Please send suggestions for my scriptwriting

Moho allows users to write new tools and plugins. Discuss scripting ideas and problems here.

Moderators: Víctor Paredes, Belgarath, slowtiger

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Fazek
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Post by Fazek »

Now I added the usual group menu. I also updated the group menu part in all of the other tools so please, if upgrade, replace these and even the utility/fa_sharedutils.lua file.

ADDED - Replace Line tool: and I added a freehand tool style line width handling, and an individual point selection/translation function.
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Víctor Paredes
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Post by Víctor Paredes »

fazek, i was playing with replace line and i have noted something.
if you create an oval with the oval tool, and then you transform with replace line, it always let the shape with 3 points instead four. (i know the fourth point is in the same place that other, that it still existing). it doesn't matter if you draw an oval or a rectangle, is always the same, it doesn't matter how be the shape you draw with replace line, you have always 3 points instead 4.

i have added to the rectangle another point, and now when replace line, it make the same, 4 points instead 5.
is this deliberate?


other thing. width variation is a great idea, i have to say it.

i have a suggest for this new version of the tool. now you can to move the points, but there are times you don't want to move the points but draw the line over the first. could be, for example, when you press control or shift, the points don't move, just replace the line?
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Fazek
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Post by Fazek »

Thank you Selgin, I corrected the bug. Now there is an option to change line width only.
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Víctor Paredes
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Post by Víctor Paredes »

:oops: one month have passed since your reply and i recent understand the message (and that my post was wrote wrong)...

i can't play with line width beacuse AS doesn't recognize my pen pressure (i have a genius mouse pen 8x6 which works fine in most of softwares), so can't play with your tool in all its magnitude.

what i meant is that when you are replacing the line, if you start over a point, this point is selected and moved alone. so you always must to start your line in a place where it does not have points.
it would be better if you could start replacing line even over a point (maybe pressing control).
i hope now i have written this message well. it's difficult to write in english to me (and the 50% i know of english is thanks to this forum and gtranslate for firefox)

I continue having your reverse points tool (even i have created an icon for it). and i think it is great.
won't you include it in your scripts pack?
it's a very good script (and a very good idea... i know you are reading RamónLópez), and it doesn't deserve to disappear in the forgetfulness.

well, thanks once more for all you have made.
Genete
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Post by Genete »

Dear Fazek
All those tools you have added ae FANTASTIC!!!!
They help a lot to draw. Very interesting the new magnet tool, rotation tool, selection, ... ALL!!!
I have a couple of questions:

First: Is there posted something about how to use exposure sheet tool? I could imagine how it works but I'm getting a mess.
Second: I couldn't make work the script meshinstance.lua. I copy at a new subfolder in menu folder but does not appear. There is a new entry but calls to the last valid entry. If putted alone in a new folder it takes the name and the script of last menu item avilable. Is there any other installation instructions?

Thank you very much.
Genete
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Rasheed
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Post by Rasheed »

I really appreciate your efforts as well, Fazek.

However, here's another request for a script:

OFFSET ANIMATION KEYS

Lets you move all animation keys within a layer (and its child layers by option) by a relative amount of frames. The idea is that you then can drop in any animated layer (imported from a stock AS file) and let it start its animation at an appropriate frame.

I got this idea from this message:
http://www.lostmarble.com/forum/viewtop ... 0942#30942
Genete
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Post by Genete »

Rasheed wrote: The idea is that you then can drop in any animated layer (imported from a stock AS file) and let it start its animation at an appropriate frame.
Is that idea not covered by Actions? Actions are reusable portions of animations, ¿not? :?:
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Rasheed
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Post by Rasheed »

Genete wrote:
Rasheed wrote: The idea is that you then can drop in any animated layer (imported from a stock AS file) and let it start its animation at an appropriate frame.
Is that idea not covered by Actions? Actions are reusable portions of animations, ¿not? :?:
Yes, but using actions this way is a lot of extra work, because you have to set up those actions across the child layers, where you cannot see the result of the action in the parent layer. This means you have to insert that action in the root layer and check if the action in the child layers was done correctly.
Genete
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Post by Genete »

Rasheed wrote:
Genete wrote:
Rasheed wrote: The idea is that you then can drop in any animated layer (imported from a stock AS file) and let it start its animation at an appropriate frame.
Is that idea not covered by Actions? Actions are reusable portions of animations, ¿not? :?:
Yes, but using actions this way is a lot of extra work, because you have to set up those actions across the child layers, where you cannot see the result of the action in the parent layer. This means you have to insert that action in the root layer and check if the action in the child layers was done correctly.
Well, a lot of things could be said about actions. It taked me a lot of time to understand the editing and use behaviour of the actions in AS/MOho. But I think that now I understand. (I think...)

If you want to create an action in a layer that should make some actions in sublayers, you should select the root layer and then select "create action" tool. Until now everything is fine. So, you have just created the "root action", and during its creation some child layers make some animation. Ok. You try it and it works. But...

But if you want to change or add some extra action to a child layer in order to it belong to the previous "root action" defined, you MUST select root action BEFORE make double click to the action name. If you don't select root layer before, then you are editing a version of the "root action" only visible (and usable) within child layer, so parent layer "root action" has not been modified. It is complex but it works. Now I can reuse my "Run right" main character action in any timeline position without problem. If I want to add some extra movement (or delete it) it could be done only taking care of select the root layer before docuble click the action to edit it.

In Share your work I've posted a nev version of my second character. Topic is called "A taste of my new character". The second link show you an example of this.
I created an action called "Run right". AFTER the action have been created (with all the children layers working) I created an new layer inside the main character layer (to create the green hat). I decided to give some movement to the hat acording to running action. So I modified the just created root action called "Run right" including some movement to the hat without any problem.

If you are interested in how to achieve it please let me know and I will post the moho file. Now I couldn't (I'm not at home :P )

Regards.
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Rasheed
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Post by Rasheed »

My point was that it IS possible with actions, only it is a lot of extra work, because you cannot see the action of the parent layer (unless you activate it in the parent's timeline). Furthermore, actions are a bit limiting, because it is repetitive animation (it adds nothing new to what has already happened). I'm a firm believer of unique actions, because it gives the animator the opportunity to do more, to add some finesse to his work of art. Modifying actions after the fact is much more complicated than modifying animation on the main timeline.

Anyway, I did a puny insignificant animation, to check my claims. Here it is on YouTube: It is a bone animation with actions, with a line width animation of the mouth vectors in the bone layer's child vector layer, done using the same action names in that vector layer.

+-- bone -> actions bone animation (walk, open mouth, close mouth, talk)
+---- vector -> actions line width (open mouth, close mouth, talk)
+---- vector (teeth layer, no actions)
Genete
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Post by Genete »

Only one remark.

A complex action (lots of things made in root and child layers) can be used in root or in child layer, so you can reuse actions partially. Example.
I make an action for my character running. It moves legs and arms. But I want the characer ONLY moving the legs. It is so easy. Select each leg and paste the child action only.
It is the same as make every single child action and combine in timeline superposing the actions clicking on it at same frame.
So in your example you do three kind of actions. In my example also, but the difference is that I can paste into timeline with only one click and you should have as many clicks as actions want to paste.

So in my opinion individual child actions that are related together should be defined as root as possible in order to let insert them (all together) easily in timeline. You don't loose time because you can use them individually after.
Every test, reading, tip or howto I make about Moho/AS, I realize it is a GREAT program.
Regards.
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Rasheed
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Post by Rasheed »

Still, I would like to have a script to do all of this without actions.
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Fazek
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Post by Fazek »

Sorry Rasheed, I'm too busy these months so I absolutely can't work on these scripts. What you ask is possible but maybe difficult because the different layer types has different animated channels. Some animated channels (for example the curvature value of curve points) are hidden so it requires a lot of programming workaround to make a correctly working script.
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Fazek
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Post by Fazek »

I made a very small bugfix in the script_tools. Really I tried to add an option to be able to modify the point positions of frame 0 from any frame on the timeline. This would be very useful if you are working with big camera movements. Maybe not tried hard enough, but I failed. Some operations are simply not working correctly if you try to apply it to a frame other than the actual moho.frame. Another problem is the keys on the timeline window.... So sorry, I rejected this idea.
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Genete
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Post by Genete »

Hi Fazek,
Thankyou very much for the mplayer wrapping tool. It is fantastic!!!. Saves a lot of time!!!!!

BTW, I continue without being able to install properly meshinstance tool. Could you explain hot to install the script please? :shock:

Thankyou in advance.
Genete
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