Moho Forum

Hello. I was drawing a rock with Multiple vector layers, one for the actual rock and then a number of other layers masked on top for shading and a bit of moss.
My question is, I was following the quick tips Youtube video on physics and it all worked great except for the fact that the different layers fell separately. Obviously I was wanting the rock to fall as one whole object. What is the best way to achieve this. Ideally I would like to merge these layers into one layer but I dont know how or if that is possible. Right now all layers are in a group folder I have checked the physics feature and the ground layer is set to not be affected. Any help on the matter would be great.

Thanks

If you're calculating Physics for each layer individually, you will get different results for each layer. It's better to calculate one layer until you get the simulation you want, then disable Physics and use the baked keys. Now you can duplicate or reference the layer and apply the appropriate effects for masks and lighting.

That's not difficult, but there are easier ways...

In our short film Space Tommy: Mission Critical, I created the asteroid shading using Moho's native shading tools, which kept the light directional even as each asteroid tumbled individually. There was no need to use separate layers, and I think the shading looked pretty good.

When I want to use more advanced shading effects, I use Moho's Layer Comps and Moho Exporter to export my layers and use them as shading masks in a compositing program like Fusion or After Effects.

If you don't have a compositing program, you can export the layers from Moho, import them into a new Moho project, and assemble the comp for special lighting effects there. Just use the same 'rock tumbling' layer multiple times, setting the appropriate effects/blending modes for the layers. This approach is less CPU intensive than the first suggestion, which can be helpful for really complex scenes.

Tip: The Colorize Layer option is a clean way to flood-fill a layer to create an element for masking and lighting effects.

Hope this helps.