Moho Animation Forum

hi,
I'm new to Moho and have a few questions.
1) Made a character that I like, how do I export it so that I can use the same in a differnet project ?
2) What version control system most people use with Moho ? Any recommendations.

A common workflow is to make a character only 'master' project and import that. When you import the project, you'll get the option to select what you want from the file, to import it as a reference and to break the Style ID association.

The first part is obvious, and the other two options is up to you. If you anticipate making changes to your character, choose import as Reference. This way, when you update the 'master' character project, you have to option to update your rig in other projects, even after they've already been animated. (There are a few 'gotchas' to be aware of, so you shouldn't completely rely on this. There are usually ways to deal with unexpected issues, but that's a whole other subject.)

As for versioning, I just append each project file with '_001' and increment it. The versions are kept in a WIP (work-in-progress) folder, with a final version outside the folder that has no version number in its filename.

This is because Moho annoyingly takes its output file name from the project name preventing you from overwriting older renders. It's up to you but, IMO, I don't like to include version numbers in the render output name because it creates more work for compositors and animators; it's easier to just overwrite the files so the re-renders get picked up automatically in the compositing or editorial software.

Note to developers: All of this would be SO MUCH EASIER if we could simply enter a preferred output path and preferred filename in the Project Settings window. (At work we had to create a custom render controller that allows this.) Please consider this enhancement and thanks for listening.

Oh, one more alternative: You can also just place the character in a group and then use Copy Layer/Paste Layer to place the character in another project. Everything in the group will carry over.

I'm not sure there's any advantage to this method over regular importing but if you already have the character project open, it might be quicker.

Greenlaw wrote:A common workflow is to make a character only 'master' project and import that. When you import the project, you'll get the option to select what you want from the file, to import it as a reference and to break the Style ID association.

The first part is obvious, and the other two options is up to you. If you anticipate making changes to your character, choose import as Reference. This way, when you update the 'master' character project, you have to option to update your rig in other projects, even after they've already been animated. (There are a few 'gotchas' to be aware of, so you shouldn't completely rely on this. There are usually ways to deal with unexpected issues, but that's a whole other subject.)

As for versioning, I just append each project file with '_001' and increment it. The versions are kept in a WIP (work-in-progress) folder, with a final version outside the folder that has no version number in its filename.

This is because Moho annoyingly takes its output file name from the project name preventing you from overwriting older renders. It's up to you but, IMO, I don't like to include version numbers in the render output name because it creates more work for compositors and animators; it's easier to just overwrite the files so the re-renders get picked up automatically in the compositing or editorial software.

Note to developers: All of this would be SO MUCH EASIER if we could simply enter a preferred output path and preferred filename in the Project Settings window. (At work we had to create a custom render controller that allows this.) Please consider this enhancement and thanks for listening.

Thank you so much. I did as you said and imported by reference, works like a charm.
Good versioning idea, however, I was thinking of something like GitHub/ Bitbucket.

At some bigger studios where I've worked, we use a production tracking system system called Shotgun. It helps the supervisors and crew manage scenes, assets, schedules, reviews, comments, etc. That may be overkill for many smaller and indie productions though.

At smaller studios (and even some big places) where I've worked, we just used a spreadsheet or simple database system.

For my personal projects, I use either LibreOffice and store the files in a cloud storage service like Dropbox or Google Drive, or I'll use GoogleDocs and GoogleDrive. This way I can access the information from any computer, whether I'm working on the project at home or away. The system works well for me because I have control over how it's set up, because it's easy to use, and it's cheap as free.

Here's an example of a 'scene tracker' I helped my daughter set up last fall for a short film she made. We created it in GoogleDocs. She had storyboarded almost 30 scenes for her film and this list helped her understand the status of each scene at any moment and what she still needed to do to complete her film.



The way this spreadsheet works is simple: The scenes are listed from top to bottom, and the tasks from left to right. As she completed each task, she checked it off. Over in the Status column, the number increased with each check box for that line and the color changed from red to yellow to green. At the beginning, the column was completely red and by the end of the project, she had turned the column completely green as seen in this example.

My daughter found this 'checklist' system very gratifying because it gave her a clear understanding of the scope of her project, helped her plan her time, and see the progress she was making. I should point out that she was 11 years old at the time and, even though she's been making animated shorts since she was 7, this was her most ambitious project to date, and having the 'checklist' really helped her focus on what was needed to get it done. (Here's a link to her finished film if you're curious: Class Act)

This system is actually not that different from what I use in my own personal projects. My own system may track a bit more info, especially when I'm working with other artists, but it's the same idea. As a matter of fact, even though the studio where I work has a sophisticated production tracking system in place, I still create my own personal spreadsheets to track my assignments in addition to the studio system. For me, it's a good way to manage my own notes and progress without a lot of 'extraneous' information getting in the way.

I hope this helps.

My daughter just pointed out that she used other lists too, like one to tell her which background to use/re-use for each scene. I didn't know about that one but she tends to be very methodical in her approach...kinda like me and my wife I guess.

Anyway, even though the above list wasn't meant to be an asset tracker, I guess we could have easily included that info too.

Greenlaw wrote:At some bigger studios where I've worked, we use a production tracking system system called Shotgun. It helps the supervisors and crew manage scenes, assets, schedules, reviews, comments, etc. That may be overkill for many smaller and indie productions though.

At smaller studios (and even some big places) where I've worked, we simply used a spreadsheet or simple database system.

For my personal projects, I use either LibreOffice and store the files in a cloud storage service so I can access the files from anywhere, or I'll use GoogleDocs and GoogleDrive. This system works well for me because I have complete control over how it's setup, it's easy to use, and it's cheap as free.

Here's an example of a 'scene tracker' I helped my daughter set up last fall for a short film she made. We created it in GoogleDocs. She had storyboarded almost 30 scenes for her film and this list helped her understand the status of each scene at any moment and what she still needed to do to complete her film.



The way this spreadsheet works is simple: The scenes are listed from top to bottom, and the tasks from left to right. As she completed each task, she checked it off. Over in the Status column, the number increased with each check box for that line and the color changed from red to yellow to green. At the beginning, the column was completely red and by the end of the project, she had turned the column completely green as seen in this example.

My daughter found this 'checklist' system very gratifying because it gave her a clear understanding of the scope of her project, helped her plan her time, and see the progress she was making. I should point out that she was 11 years old at the time and, even though she's been making animated shorts since she was 7, this was her most ambitious project to date, and having the 'checklist' really helped her focus on what was needed to get it done. (Here's a link to her finished film if you're curious: Class Act)

This system is actually not that different from what I use in my own personal projects. My system may track a bit more info, especially when I'm working with other artists, but it's the same idea. As a matter of fact, even though the studio where I work has a sophisticated production tracking system in place, I still create my own small personal spreadsheets to track my assignments in addition to the studio system. For me, it's a good way to manage my own notes and progress without a lot of 'extraneous' information getting in the way.

I hope this helps.

This was so educational. Big big thanks to you.
I'm just a beginner enthusiast, trying my hand at animation. Certainly going to follow this checklist method.
Thanks Again.