Moho 14.4 - "Bake layers" feature for gaming

[happycrazywild]

I posted about this on the Moho discord, but I'll share here as well!

For the new 14.4 Side Quest update: are there plans to include a "Bake certain layers into a texture" feature for gtlf export?
Toon Boom Harmony Gaming 22 has a feature like the one I'm describing called the Bake Group: https://docs.toonboom.com/help/gaming-2 ... ffects.htm

What I mean is, if you have a set of layers that use features gltf doesn't support (like, say, a head layer that uses liquid shapes to turn), you'd put that layer in a special "Bake" folder, and on the exported gltf, everything in that folder is "baked" into a texture that can animate.

Internally, this feature would....
- scan all the keyframes in the "Bake" folder
- take a snapshot of how that folder looks during each keyframe
- turn all those frames into a spritesheet
- create animations in the gtlf that toggle between the frames on the spritesheet
- repeat for each "Bake" folder (you could have as many as you want)

That way, you can use ANY feature you want as long as you keep texture memory in mind...AND still take advantage of the other supported rigging features without manually exporting certain layers as spritesheets.

Why I feel this is very important
The advantage with Moho is that it's got so many intuitive tools for natural looking animation that the competition -- even Spine -- lacks: Smart boil, Liquid shapes, Vitruvian bones, Color jitter, etc

So it'd be a shame if you could only use its most basic tools for gaming!
I remember this was the case with Anime Studio 11's unity export; that was really disappointing to me at the time, so I didn't use the feature.

If something like this isn't planned, the ability to easily export as spritesheets with plenty of settings would be much appreciated....but I feel like combining both like I described would help set Moho apart from the competish!

[Daxel]

I totally agree!

[SMcDucc]

I also agree

[PabloPeruzzi]

Wonderful idea to be implemented! +1

[Greenlaw]

I'm not aware of a tool for saving sprite sheets, but Hayasidist wrote a Bake-to-PNG Tool several years ago that I still use. It's not what you're asking for, but, in the meantime, maybe it can be modified or used as-is to make sprites more efficiently?

Basically, it bakes down selected layers to a single image layer at 2X resolution. I use it when I need to convert vector art to PNG to get better deformation results (in certain situations).

The script is here...

viewtopic.php?p=182406#p182406