HOw Do I... Layer this sword in a hand correctly?

Andrell · Post by **Andrell** » Wed Jun 06, 2007 12:41 am

Here is a link to the vid:
Plain: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ja7hM1l22NQ
Colour w/background: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmkZl_0I0K8

Basically how do i make it so the sword looks like it is sitting in the hand rather then in front of or behind the hand.

myles · Post by **myles** » Wed Jun 06, 2007 4:48 am

Without seeing your video, I'm fairly sure you're going to have to build a hand+sword layer:

Either as a switchable hand layer:
-Switch Hand layer
----Hand without sword
----Hand with sword

or as a general "holding things hand":
-Front parts of hand (tops of fingers, thumb, etc)
-Object to hold (change this layer for different shots, make it a switch layer, etc.)
-Back parts of hand

(You can switch the visibility of "sword in scabbard" off as you switch to the "hand with sword" layer.)

Regards, Myles.

Andrell · Post by **Andrell** » Fri Jun 15, 2007 1:29 am

How would i excute the switch Layer Method Correctly, i Don't Have much experience with Using Switch Layers

in fact i am pretty new to Anime Studio all Togther, BTW i have read the tutorial and i still dont understand.

heyvern · Post by **heyvern** » Fri Jun 15, 2007 4:49 am

The tutorials couldn't explain it any worse or better than I could.

Create a switch layer. Create a layer "inside" the switch layer. Draw a hand on the layer that is inside the switch layer.

Duplicate the hand layer that is inside the switch layer. On that new duplicated layer with the hand add the sword. readjust the shape ordering to get the sword between the fingers or however you want it.

Now in the timeline, right click on the switch layer and choose which layer should be shown at any point.

That's it really. A switch layer just... "switches" between layers. So if the character reaches back and grabs a sword on frame... 20, on frame 1 key the first switch to be just the hand, on frame 20 (only if you ARE NOT using switch interpolation) right click the switch layer and choose the layer for the hand holding the sword.

The trick here is the duplicate sword layer you would need to be visible until the switch takes place. After the switch turn off the visible attribute of the stationary sword layer (this layer is NOT inside the switch).

Use Interpolation property of a switch layer would try to smoothly "morph" between layers in a switch. this won't work in this case since one layer has a sword and a hand and one only has a hand. It only works when all the points are identical but just change location.

-vern

heyvern · Post by **heyvern** » Fri Jun 15, 2007 5:50 am

I slapped this together:

http://www.lowrestv.com/moho_stuff/swordhand.mov

"Moho" file. (Created with old "version" of AS but works with AS)
http://www.lowrestv.com/moho_stuff/swordhand.moho

This could get you started.

-vern

drawman · Post by **drawman** » Fri Jun 15, 2007 10:55 am

wo! pretty neat Vern, thats wats how to do it.

funksmaname · Post by **funksmaname** » Fri Jun 15, 2007 2:12 pm

yeah, nice work vern

what you might want to do is add one more switch layer which has the hand bending - switch to it between open and grabbed, and that might smooth over the transition from open to closed... however in fast action i think it works well as it is anyway... just a thought

heyvern · Post by **heyvern** » Fri Jun 15, 2007 4:32 pm

what you might want to do is add one more switch layer which has the hand bending

I have to leave something for the "student" to do on their own.

I actually don't use switch layers for hands in this way. I use bones on a switch and 2 switch layers to flip the hands from front to back:

http://www.lowrestv.com/moho_stuff/larr ... pload.moho

http://www.lowrestv.com/moho_stuff/larry_hands2b.mov

But this topic and my simpler switch solution raises some questions now about how my other hand rig would hold stuff. The rig shown above has no way to grasp anything darn it!

Probably need to use a second "version" of the hand switch for grasping things since this hand rig doesn't do "fists" very well. I could paste the held object into a duplicate switch layer like I did for the other one.

-vern

funksmaname · Post by **funksmaname** » Fri Jun 15, 2007 4:54 pm

Vern, you're a legend! i've been struggling a bit with how this might work... will play with it now! who knows i might add some hands to 'jack from lost'

could you explain why you have all those little constrained bones?
Thanks for sharing your files (and anyone else who shares files) they really are the best way to see how things work!

heyvern · Post by **heyvern** » Fri Jun 15, 2007 6:04 pm

The little constrained bones are what I use to deform the hand shape so it looks like the "other side" of the hand.

The hand flipping from front to back is a "fake". It isn't flipping at all. It gets half way to flipping then it just "goes back" the other way. The other side of the hand is just the same layer with the shapes in a different order. It is great that the interpolation still works when you do that. Very cool.

I needed some extra bones so I could deform the shape of the hand slightly so it looked... "correct". Keep in mind that the pinky and index finger "switch" during the turn and the ring finger becomes the middle finger and visa versa. One side of the hand becomes the other side of the hand. So to keep it from looking "symmetrical" I added some extra bones and move and rotate them to accomplish this.

If you look at the bones you will also see that the finger bones translate to complete the illusion. I needed the extra bones to "compress" the hand shape during the turn and change the "length" of the fingers when they switch.

I could have just moved or rotated each bone "by hand" but I like using constraints to keep the key frames to a minimum.

-vern

Andrell · Post by **Andrell** » Sat Jun 16, 2007 2:38 pm

Yeah thanks for the advice guys, i really appreciate it.

Draw_Girl · Post by **Draw_Girl** » Sat Jun 16, 2007 7:04 pm

Hey,Vern I checked out your larry hands file,where is the bone layer??

?

p6r · Post by **p6r** » Sat Jun 16, 2007 7:39 pm

Wouawwwwwwwwwwwww...
Wonderful !!!

6R

funksmaname · Post by **funksmaname** » Sat Jun 16, 2007 10:06 pm

Draw_Girl : a switch layer is a type of bone layer, you can put bones on it like normal bone layers!

heyvern · Post by **heyvern** » Sat Jun 16, 2007 10:10 pm

Yes you got it.

The bones are on the switch layer. Bones on a switch is a very cool but underutilized feature.

-vern