Help Shape the Future of Anime Studio

[ladlon]

Hi, synthsin75. Ya? Which ones?

As far as I know, the only ones that are sort of there are the customizable colours and keys, but they are not FULL. For example, you can't seem to change the colour of tool icons, so you are only left with the background of the tool palette... which is fine, except that changing that will mess up other areas, since some areas (that share that BG colour) use light icons/text, while others use dark icons/text. The feature to click on UI items to select what colour is to be edited is not implimented, either You currently have to guess what each item is called in the edit list.

I'm still exploring the program, but so far, I haven't found any of those suggestions implemented. I'd love to be wrong!

[synthsin75]

-Have the camera icon in the 3D view a true 3D object, rather than a flat object... just for better visuality.

Not the camera, but you can enable 3D axes, which may help with orbit view orientation.

-Have unique keyframe shapes in timeline to indicate that keyframe's interpolation (like After Effects does), so you get a full overview of ALL the keys, as well as not having to click on each individual one to see what interpolation it is.

Each keyframe interpolation does have a unique identifier (the line through the keyframe...or arrow, in the case of cycling).

-Option to have newly created layers auto-name, so you don't have to immediately fill in the field each time (and you just rename it later).

Disable inline layer naming in the preferences.

-Option to create multiple new layers at once (ex. 5 new vector layers).

Can be done with very simple custom scripting.

-Keyboard command to cycle through Switch layer items, rather than having to mouse click through the menu in the layer window.

viewtopic.php?p=164994#p164994

-Why isn't Relative Keyframing done automatically when multiple keys are selected? What else would you want to happen if you had multiple keys selected, other than moving all the keys relative? Should just do it automatically when more than one key is selected (or at least by default).

When the feature was first added, there was no option to disable it. But far too many users were getting unexpected results, accidentally leaving keyframes selected when they went to continue animating. And if you leave it enabled, it always works when multiple keys are selected (and AS will remember you left it enabled).

-Ability to scale only one side of the item (ex top only) as opposed to both opposing sides scaling in/out... essentially scaling from opposite edge, but without having to manually move the center point. Do by holding down a key modifier (ex. ALT) while grabbing edge.

I assume you are talking layer scaling, since things like point scaling already allows scale from one side. Not sure why you'd need that for layers, unless you're still doing far too much of your animation at the layer level, instead of bones and points. But if you really must, nest the layer in a group with the desired origin and scale that instead. IMO, layers are the next to the last thing you animate...followed only by camera work.

-Ability to adjust the curve of the motion path via bezier handles on the main work window... and be able to do it without having to park the object on that frame... just click on a point on the motion path... if there's an existing key, pop up the handles, and allow the curve to be edited... if there isn't a key, create one there, and display the curve handles.

You can do this in the Motion Graph.

-Overall, I'd love to have the timeline work like that of After Effects.

Really? viewtopic.php?p=165182#p165182

Considering how many already exist, I was tempted to just let my last post stand. Try exploring more.

[chucky]

Hi Ladlon, Yes Synthsin75 is right many , many of those are already in place, and it would take more time than I have to go through them all.
I do like how you are thinking so sorry about my brevity, also maybe some of the requests might only be 'half covered' by existing features, good post though, comprehensive and thorough. SOme of the coolest features in ASP are a little tucked away.

-Fully customizable hotkeys (keys AND mouse control) for ALL features/actions. most currently


-Have unique keyframe shapes in timeline to indicate that keyframe's interpolation (like After Effects does), so you get a full overview of ALL the keys, as well as not having to click on each individual one to see what interpolation it is. have a look


-Ability to use (mathematical) expressions for values, and refer to other channels in those expressions (like After Effects). access with scripting

-Keyboard command to cycle through Switch layer items, rather than having to mouse click through the menu in the layer window. I think so

-Numbered timeline markers that you can jump between using number keys (like After Effects). there's a key for that, I use all the time and you can label timeline markers and regions

-Why isn't Relative Keyframing done automatically when multiple keys are selected? What else would you want to happen if you had multiple keys selected, other than

moving all the keys relative? Should just do it automatically when more than one key is selected (or at least by default). I wouldn't want that at all, food way to mess things up unintentionally but interesting suggestion , could be a goos option

-Ability to easily crop timeline duration to current bracketed work/loop range (button above the timeline), rather than having the timeline extend past the range, and having to manually zoom in to fit that area to the visible timeline. Yeah there's alt click and ctrl click right and left , have a look

-Ability to scale only one side of the item (ex top only) as opposed to both opposing sides scaling in/out... essentially scaling from opposite edge, but without having to manually move the center point. Do by holding down a key modifier (ex. ALT) while grabbing edge. There are plenty of way of doing that

-Complete customizablity of interface colours. Right now, there is a frustrating situation where some text areas share the same background colour/palette slot, yet some have light text, while others have dark... requiring the background to always be mid-grey if ALL the text is to be seen. I had finally found a combo that works (tool icons and text is actually visible in all lighting conditions... yet later found the Library window ended up with black text on a black background! You need to either not share background palette slots amongst windows that have different text colours, or keep all backgrounds and/or text consistant (light on dark, or dark on light). The two default grey palette presets make the tool icons hard to see in some lighting conditions. Improving/altering one colour often leads to other areas getting worse (since palette slots are shared, and some items cannot be altered... so boosting the brightness of a background in one area (to make the dark FG items more visible) will often result in FG items in another area (that shares that same BG colour, but uses LIGHT FG icons, which can't be altered) becoming very hard to see. Look at the preferences It's pretty comprehensive, you can customise almost everything

-Ability to animate or randomly fluctuate colours (hue, saturation and/or brightness) via an expression or built in modulator. You can get pretty close to that and there's some great scripts out there for that kind of stuff, once again expressions can be scripted and attached to a layer.

-Ability to set the various Switch layer threshold levels for the Auto Lipsync. You can hack that I think, I forget how



-Ability to adjust the curve of the motion path via bezier handles on the main work window... and be able to do it without having to park the object on that frame... just click on a point on the motion path... if there's an existing key, pop up the handles, and allow the curve to be edited... if there isn't a key, create one there, and display the curve handles. Ctrl click the path with adjust the position, but open up the motion graph and the beziers handles are there, much better than toon booms motion graph which is rubbish.

-Overall, a more efficient and consistant use of mouse/keyboard combinations. Less tool switching. More consistant (and full use of) key modifiers (CTRL, ALT, SHIFT). Seems a bit random now, with no pattern or consistancy. Once again, simply make all commands customizable (keys AND mouse editing), and everyone is happy. I think you need to look at the toolbar tips, there's a lot of modifiers than get around tool switching

-Seems like items like Audio clips in the Sequencer timeline should have a Right Mouse Button menu (at least to be able to delete them). Overall, I find a few tools/features that seem like they should have a context (RMB) menu. Yeah sequencer needs some work


Great stuff so far! I'm very interested to see what v12 brings.

[ladlon]

Hi, guys. Thanks for the feedback.

Yes, I agree with Chucky... Even if some items are implemented, it's a more a matter of HOW or HOW MUCH they are.

Yes, you can modify the motion path, but only indirectly, via the Graph Editor, not directly in the comp window.

Some of these things may be considered minor, but just like (for example) a program where you set keyframes with a pulldown menu, the task is 'possible', but done repeatedly, it can be a bit tedious, and there may be a more efficient way of doing it (in that example, a keyframe hotkey). I find some of Anime Studio's control schemes and layouts could be more efficient and smooth.

As mentioned before, I respect that some people like things the way they are, and other people like things different (and even those may not want it the way I do)... so I always propose customization, so everyone can be appeased. And, just as with many of the other features, Anime Studio DOES allow that, but not to the full degree needed (in my opinion).

I still feel the actual keyframe icons themselves should represent the interpolation, and not just lines that (if I remember right) only appear when you view the curves for that specific channel, as opposed to seeing it on ALL channels in main (overview) timeline (....sorry if I'm mistaken).

Although the colours can be modified, it is currently clunky trying to figure out what each area is named, and having to change one item, exit, view the results, and repeat until you find the match. Again, not a criticism of not being able to do it, but more in HOW. Being able to click on the target area in the real interface (or have a full mockup of the ENTIRE interface in the colour editor) would be a huge help. There IS still the issue of shared colours, where one area uses light FG elements, and the other uses dark, making any brightness adjustment of the background mess up ONE of those areas.

Agreed, there are quite a few hidden features (...which is a pleasant surprise), but that can also point to the fact that the manual needs updating. If I want to be picky, I would criticize the Tutorial manual to be seriously lacking, as many of the 'lessons' to have most of the scene set up, and you just load a file or click a button to complete it, with no real lesson on what the settings do (For example, the three settings for Bone Dynamics).

I'll have to go through your notes and discover those features I thought were not present. I'll be glad to be proven wrong on some of them!


Thanks again for your feedback. I'll look further into those, but (to the developers) please consider those that aren't covered, are covered only partially, or could be done in a more efficient/smoother manner.

Cheers!

[synthsin75]

I still feel the actual keyframe icons themselves should represent the interpolation, and not just lines that (if I remember right) only appear when you view the curves for that specific channel, as opposed to seeing it on ALL channels in main (overview) timeline (....sorry if I'm mistaken).

Why don't you try changing a key's interpolation and really taking a look at what the keyframe looks like? Do you see the line that runs through the keyframe (except for smooth and cycle interpolations)? A straight horizontal line means linear interpolation, a straight vertical line means step interpolation, a U-shaped line means ease in/ease out, etc.. These show in the main timeline and show the predominate interpolation in the ALL channels.

[ladlon]

@synthsin75: (Re: Keyframe icons)

I just tried it, and no, nothing shows up. Same icons.

I'm talking about the Channels graph, not the Motion Graph. Yes, the Motion graph shows the curves and all that (as it should!).

My suggestion is that the Channels graph indicates the interpolation by the shape of the KEYFRAME icon, so that at a glance, you see not only the interpolation of ALL the keys of the channel, but also of ALL the channels. This removes the extra steps of going into the Graph editor of each channel to view the status of everything, one by one.

You get a nice overview of everything, at NO extra cost of space or effort. Simply make the keyframe icons (in the Channels graph) indicate the interpolation (...again, like After Effects does). Right now, those keyframe icons only tell you one thing... time location, when they could tell you so much more (without the need of going into other screens, clicking buttons, going into menus, etc).

[synthsin75]

@synthsin75: (Re: Keyframe icons)

I just tried it, and no, nothing shows up. Same icons.

I'm talking about the Channels graph, not the Motion Graph. Yes, the Motion graph shows the curves and all that (as it should!).

My suggestion is that the Channels graph indicates the interpolation by the shape of the KEYFRAME icon, so that at a glance, you see not only the interpolation of ALL the keys of the channel, but also of ALL the channels. This removes the extra steps of going into the Graph editor of each channel to view the status of everything, one by one.

You get a nice overview of everything, at NO extra cost of space or effort. Simply make the keyframe icons (in the Channels graph) indicate the interpolation (...again, like After Effects does). Right now, those keyframe icons only tell you one thing... time location, when they could tell you so much more (without the need of going into other screens, clicking buttons, going into menus, etc).

Apparently your eyesight is not up to the task, so here's the mainline (not Motion Graph) zoomed in for ya:

See the difference now? The keyframes indicate all the interpolations. Now you may prefer the shapes to be different, but you cannot continue to tell me they do not show interpolation unless you are daft.

[ladlon]

On my 1920x1080 monitor, the icons are little dots the size of the head of a pin, even if I zoom into the timeline using the timeline zoom buttons.

Looking really closely, ya, I now see that there are little differences in them that are hard for me to spot (much like the tool icons are a bit hard to distinguish due to their size, and mostly the low contrast).

BTW, my eyesight IS a little poor currently. So, there's no need to be a prick about this. Some people are colourblind, too.

My mistake, but at their current size, it's very hard to distinguish them, even with me now realizing there are differences in them.

Is there some way to increase the size of the keyframe icons?

[synthsin75]

On my 1920x1080 monitor, the icons are little dots the size of the head of a pin, even if I zoom into the timeline using the timeline zoom buttons.

Looking really closely, ya, I now see that there are little differences in them that are hard for me to spot (much like the tool icons are a bit hard to distinguish due to their size, and mostly the low contrast).

BTW, my eyesight IS a little poor currently. So, there's no need to be a prick about this. Some people are colourblind, too.

My mistake, but at their current size, it's very hard to distinguish them, even with me now realizing there are differences in them.

Is there some way to increase the size of the keyframe icons?

I have the exact same resolution on my 17" laptop, and I have no problem seeing the difference. Yeah, I happen to be color blind. And? You seemed to assume that people were leading you wrong, simply because you wouldn't take the time to look any harder. What if someone repeatedly told you the same thing about AE? Wouldn't you be a little blunt with someone who is missing what you consider to be quite obvious?

If your eyesight is poor, you might consider changing your DPI settings. http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/28 ... 8-1-a.html

[chucky]

I thought I'd butt in here.
As I said some of the best features are a little tucked away.
What I meant by that is not that they aren't covered in the manual, but that ASP is much more involved and advanced than it seems at a glance.
Please be patient Ladlon and do delve further, do ask questions, you might just find that many of your concerns are covered.
I am dead sure that Synth was not being a 'prick', that's very harsh considering how much time he took in responding to you, he rather deserves a thankyou I think.

Anyway, if you think those icons are a little small, please do post an image of what you would prefer, moderators and developers do lurk and will bound to keep it in mind during any development stage. THey certainly take this kind of stuff seriously , unless it is frivolous or just trolling.

I hope you do keep up with AS , I am sure you will enjoy using it and your experiences in this forum, just be patient eh?

[slowtiger]

ladlon, my monitor has a 1200x1600 resolution, slightly less than yours, but I can read the keyframe circles easily. Maybe you should try and use a different resolution?

[Greenlaw]

Personally, I think ASP's timeline icons are too small too. Well, maybe 'small' isn't the right word...they're all too similar for their pixel size. The differences between these 8-pixel wide icons aren't easily discernible on smaller displays, like on my 13" Windows tablet computer screen for example, especially since what's actually different between these icons are the six or so pixels inside the otherwise identical circle shape for each mode. With anti-aliasing on top of that, the differences get even fuzzier.

This was pretty bad with my tablet's default display res of 2560 x 1440 but even after I lowered the display res to 1920 x 1080, it's still kinda hard to read the differences. I mean, I can see the differences but they're pretty small. On the really large desktop monitor I use at work, it does get easier to see the differences but, IMO, the differences are still subtle.

By comparison, I don't have any problem reading differences between the keyframe mode icons in After Effects. AE's keyframe mode icons are probably about the same size but the overall shapes are distinctly different from each other: diamond for linear, square for hold, circle for smooth, square with curved side is ease in or ease out, etc.

When I'm animating in ASP, I'm usually very conscious of which interpolation mode I'm in so this hasn't been a big issue for me but, between these two UI styles, I prefer the more obvious clarity of the icons in AE. In AE, a quick glance tells me what's going on in the timeline, but in ASP I have to study the keyframes a bit more carefully because the shapes really are pretty similar to each other.

Understand, that this is coming from somebody who uses ASP almost every day at work with great enthusiasm, sooo...just sayin' the icon readability could be better.

Regarding the other stuff on the list, yeah, most of that is already in there (in ASP 11.2.1 anyway.)

[ladlon]

Hi, guys. Thanks for the continued responses.

@Chucky: Yes, I hope I don't come across as not liking Anime Studio, or being impatient with it. Definitely not the case. As I said, I am very impressed with it, and blown away by the range of surprising features (as well as their quality). I've been using After Effects for over a decade, yet I am seriously considering using Anime Studio as my main animation software because of them. As mentioned, I simply find a few things a bit clunky, or a little frustrating (like the palette editor, and finding a combo that doesn't render some windows unreadable). Also, I'm sorry to all if I also come across as rude. I tried to make it clear at the start of my post that I acknowledge that some of my suggestions may exist already, or that someone else may have suggested them already. As you rightfully say, there are a lot of hidden features (which, as I said, I was very pleasantly surprised by... There were several moments where I THOUGHT I didn't like how it did things, only to find there was a hot key or alternate method which was more to my liking/familiarity. Lastly, I do very much appreciate the feedback (especially people pointing out stuff I missed), and have thanked each one in my response, including SynthSin. That said....

@Synthsin: For my part, I am sorry. I do appreciate your help, but I don't appreciate the 'daft' jab, and being accused of being too lazy to look at things. I acknowledged that you were right about the icons being different, but the fact that I didn't see it without looking very closely illustrates my point exactly... They should be VERY clear, for ease of use... just as workflow and mouse travel should be smooth and efficient for any program. A 12x5 pixel 'PLAY' button 'works'.... but it's not very easy to use. That is the point I'm trying to make on some of my suggestions. They are my own, personal 'wishes', which would make Anime Studio much more efficient and smoother for me. I aknowledged that not everyone will agree, which is why I always strongly suggest making things optional. I have read a few people saying that they feel the icons are too small. I would agree, but actually I feel (for me) it's more of the SIMILARITY of the icons, not so much the size (although the ability to scale the icons to your preferred size is something I encourage). Many of the icons are almost the same shape, and (like the keyframe icons) can be difficult to distinguish. Even a short moment of hesitation caused by that is workflow affected negatively. Please respect my suggestions

@Greenlaw: Ya, on my 1920x1080 monitor, the keyframe icons are 8 pixels wide, meaning the distinguishing shape INSIDE it is about 6 pixels or less. Unless you look closely, they all appear as circles. An 8 pixel wide circle with a 6 pixel curved line in it is hard to distinguish from an 8 pixel wide circle with a 6 pixel straight line through it... for me, at least. I am suggesting that instead of them all being circles (which makes them look very similar), they use the After Effects method, of having their PROFILE/shape different... An 8 pixel square is easy to distinguish from an 8 pixel circle or triangle. That's all I'm suggesting. And, as usual, make it optional so everyone gets what they want!

@Slowtiger: Sure, that would help, but shouldn't the software strive to be not only legible, but very easily legible in not only varying resolutions, and also lighting conditions? Why reduce the whole workspace resolution for this program, as well as all my other programs and desktop, when you could simply make the icons more visible. Again, I think it's more about shape than size. Even distinguishing them using different colours would be great.

Yep, some of the stuff on my list is already in the program (...I either missed it, misunderstood it, or just had an honest brain fart)... some of the stuff is there, but either not fully or not the way I would prefer... some of the stuff can be done, but with scripting (which I haven't got into yet, since I'm new to the program)....some of the stuff has probably mentioned by someone else....and some of the stuff isn't there yet. Your feedback has definitely helped me with some of them. Thanks!

Anyway, let's move on (as I'm sure the other users and moderators don't want to wade through all this!).

Again, sorry if my posts offended or were misinterpreted. Cheers.

[Pierre Gombaud]

Hey,

I've been thinking about the Actions window and how I would like it to be improved.
Sorry in advance if it has been already discussed


Basically, I think it would be easier to have it horizontally rather than vertically,
with the ability to show actions related to the selected smartbone only.

Also, when you've got many many actions, a button would be useful to go back to the mainline,
rather than having to go back to the top of the list (which is not very user-friendly).


See below:


What do you, guys, think?

[chucky]

Good ideas