character non-outlines

[slice11217]

If you use the layer shading option with the following settings:

More thicker is the outline more bigger is the visible gap. But OK this is a workaround .
-G

Um, ....WOW!

I'm still kinda digging through the settings to figure out what you did, but this is pretty much what I'd been looking for. I'm going to test to see how well it renders to .swf

How did you get the line to disappear when not folded?

Thanks, Genete. You and Vern should be made LostMarble partners or something.

[Genete]

I'm going to test to see how well it renders to .swf

It doesn't work to swf.

The trick is hide the outline using shading. When the outline is not an external edge then it is shown.

http://www.darthfurby.com/genete/Other/ ... _only.anme

The sample file.
-G

[slice11217]

I'm going to test to see how well it renders to .swf

It doesn't work to swf.

Aah, an unfortunate aspect. -Those doggone Flash coders! (I only blame them because I like ASP better)

Unfortunately this project is going to be on the web so I need it to work as a .swf, or as a Flash video, whichever takes up less memory without significantly sacrificing quality.

Your solution will definitely work if I can use Flash video. I like your solution best, but that darn .swf format really screws with things!

-S

[slice11217]

I wonder if something useful could be done with layer transfer modes?

Actually this brings up another situation that I was trying to get an answer from Greykid about: character shading. All they said was that they draw the character shading on the vector layers along with all the other shapes.

At work, it's drawn in Flash on a layer above the character animation (don't ask why they don't use ASP, I've been campaigning for this for quite a while). Anyway, the character animation and the shadow layer is output separately and then composited in After Effects, with the shadow layer being used to mask out a duplicate of the character layer, which is set to a 'multiply' transfer mode above the first instance of the character layer.

I like the above means for creating the shadow layer because it allows the colorists to go fast, using only one color, being a little sloppy with their overlapping, and avoids having to be attentive to a shadow palette when coloring cels.

I would do the same thing in ASP but .swf files don't recognize ASP's masks. It would be so easy if it did. I'd really rather not create a shadow palette of colors if it could be avoided.

Adobe really ought to get on the ball with .swf now that they own it. I'm tired of Flash's upgrades only being about Actionscripting. After all, the graphics end of it is what attracted people to it in the first place so many years ago.

Well, that's my rant anyway.

-S

[jahnocli]

Adobe really ought to get on the ball with .swf now that they own it. I'm tired of Flash's upgrades only being about Actionscripting. After all, the graphics end of it is what attracted people to it in the first place so many years ago.

Absolutely. Totally agree.

[mkelley]

Can't you render to BMP and then convert to flash?

I don't use flash, but I do animations in other formats (AVI, WMV) and that's what I do in AS.

[slice11217]

Can't you render to BMP and then convert to flash?

I don't use flash, but I do animations in other formats (AVI, WMV) and that's what I do in AS.

BMP isn't vector-based. I'd prefer vector-based. Flash video is an acceptable alternative though. The project is for the web, for now. I'm sure later they'd like a video version and when that happens I'll use Quicktime.

[rplate]

Can't you render to BMP and then convert to flash?

I don't use flash, but I do animations in other formats (AVI, WMV) and that's what I do in AS.

BMP isn't vector-based. I'd prefer vector-based. Flash video is an acceptable alternative though. The project is for the web, for now. I'm sure later they'd like a video version and when that happens I'll use Quicktime.

Here's a fix I've worked on that works in Flash. I fixed it now....The color turns red at the end only because I changed to a flesh color after testing it and didn't have time to go back and fix it. If this seems to fit the bill I'll expain in a reply post. Let me know ether way please.
Flash example here.

.That other guy.

.
Bob P

[slice11217]

Here's a fix I've worked on that works in Flash. I fixed it now....The color turns red at the end only because I changed to a flesh color after testing it and didn't have time to go back and fix it. If this seems to fit the bill I'll expain in a reply post. Let me know ether way please.
Flash example here.

.That other guy.

.
Bob P

Hey, I like it! I didn't see any red though -I guess that's why you said "I fixed it".

So how did you do it?

[rplate]

Bob Plate's reply to slice11217

Oh. by the way I followed your tutorial of the bone animation of your fox a while back. It looks so simple to do. But, knowing how to shape everything at frame zero has me stumped. Great job! Can't wait to see how things work out for you.

I feel badly about giving you the credit for something you didn't do. That "Fox" you showed as a sample is the work of Kazerad,isn't it?
viewtopic.php?p=46593&highlight=#46593

However I will give you credit if you had any part in the making of the "production reel" for the company web page you alluded to in another post. Looks GREAT!
.
http://www.animationcollective.com/reel/index.htm


.
Bob P

[slice11217]

.EDIT: I tried variable line widths and flash did not interpret them. But, it did interpret the set line widths.
.
Just a reminder. I don't think flash will interpret VARIABLE line widths. I think that was an option you thought to try. Somebody correct me if I am wrong.
Bob P
.
.

Thanks for the technique. I'll give it a shot.

Flash won't interpret variable line widths but, when you render out from ASP click the box for 'variable line widths'. What ASP does is it converts the variable line into a shape which is shaped like the original variable line. -It's not a true interpretation but it works.

...also from what I can tell, it's not 100% reliable.

-S

[heyvern]

I have used the variable line width export to swf when I need an AS file for print work.

What it does in some cases is use a filled shape for the "ends" of lines that taper. It will use a stroke for the lines themselves. This is probably based on if you atcually changed the width of all the points in the AS file. If you only change the width on the end points of strokes as I do in most cases then that is the only part of the line converted to a shape. This can be problematic since the shapes don't always "align" with the strokes when the swf is viewed. Strokes and fills are "rendered" differently in flash I think.

-vern

[slice11217]

I'll just blame the problem on Flash.

[slowtiger]

I wonder if the whole procedure can't be done easier in Flash? For this it will need a separate SWF render of just the outlines, positioned over the complete render of the character. Now in Flash one could select just a part of the outline and change its colour, right?

In the olden days all outlines had to be traced anyway, so it didn't make much of a difference to do some of them in different ink. Today, if I animate on bitmap, I can always select the outline and paint parts of it differently - all by hand as well. I think you can't get rid of that workload, at least not completely. I could imagine a code structure which lets me "group" shapes in a way that AS would know to put a different outline on one of them when they intersect (similar to the "hi-hat-group" mode of samplers), but this would be a kind of special request for a future version. I don't think that even cartoon shaders in 3D have an automatism for that.

[jahnocli]

I'm sure later they'd like a video version and when that happens I'll use Quicktime.

Can't you just export Quicktime from AS and then convert to .flv format with Riva? It's free and it works pretty well (although it does restrict you to a range of preset formats)...