Moho Forum

I'm new to MOHO, but not to animation. I've done the tutorial, etc. I keep running in to some frustrating quirks:

1) My objects just disappear from the workspace. If I pan the scene around I can see them appear and disappear. I'm careful to have them imported at frame 1, transparency on, and they're clearly in front of other object in depth.
2) Sometimes I can bind a layer to a bone, sometimes I can't because the tool isn't available.
3) If I move around an imported MOHO object to get it positioned where I want, it will either disappear, sometimes except for the vector outlines, and sometimes it gets completely distorted.

Any help out there in MOHOland?

SJMarky wrote:1) My objects just disappear from the workspace. If I pan the scene around I can see them appear and disappear. I'm careful to have them imported at frame 1, transparency on, and they're clearly in front of other object in depth.

What sort of objects? Moho vector layers you created, imported Moho objects, imported images, movies, .ai/.eps files, 3D objects?
For instance, I'm not sure how Moho would render a 3D object if you were inside it and all the surface normals point away from the camera.

Panning how ? Camera tool? Hand tool? Are you using 3D manipulation?
Can you upload a sample file?

(Note: all object creation and import should be done on frame 0, not frame 1 - did you mean this? Are there any pink areas on your timeline when you select any of the problem layers in the Layers panel?)

SJMarky wrote:2) Sometimes I can bind a layer to a bone, sometimes I can't because the tool isn't available.

To bind a layer to a bone, it needs to be:
a) a direct child of the bone layer (indented once in the Layers panel)
b) selected/highlighted in the Layers panel (not the bone layer, the layer you want to bind)

SJMarky wrote:3) If I move around an imported MOHO object to get it positioned where I want, it will either disappear, sometimes except for the vector outlines, and sometimes it gets completely distorted.

Again, can you provide an example? Which tools are you using - tools like shear, perspective, magent, and bend are designed to distort an object, while some 3D camera uses can provide a distorting effect, as can a flawed bone setup.
If you are moving an object using bones, it may depend on how and where your bones are set up (the equivalent of pivot points in some other software).

I haven't seen any problems like those you describe (except for my mistakes which were usually obvious fairly quickly - not having the right layer selected, forgetting to turn on region bone binding, etc) , so I'm a little confused as to what's happening here.

Regards, Myles.

Okay, to clarify:

1. 2D vector objects created in MOHO. Imported at frame 0, then advance to frame 1. Using camera tracking tool. No pink. Object is visible in the workspace until I move it with the tracking camera tool, then poof. Then I spin the scene arounf with the orbit tool and I can see them placed where I put them.

2. The layers again were MOHO vector layers within a bone layer. The bind bone tool isn't always available - but sometimes is. For example, I had an arm image within a bone layer, and another vector layer I wanted the hand to "grab".

I also experience an oddity where I try to change layer ordering, and while I can change the order in the layers, they don't always change in the workspace.

I'll keep working with it - I do tend to be a bit sloppy when I work and I might be making some error that I'm not even aware of.

Thanks for anything you can suggest.

SJMarky wrote:1. 2D vector objects created in MOHO. Imported at frame 0, then advance to frame 1. Using camera tracking tool. No pink. Object is visible in the workspace until I move it with the tracking camera tool, then poof. Then I spin the scene arounf with the orbit tool and I can see them placed where I put them.

Without seeing the file, I can only guess at the obvious possibilities you've probably already considered:
a) You've tracked the camera sideways so the object is no longer in the field of view (Try zooming the workspace view way out to see if you can find it)
b) You've tracked the camera forward past (or too close to) the object in 3D, rather than simple sideways tracking. This can occasionally lead to sudden disappearances and also the outline-only effect (although you should still see outline colours etc., not vector-only lines). When you orbit the workspace in 3D you should see the camera indicator very near the object, not set back from it as usual.

SJMarky wrote:2. The layers again were MOHO vector layers within a bone layer. The bind bone tool isn't always available - but sometimes is. For example, I had an arm image within a bone layer, and another vector layer I wanted the hand to "grab".

Layer binding is a rigging option, it isn't currently animatable - it's only available on frame 0. Otherwise, as I said before, layer child-parent relationships and the correct layer selected in the Layers panel should be the only thing to watch out for.

SJMarky wrote:I also experience an oddity where I try to change layer ordering, and while I can change the order in the layers, they don't always change in the workspace.

Layer ordering is also not currently animatable, and should only be changed on frame 0. Using the default settings, if you drag a layer underneath another layer, you will still see the vector lines of the selected lower layer, although you should not see fills and outlines.

Regards, Myles.

Thanks so much. I'm so used to apps like Motion and Final Cut that allow insertions wherever you want that I'm not really aware what I'm doing.

MOHO seriously rocks.

You can see my first MOHO effort here:

http://homepage.mac.com/marknelson2/index.html

It's the one titled "Binky".

Thanks again, Myles.

Hee hee hee!

Sounds like you've had some unpleasant experiences with an HRM department... (you ever notice how HRM almost always has the largest amount of personnel? Coincidence??? I think not!)

Actually, I am the Director of Human Resources for a major tech company here in Silicon Valley. This is how I feel about my job sometimes. Okay, often.