character non-outlines

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slice11217
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character non-outlines

Post by slice11217 »

I have a situation that I wonder if anyone has an easy and simple solution for:

I'm working on a character that by design doesn't have any outlines. I like the look of it but when a body part overlaps another body part, I'd like to have some kind of line there to indicate the overlap. -Think of the fold that's created under the joints when you bend your finger. The skin is the same color, but there's a line where the skin folds.

I'd like to continue not having a outline but I'd like for an indication when the body parts overlap. My current solution is a workaround, really: render the animation as a .swf and then draw in the lines in Flash.

If there's a way I can avoid doing this and easily get the effect I want in Anime Studio Pro, let me know. It doesn't sound like the kind of thing a script would be written for.

Thanks,

Slice
rplate
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Re: character non-outlines

Post by rplate »

slice11217 wrote:I have a situation that I wonder if anyone has an easy and simple solution for:

I'm working on a character that by design doesn't have any outlines. I like the look of it but when a body part overlaps another body part, I'd like to have some kind of line there to indicate the overlap. -Think of the fold that's created under the joints when you bend your finger. The skin is the same color, but there's a line where the skin folds.

I'd like to continue not having a outline but I'd like for an indication when the body parts overlap. My current solution is a workaround, really: render the animation as a .swf and then draw in the lines in Flash.

If there's a way I can avoid doing this and easily get the effect I want in Anime Studio Pro, let me know. It doesn't sound like the kind of thing a script would be written for.

Thanks,

Slice
I just posted a thread a while back on how to hide lines. The concept can also be used to show lines. Instead of turning your line color off, copy and paste the skin color hexadecimal into the outline color., click OK and reopen the line color box and move the color ever so slightly to give a hint of a line. Look at this post for an idea of what I mean. It's the one with Superman's face. Read through the how to.

viewtopic.php?t=10043

.
.
Regards
Bob P .
slice11217
Posts: 279
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Location: Verona, New Jersey

Post by slice11217 »

um, this doesn't really seem to answer the question.

I mean, I don't want the line color to show up EVERYWHERE the color style has been applied, only on specific lines in the areas that overlap and only WHEN they overlap.

Samurai Jack did this a lot. That was a show with no outlines except in the interior.
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heyvern
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Post by heyvern »

This is a tough one.

A couple of possible options to play around with:

Use masking to hide a "stroke layer". The stroke is only revealed when a body part passes over another body part. I can do an example if you need one.

Use a gradient fill.. or a halo effect... or something more subtle than a stroke. When the shape is against the background or another solid color the effect isn't as noticeable. When it is against the body there is more separation of the shapes. Or you could use a stroke color that is very very very close to the skin color. Just enough to see the outline against the body but not so it is noticeable. Or use a very transparent "gray" that is just a hint of a stroke.

Or you could try this technique:

viewtopic.php?t=8967&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=30

Not exactly strokeless but... it is selective. Only stroke where it is critical.

-vern
slice11217
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Post by slice11217 »

Vern, you always seem to have something valuable to add. I was hoping you'd find this thread. You should start a hotline or something.

I guess I'm shooting for something like the last example,
http://foxmage.com/JackalLesslines.swf
but the lines would disappear when not overlapping a same-colored shape.

After this viewing this guy's example, I'm considering doing it by animating the line width, setting all line width to zero manually and then using the line width tool when the parts overlap. It could be something that's done after all the primary animation is done, so therefore it's only done when needed and doesn't interrupt workflow. Still tedious, but not as tedious as roto-ing the lines in Flash.

Is there an easier way?
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heyvern
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Post by heyvern »

I was also thinking of a possible scripted solution. Just thinking out loud. Nothing in the works yet.

If you named a shape and "linked" it to a bone you could increase the width based on rotation or scale. It couldn't be "automatic" I don't think. Too many variables in bone position.

-vern
Genete
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Post by Genete »

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

Image

where the Shading color is the same than the inner color of your skin shapes and the Contraction is the same or bigger than the line width of your shapes. you can obtain this:

Image

More thicker is the outline more bigger is the visible gap. But OK this is a workaround :).
-G
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slowtiger
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Post by slowtiger »

I wonder if something useful could be done with layer transfer modes? By choosing a right value for an outline colour and setting the transfer mode of this line layer to "difference" or "screen" or something? The effect should be as described over body parts. Maybe it needs two rendering passes, one for the character, another for the rest of the scene, because that transfer mode otherwise would affect the BG as well.
magicwand
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Post by magicwand »

Genete wrote:If you use the layer shading option with the following settings:
Hi Genete,

For some reason I am not able to achieve the effect would it be possible for you to share the example file you have created.
Genete
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Post by Genete »

Sure

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

the effect is only visible when render.
-G
magicwand
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Post by magicwand »

Genete wrote: More thicker is the outline more bigger is the visible gap. But OK this is a workaround :).
-G
Thanks Genete,

This a really cool workaround.
rplate
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Location: Minnesota USA

Post by rplate »

slice11217 wrote:um, this doesn't really seem to answer the question.

I mean, I don't want the line color to show up EVERYWHERE the color style has been applied, only on specific lines in the areas that overlap and only WHEN they overlap.

Samurai Jack did this a lot. That was a show with no outlines except in the interior.

Why don't you use the hide edge tool when you don't want the line to show?

Regards
>
.
Bob
Genete
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Post by Genete »

Why don't you use the hide edge tool when you don't want the line to show?
Unfortunately hide edge is not an animated parameter.
rplate
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Location: Minnesota USA

Post by rplate »

Genete wrote:
Why don't you use the hide edge tool when you don't want the line to show?
Unfortunately hide edge is not an animated parameter.
Well. Tell Vern to write a script and "Make it so"
:P

Bob P

:P
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heyvern
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Post by heyvern »

Well. Tell Vern to write a script and "Make it so"
:P
zzzz... edge... script... brzrph... zzzz... santa claus... zzzz... reindeer... zzzzz... Huh?... what? Can't even get a few hours sleep... zzzz

;)

-vern
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