menu, which I feel is the most logical place for to put this command. FYI, my MQC panel has these commands as buttons and I tend to keep it near the Layers Window so I don't need to mouse all the way across the screen.

6. For Add Points I usually have Sharp Corners enabled, and I'll quickly plot out my entire shape with it. Do this loosely...don't try to follow the shape perfectly or you'll wind up with too many points. When the path is done, I'll select Curvature and Smooth the points as needed. From watching other users videos, this seems to be a fairly common way to draw in Moho, but it takes a little practice to be able to plot the points with confidence.

Of course when most of the curves you need to draw are primarily smooth, you can work the other way, with Sharp disabled and use Curvature to create angles.

7. It's good to get familiar with hotkeys. I often stay with the Transform Points tool and then press-and-hold A and C to temporarily enable Add points or Curvature. This is when I'm working with a mouse; if I'm using a stylus, I'll just click the button because clicking buttons is quicker/easier with a stylus. Remembering hotkeys might be too advanced for now...jut some thing to think about when you want to get faster.

BTW, Hoptoad mentioned pressing the Spacebar; I believe this is what you use when you've chosen 'Classic Point Editing Keyboard Shortcuts' in Preferences. If you use the default settings, you want to press the Enter key. I personally prefer the default mode because I like using the Space Bar for playback. You can still use press-and-hold on the Space Bar for panning in either mode. (I prefer to use the r-mouse button for panning.)

As you can see, there are actually many ways to approach vector drawing in Moho.

Hope this helps and doesn't confuse you more. Just remember, you don't need to learn all of the above at once. Just try one or two until your comfortable with it and then try the next thing. Keep it simple for now and you'll eventually figure out what works best for you.

[Greenlaw]

I was looking up something for another user and I found this video by Danny Sugar that shows how to use Weld Crossings. This should give you an idea of how it works compared to how you might use Illustrators' Boolean operation commands.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yo1dpOpb1kc&t=6s

(Scrub to 4:14 on the timeline.)