Newbie: Problem with adding bones

[jardacalling]

Hi. I'm new to Anime Studio Pro and I wanted to create some test animation using a stick figure. So I drew all body parts in Photoshop, each saving seperately into .png file. Then I imported them into AS and created new bone layer, into which I moved all those images. After that I started adding bones to my images. To do that I followed tutorial. Then I just did exactly what the tutorial said: with reparent tool I fixed the arrows positions, decreased the bones strengh, set the bone layer to region binding and made sure that in every image settings the "warp using bones" is checked. But when I try to manipulate the bones, they move well as they should, but the images don't. So what am I missing? Thanks.

I also downloaded the .psd to .anime exporter but didn't try it yet, may that help? Thanks again.

[slowtiger]

- Did you use the "manipulate bones"(z) tool when you tried to move bones while you're in frame 0?
- Did you bind the images via the "Layer Bind" tool to their respective bones?

[jardacalling]

yes, I did all of this.

[jardacalling]

ok so I've been playing around with it again and found out few more things: When I check "warp using bones" by some image, it becomes unbinded. When I bind it, it becomes unwarped. So I can't have binded bones and warped images at the same time? Also, I tried to manipulate the bones while they were unbinded and that was just horrible but I guess it was caused by the fact it wasn't binded. I also tried to use the .psd to .anme exporter, but that was maybe even worse. I opened it and all the images were laying in the canvas sized up with strange white square behind them and single images weren't same as I drew them in Photoshop. I must do something wrong somewhere.

[slowtiger]

I must do something wrong somewhere.

Uhm, obviously. <SNCR>

I remember I had the same difficulties in the beginning. You need to look at some points carefully:

- Any item can only be bound via one method to a bone. Sounds logical, yet it can happen that AS fucks up the binding when you change a lot of things back and forth. In this case you can a) throw away a layer and start from scratch, b) Menu "Bone > release layer" or whatever is needed before you bind something again.

- The workflow for binding is strict, and sometimes I just miss one step. Then I carefully do it again slowly, like "select image layer - select layer bind tool - select bone - press space bar to make it permanent - press return to de-select".

- Since I don't use the "warp" function this option remains un-checked in my image layers. I have a rigid picture attached to only one bone. Maybe you should start with this first, and proceed to more complicated stuff later.

[jardacalling]

thanks for advices.

Since I don't use the "warp" function this option remains un-checked in my image layers.

but then how can I make a .png image move?

[slowtiger]

Please see section 4.2 of the manual/tutorial (under "help".

[jardacalling]

When I check "warp using bones" by some image, it becomes unbinded. When I bind it, it becomes unwarped.

[slowtiger]

Well, that's as it should be, right?

If you want to bend an image, you have to bind it to more than one bone. So this is the default binding in the situation when you just have put an image (with "warp" checked) into a bone layer which has several bones: all bones influence the image, according to their individual strength.

If you bind an image to one bone, it cannot be bent. Sonds logical to me. Binding an image to one bone makes it immune to all other bones.

If you un-check the "warp" option, the image is not bound to any bone anymore because you didn't yet tell the program to which bone it should be attached.

[jardacalling]

Gosh. Ok, to be honest, I'm not sure if I get it right, so I rather write here, what EXACTLY I did. in Photoshop, I drew 9 pictures, each for one part of a body and saved them in .png format. Then I opened them all in AS and scaled them down, because after import they was too big. Once that was done, by each I checked "warp using bones". then I created new bone layer, cheched "region binding" and moved all images in there. Then I highlighted first image in layers window, I choosed "bind layer tool" and I binded the image. After that I highlighted the image below this one and binded and like so I binded all images. then I highlated the bone layer and added bones starting in torso, ending in head (I followed the tutorial). then I choosed "reparent tool" to fix the position of the arrows. after that I decreased the bones strengh. Bone layer is highlighted, I'm on frame 0 and try to manipulate the bones. Only the bones move, the body parts don't. BUT! Then, I checked "warp using bones" again by every single image and noticed that my images are unbinding. I tried to manipulate bones and suddenly even the images moved, but somehow wierd. They were kinda breaking during manipulating and though the arrows were positioned correctly and the bones strengh was decreased, movement of one body part was affecting different part. And so I ask - What am I doing wrong?

[slowtiger]

Ah - I think I can spot the mistake. From your description, you imported the images first, then "bound" them, and then created the bones - but of course the bones must exist first before you can bind anything to them. Otherwise you can't select the bone a layer should be bound to, right?

The workflow should be like this: create all the bones in the bone layer - then bind the images to their bones. You could still import all images and arrange them first. But before you try to bind anything, the bones need to be created first.

[jardacalling]

So I tried to follow your advice and the result ain't good. I imported and arranged all the images, then I created all the bones. then I created new bone layer and moved my images there. Then I fixed the arrows and binded. And when I was manipulating the bones, several strange things happened - for example, when I was movin foot bone, the bone was moving just fine but the image of foot raised way too far above the bone. Or when I moved the torso bone, the bones that should move did move and correctly, but the images...well, head, upper part of left arm, upper and lower part of right arm moved with it, but also too wildly as the foot and lower part of left arm didn't move at all. And such a wierdness I get with moving every single bone. So, perhpas I did something wrong again, right?

[DarthFurby]

jardacalling if you're trying to assemble your character using image warp make sure the bone layer is set to "flexible binding" and separate the body parts like this BEFORE you add the bones:



On frame zero add the bones and THEN put the body parts together using the bone offset tool. This should remove unwanted warping.

If you want to use the bind layer option instead, select the bone, then select the body part image layer and click the bind layer tool.

Otherwise please upload the file if possible.

[jardacalling]

I tried your tip. I seperated the body parts (I always did that) and set the bone layer to flexible binding. I put the images into the bone layer, and while I was on frame 0, I added the bones. Then I fixed the arrows with reparent tool and decreased the brush strengh. I tried to manipulate the bones and it still wasn't it. Moving foot affected whole body as well as moving head. I wish I could upload the file or just screenshot, but somehow I got problems with net. Now I really don't realize what am I doing wrong.

[heyvern]

Does moving the foot move the head BONE or just the head image layer??
Just want to rule out a bone parenting issue first.

If the bones move the way they should then this is a layer binding issue.

Follow these steps:

Select each image layer one at a time and use these two bone menu commands in this order: "Release Layer" and then "Flexi-bind Layer". The first one "Release Layer" isn't absolutely necessary but I do this "just in case". It is force of habbit from a long time ago when I had problems with bone binding very similar to this but with points.

Remember to check that the bones move correctly. If the foot bone moves the body or head bone then the parenting is incorrect. If the parenting is correct then following the above steps will fix the problem.

If it doesn't then something else strange is going on and we need to see the actual file.

-vern