2 switch groups for mouths

[Hoptoad]

I'm working on a character's mouths and I could use some tips. . .

The character has the usual AI, E and so forth mouth shapes in a switch layer group. But I've also added a LOT of expressions to their mouth: 4 different types of frowns, for example. In the past, I've always kept all the phonemes and expressions in the same switch layer group, but this character has a lot mouth expressions, and a long menu could slow me down while lip syncing, so I was thinking. . .maybe I should separate the mouths into 2 switch groups: 1 for phonemes, 1 for expressions.

I'm thinking, rather than using Layer Visibility to hide the unused switch group, I would have a 'blank' layer in each switch group that I could use to hide a group.

I'm using interpolation so I'll have to be careful when switching from a phoneme to an expression, but that shouldn't be too big of a problem. I could simply have the character close their mouth before displaying an expression.

I suspect Vitruvian bones could be used to switch between groups, but maybe that's not the best idea.

Rather than experiment, make mistakes and waste time, I want to skip all the experimenting and employ the best solution right off the bat.

Any tips?

Thanks.

[Greenlaw]

In the past, I've always kept all the phonemes and expressions in the same switch layer group, but this character has a lot mouth expressions, and a long menu could slow me down while lip syncing, so I was thinking. . .maybe I should separate the mouths into 2 switch groups: 1 for phonemes, 1 for expressions.

I think that's a practical solution if you have too many mouth shapes to manage.

What I like to do is I keep the phonetic mouths at the bottom of the stack...typically there are only 10 or 11 of these, and I use an 'emo' Smart Bone Action to control the expressiveness of these mouths (happy, neutral, sad). I like to color code these layers so I know they're for specifically for lip sync.

Above that I add more general expressions, and then any special 'one-offs' go above those as I need them (maybe apply two more color codes to these.) I don't bother to keep every possible expression because I can usually modify an existing mouth using the Magnet tool in a few seconds. This helps keep the animation fresh from shot to shot, and it doesn't require much extra effort. It also keeps the number of mouth shapes lower.

But when certain 'one offs' become too useful, I'll add them to the master rig project for future use.

Following the above practice, I don't really need too many mouth shapes for a front facing view. I may have to recreate this Switch for a profile view, and I like to at least keep the 'lip sync' shapes and more commonly used expressions in sync with forward facing Switch.

For the front facing view, the mouths can also 'turn' at least 3qtrs in either direction, so I don't need separate Switch layers for that. The turn is usually just sliding the teeth and tongue to one side to simulate perspective shift; for more realistic characters, I'll also reshape the mouth. The 'mouth turn' is either controlled by the head turn Smart Bone or a mouth specific Smart Bone. The setup can vary depending on the character design and how I intend to animate it.

Oh, and it helps to clearly name all your layers because this label will appear in the Switch Selection windows under the image.

Hope this helps.

[Hoptoad]

What I like to do is I keep the phonetic mouths at the bottom of the stack...

Good idea. I think one of my lip sync scripts requires a certain order for the phonemes. Oh well, no biggy, I'll fall off that bridge when I come to it.

...and then any special 'one-offs' go above those as I need them...

I recently created a generic mouth called "custom" in the switch group for any one-off expressions.

Thanks for the tips! By the way, I used another Greenlaw tip you'd mentioned in some previous post: create an empty rectangle shape and duplicate it within all the mouth shapes, that way all the mouths are placed consistently in the Switch Selector preview window. That tip was GOLD.

[MrMiracle77]

I used to use a similar trick when working with Debut. Since Debut could only support up to 2 audio files per moho scene, I'd assemble all the dialogue in audacity, then import a single, combined file into Debut. I'd use two switch layers for voices, one set for 'speech off' and one for 'speech on'. I'd sync all characters to the audio file, then enable/disable their speech as-needed.

Pro can support more than two audio files, so I haven't had to use that method in a while.

[Greenlaw]

I used another Greenlaw tip you'd mentioned in some previous post: create an empty rectangle shape and duplicate it within all the mouth shapes, that way all the mouths are placed consistently in the Switch Selector preview window. That tip was GOLD.

Glad that helps! Yeah, it always annoys me that the shape can bounce around in the Switch Selection window while I'm trying to animate. That trick solves the problem without affecting the ability to animate with the tool.

Another trick that's probably only useful to me: Sometimes I like to have an empty layer inside a mouth switch because I often leave the mouth off when my characters have 'nothing to say'. Since the empty layer isn't selectable in the Workspace, I place a semi transparent rectangle in there set to Do Not Render. This way I can still select it with Shift+Alt+R-click to select the parent group. (Of course I still need to manually select one group layer higher to select the Switch layer, which is another annoyance I need to find a workaround for.)