Illustrator imports... THE REAL BIG DEAL

MarkBorok · Post by **MarkBorok** » Sat Dec 24, 2005 4:48 pm

Possible solutions: convert illustartor files to raster format before importing. You would lose the ability to animate the curves (i.e. by moving control points), but this could perhaps be solved if Moho introduced envelope distortions of bitmap artwork using a vector envelope (sort of like what AfterEffects does with its distortion grid.) Otherwise strategically placed bones might have the same effect. If you added animation to the bone's influence zone you could get even more control.

Other possibility; add more Illustrator-like tools to Moho to create more complex geometric shapes. I prefer freehand illustration myself and I can't see any superiority on the part of Illustrator in working with freehand tools. I did use Illustrator on a recent project, imported the designs into Moho and then tweaked the curves by hand. It was a bit annoying, but not that big a deal. Anyway, I'm assuming that most of the people who want better .ai import like to work with precise geometric shapes.

stephklein · Post by **stephklein** » Tue Dec 27, 2005 7:44 pm

Rasheed wrote:
stephklein wrote:As a side note: Why does moho require an Illustrator 8 or lower file?
no PDF allowed for Moho

Who said anything about PDFs?

Rasheed · Post by **Rasheed** » Tue Dec 27, 2005 8:34 pm

I don't have Illustrator, but when I export to AI version 9 (eg with Expression 3), the first line reads:

Code: Select all

%PDF-1.4

while exported to AI version 7, the first line reads:

Code: Select all

%!PS-Adobe-3.0

I guess this is the reason why Moho only imports lower versions. Version 9 and higher are PDF files; earlier versions are PS files. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

stephklein · Post by **stephklein** » Wed Dec 28, 2005 9:54 pm

Hmm... interesting...

box · Post by **box** » Tue Jan 17, 2006 12:04 pm

Well, it's not just about quality, but about speed, too. My DualG5 takes around two minutes to import a single rectangle from illustrator. Pretty weird.

Manu · Post by **Manu** » Tue Jan 17, 2006 6:40 pm

Stephklein: Illustrator files have been PDF's since version 11, before that, they were really just EPS. AFAIK, the "import>EPS" and "import>illustrator file" menu items in Moho do exactly the same thing.

I understand why Moho wants to animate the control-points automatically, but I still don't understand why it has to set them to some odd position on import or creation. Why can't it allow you to use a full bezier-curve in build-mode and then move the control-points relative to the main point in the middle once you're animating?

Another thing to look at is After Effects. After Effects has an "auto-bezier" function these days. Just like Moho, After Effects will hide and calculate the control-points for you, leaving you with less stuff to bother with. However, After Effects calculates those points in a different way from Moho, the resulting curves are far more logical. In Moho, it is very difficult to get rid of that typical "wobble" that all the lines show. I often can recognize Moho artwork from a mile, because of that "wobble".

stephklein · Post by **stephklein** » Tue Jan 17, 2006 10:20 pm

After Effects' Auto-Bezier function is a function of keyframe interpolation, not of animated vector art. The only vectors whose positioning you can animate in AFX are masks, which arent used as vector art. And even so, when animating mask nodes, you have to adjust the handles at every keyframe, which would become a massive pain in the ass if you started animating vector art that way.

I do agree that maybe Moho should have an option for animating the control points. Maybe an option to turn on control point keyframing for individual nodes would be in order.

PS: box, Mac's are terrible. You shouldn't use them.

Manu · Post by **Manu** » Wed Jan 18, 2006 8:56 am

stephklein wrote:After Effects' Auto-Bezier function is a function of keyframe interpolation, not of animated vector art. The only vectors whose positioning you can animate in AFX are masks, which arent used as vector art. And even so, when animating mask nodes, you have to adjust the handles at every keyframe, which would become a massive pain in the ass if you started animating vector art that way.

I know that auto-bezier is an interpolation function, but that is not what I'm talking about.

When you pick the bezier-pen tool from the tool-panel, there is an "auto-bezier" button underneath it. Tick it, and from then on you'll be drawing your beziers without handles. It may have only been there since version 6 or even 6.5 though.

And yes, the vectors are there for masking, but when you apply the mask to a solid, you can treat it as an animatable vector-shape without outlines.

animatioNZ · Post by **animatioNZ** » Thu Jan 19, 2006 8:54 am

Stephklein wrote:

QUOTE PS: box, Mac's are terrible. You shouldn't use them. UNQUOTE

Jeez fella, I'm glad to see you are so well informed. I guess that means that the majority of graphic designers, artists, musicians etc must be stupid for buying Macs. Or possibly there is some other reason?

Those of us that use both Macs and PCs to earn a living know which ones we prefer, don't we?

But let's not go down the PC vs Mac road - it's a boring argument, but I get tired of reading ill-informed statements like Stephklein's.

The400th · Post by **The400th** » Thu Jan 19, 2006 7:44 pm

animatioNZ, I think Stephklein was joking.

animatioNZ · Post by **animatioNZ** » Thu Jan 19, 2006 8:44 pm

Really?

Humour in a cartoon and animation forum...

stephklein · Post by **stephklein** » Thu Jan 19, 2006 8:53 pm

** I got a little carried away with this. This totally isnt the venue, so I erased my little spiel here. Apologies.**

Rasheed · Post by **Rasheed** » Thu Jan 19, 2006 10:09 pm

Please refrain from unnecessary Mac bashing on this forum. There are some proud Mac users here, who don't feel the need to prove anything to a Mac bashing poster.

Let's leave at this: everyone uses the system s/he prefers for their own personal reasons. You obviously don't like Macs, some don't like Windows, but what's the use of telling that in a multiplatform forum like the Lost Marble forum?

I try to do all my Windows bashing in a Mac specific forum, because it is appropriate there. I suggest you do something similar in a Windows specific forum.

So, I do respect your opinion, as long as it is appropriate. And what you wrote earlier in this thread cannot be called appropriate.

Now, please can we go on-topic again?

jorgy · Post by **jorgy** » Fri Jan 20, 2006 6:06 am

Linux rules!!!

Just kidding!

box · Post by **box** » Wed Jan 25, 2006 8:53 pm

Ups! Didnt know that my small remark would cause such a discussion!
(stephklein, you should know that we mac users will never sell our souls to the empire of darkness, regardless the arguments...

)
But lets get back to the illustrator topic.

I tested this speed issue and there is something very strange about it.

When I export a simple shape (<20points) from Illustrator CS to AI8, the resulting file takes ages to import in moho.
The same shape, exported from flash imports just well.
So there seems to be an incompatibility between moho and CS legacy files.

Do any of you have that issue with CS2, too? Maybe we can make simple tests on different platforms (yes, linux too)