Character Design : Body Positions and Switch Layers

[akgarner]

Hey everyone. I'm new to ASP, but have been doing motion graphics for years. I'm designing my first complex character with many different switch layers.

I've made a fairly complex character, basically facing left. I want to have the ability to turn the whole character right. I've duplicated the character bone layer and put them both in a switch layer to move the characters angle back and forth. Totally works great.

Now, my question: I've now got 2 independent characters... and duplicates of the mouth switch layer, hands, eyes, eyebrow expressions in the RIGHT facing character. So that means I have to update each character (RIGHT or LEFT) with the same small changes I make to a mouth, or a hand or whatever.

Is this the best way to design a character and have updatability AND flexibility?

Additionally, I've duplicated the LEFT facing character and flipped the "scale" layer so it's basically an identical layer but flipped. I've noticed that if I add something to the RIGHT facing character, and duplicate the layer and drag to the LEFT facing character, it does the flip for me since the character is a flipped scale duplicate. That's handy. Seems like I should be able to make a "duplicate" layer that updates from the parent.

Does that make sense? Like a CLONE layer in AE or Motion.

[slowtiger]

1. You should get used to the idea of rough design and cleanup as separeate stages. As long as you're still experimenting with the look of your character, don't start a second view of it, or at least treat it as just a temporarily thing.

2. Don't ever create a left and right version of a character (as long as it isn't clearly non-symmetrical). Instead flip the whole root layer of the character in animation when needed.

[akgarner]

Aha! So simply scale the layer horizontally 180? Would it be smart to make an action for this called "turn" or whatever?

Now, what about if the head turns left and right? I assume can't really do the same thing? I will try, but it seems like it would be better to have a discreet left and right head turn to control with the bone structure.

I'm still interested in figuring out how to design a character so there is a single place to make changes to eyes/expressions/mouths and have it update ALL the corresponding positions. It seems like a lot of extra work to have to update EACH individual layer. Maybe this is why animators make the big bucks?

[slowtiger]

There's a simple button within the tools to flip any layer at any time. In teh old version it was always visible, in the new version 6 it's somewhat hidden, but still there. No need fpr actions.

[akgarner]

Got it! Yes, somewhat hidden. That should be perfect. Thanks man. Much less work, which is what I like!