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Swf export problem on optimalized layers

Posted: Thu Apr 09, 2009 9:48 am
by Skipper
Hi everybody,
I create some animaton what needs to combine with flash. So the animation needs to export in SWF format, but the caracter breaks appart in the swf. We have very big (5-6MB) file sizes too, but this is the smallest problem if we see that fact that the animation brakes apart.
Do anybody knows any solution for this problem? I optimalized the layers what is possible, but i cant all, because of the animation can not allows.
If I optimalize all layers than i lose the point why i use AnimeStudio.
Thank you in advance.
Skip

Posted: Thu Apr 09, 2009 10:16 am
by jahnocli
Can you upload one of the swf files so we can take a look? (imageshack.us allows upload of swf files). I've had this problem many times -- can be a number of different possible solutions...

Posted: Thu Apr 09, 2009 10:24 am
by Skipper
Hi, yes I uploaded a test animation. From this link you can download it:
http://schermann.easyhosting.hu/kekup.zip
Thank you.
S

Posted: Thu Apr 09, 2009 10:28 am
by Skipper
Oh, I forgot to tell, that you can see that frames are stay in place when the anim goes further on. This is not the problem, I know how to handle that.
Thanks
S

Posted: Thu Apr 09, 2009 12:58 pm
by TheChewanater
That happened to me too! I posted about it awhile ago, and Vern seemed to refuse to accept that it wasn't a user error. I tried everything he said, and it didn't work! It's just a stupid bug in AS.

Or is it? The same thing happens sometimes in Pencil, so I'm thinking maybe it's an error in a flash creation library they both use. It'd be helpful to know what Lost Marble (or whoever) used to write the swf export. I'm pretty sure Pencil uses the Ming Library.

Posted: Thu Apr 09, 2009 1:32 pm
by jahnocli
Yeah, I've had this. There is no quick fix, I'm afraid. You are going to have to check and double-check how the control points are distributed. I'm guessing that you have imported these shapes from a drawing program like Illustrator. Often the points on imported files can be "stacked" one on top of another. You just have to go around all the shapes, just twitching each point with the cursor to check all is OK. You may even have to re-draw some of the shapes. But it IS fixable! Delete all the spare points and eventually the file will work properly.

Posted: Thu Apr 09, 2009 1:42 pm
by Skipper
Hi TheChewanater,
uhh, please dont say that it is a BUG, and nothin to do! I need to solve it somehow.
I tryed to export png sequence, mov, etc and import it to flash, and apart from the huge filesize it was ok. Just, I could not control the timeline of the created swf with scripts in flash, and thats worst then the original problem it was.

Posted: Thu Apr 09, 2009 1:46 pm
by Skipper
Actually, the figure was created in Illustrator, but after importing to AnimeStudio, I redraw the layewrs what i will move with bones. These ones what i move with blinded layers i didnt but it semms ok.
So finally you did manage the problem on this way? Maybe there are still disturbing points?

Posted: Thu Apr 09, 2009 1:53 pm
by synthsin75
That is always due to 'bad' shape creation. Usually this occurs when you create a shape while part of it is off screen, but sometimes AS will allow you to make these 'illegal' shapes.

What it is is a fill that doesn't terminate on an actual edge. It usually has a ghost edge some where within the actual vector edge of the shape. These are often hard to track down since these bad shape artifacts only show in the render or export.

And if anyone thinks this is not user error, then by all means post, or PM me, the file and I'll clean it right up.

:wink:

Posted: Thu Apr 09, 2009 3:27 pm
by TheChewanater
Hi TheChewanater,
uhh, please dont say that it is a BUG, and nothin to do! I need to solve it somehow.
Could you read the rest of my post?

And I'd really like to know if Lost Marble used the Ming flash creation library, like Pencil uses. That would explain why it does that in both programs.

Posted: Thu Apr 09, 2009 3:51 pm
by synthsin75
According to the About AS, it does use Ming, but I'd still like to see one of these. I'm sure, even if the flash lib does contribute, that these can be fixed. Otherwise we'd hear about it much more often.

:wink:

Posted: Thu Apr 09, 2009 5:21 pm
by TheChewanater
synthsin75 wrote:According to the About AS, it does use Ming, but I'd still like to see one of these.
:wink:
Well then it must be Ming!

And here's a messed up swf export:

http://www.freewebs.com/chewanater/ganon2.swf

You can't see anything at the beginning and some body parts are missing because you can't export images in bone layers, but once the evil wizard Ganon comes on screen and sings his freaky song, you can see the problem. Also, once it's over and it loops (why must it loop!?) it seems that any object on the screen at the end stays there the second time around. The audio seems to be a little off, but that could be fixed with an audio editor.
I'm sure, even if the flash lib does contribute, that these can be fixed. Otherwise we'd hear about it much more often.
Well, it's happened to me almost every time I export to flash. I've seen it posted a few times on the forums. It's also been said by AS users on Newgrounds. I think that's hearing about it enough to prove there's something wrong, but what could it be if it works fine for some people? It could be how complex the project is. Or, if it has vectors in bone layers. The headless guy at the end wasn't in a bone layer, and he exported fine.

So, do you think I should take this to the Bug Report section, the Ming developers, or forget it and go with bitmap videos.

Posted: Thu Apr 09, 2009 5:42 pm
by DK
I come across this bug all the time. The only fix I have found is to re-assemble the character, shape by shape, exporting single frame sfw's and importing them into Flash till you find the one that is causing the problem.

Cheers
D.K

Posted: Thu Apr 09, 2009 5:47 pm
by synthsin75
:twisted:

First, that's a bad link to that swf. Second, watching a swf won't allow me to prove that this is easily corrected.
Well, it's happened to me almost every time I export to flash. I've seen it posted a few times on the forums. It's also been said by AS users on Newgrounds. I think that's hearing about it enough to prove there's something wrong, but what could it be if it works fine for some people?
I've fixed these things before. It is a simple fix. Until I can see one of these files that actually stumps me, I refuse to rely on the word of AS users anywhere else that this is a legitimate bug.

At the very least, if you intend on reporting this as a bug, please provide an example AS file that shows the bug (just as the bug forum asks for). Better to put this to rest rather than just debate about it endlessly.

Unless this is all complaint and no search for a solution.

:wink:

Posted: Thu Apr 09, 2009 5:52 pm
by DK
synthsin75 wrote:
And if anyone thinks this is not user error, then by all means post, or PM me, the file and I'll clean it right up.
I'm interested in hearing how you go about cleaning these files up.
Do you have a quick way of tracking bad shapes down or healing them you could share with us synthsin75?

Cheers
D.K