What additional software are you using alongside Moho?

[arglborps]

I'm heavily invested in the Apple ecosystem, so apart from Moho I'm using Final Cut Pro for editing videos and Apple Motion for vfx and compositing.

For backgrounds I'm sometimes using Affinity Designer if I want to make them in vectors, for bitmap backgrounds I prefer to use Procreate with my iPad Pro, it's just as close as you can get to actually drawing with a pen on paper.

[Panha]

@panha - thank you. I wasn’t aware of Krita and it looks like you can create vector layers in the software. What elements [for your animation] do you typically draw as vector layers and what elements do you draw as raster layers?

My main animation is raster, but some flexible elements like water, wind, etc are vectors. I don't use Krita to draw vector since Krita is not good at that. I use Moho to draw vector without the need of other vector softwares. To me, it is enough to use Moho to draw vector.

[Allibanos]

Do you know which, if any, free software’s layers are exportable as Moho vector layers? I’ve just started doing a tutorial on Procreate, but I think that’s a raster programme.

none directly. the closest is to use a supported import format such as SVG which (e.g.) Inkscape can create. But if you're looking to draw in vectors to use in Moho it's way better to use Moho's drawing tools.

Thank you. A few people have since suggested this and, on watching the Moho tutorials, I can see how it looks straightforward, with experience, to vector trace images brought in to Moho

[Allibanos]

Do you know which, if any, free software’s layers are exportable as Moho vector layers? I’ve just started doing a tutorial on Procreate, but I think that’s a raster programme.

I'm jumping back into this conversation without reading too far back, so my apologies if this info was already covered.

Of the vector drawing programs I use, Adobe Illustrator is probably the most powerful, and its SVG output works well with Moho. When I was the Lead Digital Artist on Fast & Furious: Spy Racers, I used it regularly for creating motion graphic elements for animation in After Effects and Moho, which worked very reliably for me. The last time I used this feature (maybe a year ago,) I had to use the Save As... version of SVG, not the Export>Export As... version...otherwise, the SVG will not be read correctly. Also, I needed to use SVG Tiny option, but any version of Tiny worked. This has probably changed with Moho 14.1 because we have a different and better SVG importer now, but if you run into any issues, check these options.

I use Clip Studio Paint's vector tools for drawing my comics. I haven't drawn comics in a few years, but CSP did not export vector art in any format back then. I'm told this changed recently, and CSP can now export SVG. I'll try it with Moho over the weekend and see how it works for me.

(Sorry, it just occurred to me that neither of the above is free. However....)

Inkscape is another popular alternative to Illustrator, and it's open source and free! But I've never used it, so can't comment on how well it works with Moho. I'm sure others here can describe its performance with Moho.

Now, there are a few things you need to be aware of when using vector art created in a third-party program:

There is little reason to use an external program for drawing vector art for everyday character rigging and animation in Moho. As a matter of fact, to get nicely deforming characters in Moho, you want to create your vector art directly inside Moho using the Add Points tool. This is because when creating vector art in another program, you cannot be sure if the point count and placement are optimal for Bones rigging and Smart Warp deformation in Moho.

I found working with Illustrator for Moho most helpful when I had to create drawings and graphic elements that had to be technically and geometrically precise. (If you've watched FFSR, then you know why.) But for everything else, it's optimal to draw inside Moho.

When working in a third-party drawing program for Moho, you don't want to spend a lot of time and effort styling your vectors in another program because some style features are program-specific and may not convert correctly or at all to Moho.

Finally, Moho's vector graphics tools are actually quite good. When I say this, I'm mainly talking about the Add Points tool, especially in Moho 14.x with the new 'click-only' feature, and when you add third-party scripts like MR Curve, HS Shape, and the SS Multilayer Transform Points and AE Multilayer Magnet tools. (I believe all of these are available at mohoscripts.com). Also, in Moho 14.1, the Freehand and Blob Brush tools received significant improvements and are finally usable for real-world production work. In fact, lately, I've been using Freehand regularly in Moho (mainly for short FBF animations and vector artwork that do not need to be deformed).

I hope this info is helpful.

Thanks for jumping back in, Greenlaw. Very helpful indeed!

I have just looked up the price of Adobe Creative Cloud and it seems quite fairly priced considering what’s included. I just purchased Moho Pro also, so it might make sense at some point - when I am more experienced - to consider / try Illustrator based on your endorsement, once I have played about with Moho on the new MacBook. Still, I hear what you are saying about potential drawbacks of using 3rd party vector software and then importing them in to Moho. Looking at some of the Moho tutorials it seems fairly straightforward to import images in to Moho and then create vector images from using the Moho vector tools, so I think that is a good way to start.

Question: what is FFSR?

[Allibanos]

Re: Procreate, yes, it's a bitmap paint program. One of my early Moho productions used it for most of the artwork, and you can see it here: Hearts Like Fists End Titles Animation. No vector output, but still very useful for creating artwork for Moho.

These days, I mainly use Procreate only for concept design and brainstorming. I'd use it more with Moho except it's a small hassle to move files back and forth across two different OS's.

I have just started using Procreate and have been following some YouTube tutorials. It’s an intuitive piece of drawing software. I like it a lot. I could certainly see myself drawing images in Procreate, importing them in to Moho and then tracing them in to vector art

[synthsin75]

Question: what is FFSR?

The Fast & Furious Spy Racers, a show he worked on.

[Allibanos]

These days, I mainly use Procreate only for concept design and brainstorming.

Same.

Generally, I draw a character or background in Procreate on my iPad, then I use "AirDrop" to wirelessly send the image as a PNG to my Apple computer (takes seconds). After I open the image in Moho, I trace it as vector art using the Moho tools.

Yes, I think this will be the way forward for me. Do you use your iPad as a tablet for your Apple computer or do use a separate mouse and tablet? I have ordered a new MacBook Pro and was looking at tablets for drawing until I found I can repurpose my iPad as a tablet until I get better and perhaps need more features

[Allibanos]

Question: what is FFSR?

The Fast & Furious Spy Racers, a show he worked on.

Ah, of course. It didn’t click. Thank you.

[Allibanos]

- Pencil 2d nightly build for creating storyboard ideas fast.

- I use Blender to create 3d models or references in 3d
and export as obj then import obj file to Moho.

- Mypaint / Photoshop / Pd Howler for background art.

- Kden live / Davinci resolve for video editing.

- Natreon / Particle illusion for special fx.

I try to use open source software whenever I can.

Thank you and noted.

Blender is a piece of software I keep seeing being mentioned and I have watched a few tutorials on this. As I gain more experience and confidence in design / illustration I would like to experiment with 3D.

[Allibanos]

I'm heavily invested in the Apple ecosystem, so apart from Moho I'm using Final Cut Pro for editing videos and Apple Motion for vfx and compositing.

For backgrounds I'm sometimes using Affinity Designer if I want to make them in vectors, for bitmap backgrounds I prefer to use Procreate with my iPad Pro, it's just as close as you can get to actually drawing with a pen on paper.

Same here. It looks like Apple has thrown up all over me and my house at times. No regrets though

And yes, I have been experimenting with Procreate and am impressed with its ease of use and end results. More time with it is definitely needed!

[Hoptoad]

Yes, I think this will be the way forward for me. Do you use your iPad as a tablet for your Apple computer or do use a separate mouse and tablet? I have ordered a new MacBook Pro and was looking at tablets for drawing until I found I can repurpose my iPad as a tablet until I get better and perhaps need more features

I use an Apple Pencil to draw in Procreate. The pencil allows Procreate to respond to pressure and so forth while drawing. When the drawing reaches the point where I can say "Hmm, I suppose it's done," I use Share>PNG and AirDrop it to my Mac Mini.

Heads up: older iPads can't AirDrop to newer computers, so if your iPad isn't new-ish, your iPad's AirDrop may not "see" your new MacBook Pro. Until I got a newer iPad, I used DropBox to share the PNGs between my old iPad and my newer Mac Mini, which is fine. . .but AirDrop is way faster.

[Allibanos]

Yes, I think this will be the way forward for me. Do you use your iPad as a tablet for your Apple computer or do use a separate mouse and tablet? I have ordered a new MacBook Pro and was looking at tablets for drawing until I found I can repurpose my iPad as a tablet until I get better and perhaps need more features

I use an Apple Pencil to draw in Procreate. The pencil allows Procreate to respond to pressure and so forth while drawing. When the drawing reaches the point where I can say "Hmm, I suppose it's done," I use Share>PNG and AirDrop it to my Mac Mini.

Heads up: older iPads can't AirDrop to newer computers, so if your iPad isn't new-ish, your iPad's AirDrop may not "see" your new MacBook Pro. Until I got a newer iPad, I used DropBox to share the PNGs between my old iPad and my newer Mac Mini, which is fine. . .but AirDrop is way faster.

I’ve been using my Apple Pencil to draw in Procreate and it works really well, especially with the feel of the paper-style screen protector.

My iPad Pro is a 3rd gen so, from what I read, should be ok to Airdrop to the new MacBook Pro I’ve ordered.