Happy Bear WIP
Moderators: Víctor Paredes, Belgarath, slowtiger
Good!Draw_Girl wrote:Nice!but for some reason that bear is freaking me out.
That is the reaction I want. You see these guys are suppose to be doing a children's show... but they stink at it.
Happy Bear is suppose to be Happy... but he is mostly grumpy and freaks the kids out. His happiness is a mask he wears to hide his pain from having to deal with the idiots around him.
Larry is frenetic and very jumpy and totally clueless, which the kids like... but he isn't like this because of his personality... he is strung out on a constant caffeine buzz.
Most of the "show" is "behind the scenes". Dealing with the annoying aspects of producing the show; dealing with the "suits" (producers) and the Gnome union in charge of set construction for the show who are always on strike or complaining about something, or Ethyl the Magical Fairy constantly leaving "fairy dust" all over the set.
I plan to only show the tops of the gnomes heads at the bottom of the screen. Just the nose and eyes and the big pointy hats as they walk through the shots. These guys are mean and everyone is afraid to confront them.
I also have a guest character in one episode, Syd the Shark. To avoid worrying about their show "jumping the shark" later, they plan to get it over with right away, and convince Garry the Gopher to ride a bicycle over Syd's tank. I am going to do most of the voices but I have to find someone who can do an Aussie accent for Syd... all great white sharks are from Australia after all.
I have submitted about 8 short scripts to the writer's guild. I had to do this a while back when I sent it to someone "in the biz" to take a look. They wouldn't read the scripts unless I had registered them with the writer's guild. It only cost 20 bucks.
-vern
Working on the face and some bone rigs for expressions and eyes.

Still some work to do but it's working pretty well. I only have a few control bones to create some interesting expressions with his eyes.
I am using a similar set up for controlling his eyebrows that I used for a mouth bone rig in another thread.
http://www.lostmarble.com/forum/viewtop ... ight=mouth
Although, I may have to change it slightly to get more control of the eyebrow shape.
I also plan to add a second set of eye lids, sort of a baggy under the eye bushy lower lid.
-vern

Still some work to do but it's working pretty well. I only have a few control bones to create some interesting expressions with his eyes.
I am using a similar set up for controlling his eyebrows that I used for a mouth bone rig in another thread.
http://www.lostmarble.com/forum/viewtop ... ight=mouth
Although, I may have to change it slightly to get more control of the eyebrow shape.
I also plan to add a second set of eye lids, sort of a baggy under the eye bushy lower lid.
-vern
I just did a quick animation of the head turn:
http://www.lowrestv.com/moho_stuff/happy-bear6.mov
It isn't perfect by any means. The chin and snout "grow" in a strange way. I know how to fix this I just need to add a few extra points.
I am surprised it worked this well. It only took a short time to do the head turn (less than the time between my last front view post and the head turn post. I was doing other things and my sister called... and I had to pee etc. Probably 20 minutes or so.
)
Getting exciting now.
http://www.lowrestv.com/moho_stuff/happy-bear6.mov
It isn't perfect by any means. The chin and snout "grow" in a strange way. I know how to fix this I just need to add a few extra points.
I am surprised it worked this well. It only took a short time to do the head turn (less than the time between my last front view post and the head turn post. I was doing other things and my sister called... and I had to pee etc. Probably 20 minutes or so.

Getting exciting now.
This hair brush looks better than Larry's hair!!!
I'm trying to understand how did you achieve that masking (or layer / shape ordering) to the mouth / teeth.
I cannot understand it although I've tried.
Whould you please post a screenshot or make a description of your layers / shapes?
It woud be like a gift for Christmas...
By the way, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year for all of you!!
I'm trying to understand how did you achieve that masking (or layer / shape ordering) to the mouth / teeth.


Whould you please post a screenshot or make a description of your layers / shapes?

It woud be like a gift for Christmas...
By the way, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year for all of you!!
I have been trying to figure out how to have a tongue protrude from inside the mouth and be able to cover the teeth and outside the mouth area. It took a lot of fiddling but I figured out a workable solution...
EDIT:
---------------------
I made changes to the zip file associated with this post. I have simplified my setup. The new Moho file is completely different. Due to an unfortunate problem with my server I am unable to upload a video to go with this (or anything larger than 16kb!). I will put that up as soon as the problem is fixed.
----------------------
This isn't the actual character file. I would like to keep that for myself for now. But I did put together this, uh, thing, to demonstrate the masking and layering I used.
http://www.lowrestv.com/moho_stuff/teeth.zip
As stated above I have made a huge change to this set up. It is way more simple now. I tend to over complicate things trying to keep my original design. Instead I should go back and revise the AS layers for an easier masking set up.
The current sample file has only one mask for the tongue. I still use two tongue layers but I am using a mask for the top tongue to hide and show parts that cover the teeth.
Everything else is just plain old simple layer ordering. Man... sometimes I think too far outside the box.
-vern
EDIT:
---------------------
I made changes to the zip file associated with this post. I have simplified my setup. The new Moho file is completely different. Due to an unfortunate problem with my server I am unable to upload a video to go with this (or anything larger than 16kb!). I will put that up as soon as the problem is fixed.
----------------------
This isn't the actual character file. I would like to keep that for myself for now. But I did put together this, uh, thing, to demonstrate the masking and layering I used.
http://www.lowrestv.com/moho_stuff/teeth.zip
As stated above I have made a huge change to this set up. It is way more simple now. I tend to over complicate things trying to keep my original design. Instead I should go back and revise the AS layers for an easier masking set up.
The current sample file has only one mask for the tongue. I still use two tongue layers but I am using a mask for the top tongue to hide and show parts that cover the teeth.
Everything else is just plain old simple layer ordering. Man... sometimes I think too far outside the box.

-vern
Last edited by heyvern on Mon Jan 01, 2007 5:50 am, edited 2 times in total.
Thank you very much Vern for yuor explanations and for the file. It exceded what I wanted from you. Thankyou very much again.
I was lost in a laberinth due to I mixed the concepts from your "lips" movements (without switch layers only bones) and your Larry's head turn with the great masking concept.
That was the result.
http://amanoalzada.iespana.es/Mohostuff/Golden2.anme
Right click save as
There is no turn in the file. Only open and close mouth. But teeth bones are controlled only by one.
It is a pity that X and Y coordinates are controlled together. If they were two separated controls (one for X and other for Y) it would be fantastic.
I wanted to make a head turn combining bone movement with actions...
But I get trapped in my own disaster.
My way is too complex and none productive. But... If I achieve it I can turn at any position only playing with actions (and also I can move the mouth at any turn position what is not possible with switch layers only).
Perhaps with your explanation and your masking ideas It could result...
At the end the most symple solution is the best. Anyway I'm learning a lot...
Thankyou again for share your knoledge and for your patience.
Genete
I was lost in a laberinth due to I mixed the concepts from your "lips" movements (without switch layers only bones) and your Larry's head turn with the great masking concept.
That was the result.
http://amanoalzada.iespana.es/Mohostuff/Golden2.anme
Right click save as
There is no turn in the file. Only open and close mouth. But teeth bones are controlled only by one.
It is a pity that X and Y coordinates are controlled together. If they were two separated controls (one for X and other for Y) it would be fantastic.
I wanted to make a head turn combining bone movement with actions...
But I get trapped in my own disaster.

Perhaps with your explanation and your masking ideas It could result...
At the end the most symple solution is the best. Anyway I'm learning a lot...

Thankyou again for share your knoledge and for your patience.
Genete
I made a huge change to my set up for the teeth and mouth. I updated my previous post about this with file download so if you downloaded the old one you should check this one out.
I am embarrassed at how complicated I made it before.
As I stated in the edited post it is a million times simpler now in the layering and masking.
-vern
I am embarrassed at how complicated I made it before.

-vern
Wow!!! So, if there is no switch layers why don't you use actions? they can make points motion easier!
Thankyou for share vern, thankyou very much. When I have time I will try to arrange my dog's layout and make it do a 3/4 head turn.

Thankyou for share vern, thankyou very much. When I have time I will try to arrange my dog's layout and make it do a 3/4 head turn.
Don't be embarrassed! we are learning from you and enjoying at same time!. What else do we want!I am embarrassed at how complicated I made it before.![]()

I am moving away from switch layers. Yes... me. The biggest lover of switch layers.
Your are right Genete, I am starting to think actions have more flexibility than switches for bigger things. Small things like changing hand positions from back to front are great for switches with bones.
I have even been thinking that I might move away from switch layers for lip syncing as well. Not completely but somewhat. I still love using Papagayo but switches for lip sync limit the ability for different emotions during dialog, unless you have a bunch of them for different emotions. But then it gets hard to mix these.
I am thinking of trying a "hybrid" switch/point motion lip sync approach. Use a "generic" switch for basic lip sync then use point motion during the dialog in AS to change the emotion. This would be simple on a scene by scene use. I don't have to create every possible scenerio. I could even save these as actions for each layer withing a switch as I create them.
I am also enjoying using bones for facial movements and lip syncing. And now that I have a script from Rasheed to convert bone motion directly to point motion that makes this a viable option for lip syncing even using Papagayo.
It would be very cool if someone could figure a way to convert Papagayo dat files to control actions instead of switch layers. Imagine if a dat file on a specific layer would activate an action. This would allow bone motion to be controlled by Papagayo as well as just switches.
-vern
Your are right Genete, I am starting to think actions have more flexibility than switches for bigger things. Small things like changing hand positions from back to front are great for switches with bones.
I have even been thinking that I might move away from switch layers for lip syncing as well. Not completely but somewhat. I still love using Papagayo but switches for lip sync limit the ability for different emotions during dialog, unless you have a bunch of them for different emotions. But then it gets hard to mix these.
I am thinking of trying a "hybrid" switch/point motion lip sync approach. Use a "generic" switch for basic lip sync then use point motion during the dialog in AS to change the emotion. This would be simple on a scene by scene use. I don't have to create every possible scenerio. I could even save these as actions for each layer withing a switch as I create them.
I am also enjoying using bones for facial movements and lip syncing. And now that I have a script from Rasheed to convert bone motion directly to point motion that makes this a viable option for lip syncing even using Papagayo.
It would be very cool if someone could figure a way to convert Papagayo dat files to control actions instead of switch layers. Imagine if a dat file on a specific layer would activate an action. This would allow bone motion to be controlled by Papagayo as well as just switches.
-vern