Separate layers for keyframes in timeline?

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litote
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Re: Separate layers for keyframes in timeline?

Post by litote »

@Greenlaw:

Thanks, I could not at first locate where to link the vector layers until I found it was in the Vectors tab (it is in a different tab for an image layer).

That looks like a useful technique.
litote
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Re: Separate layers for keyframes in timeline?

Post by litote »

Thanks!

I did not know where to find the Smart Warp layer menu to link the two vector layers, but finally located it in the Vector tab. It is in a different tab for an Image layer (Image tab).

This is a clever technique and I will experiment with it.
litote
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Re: Separate layers for keyframes in timeline?

Post by litote »

Thanks for your help. This is what I had been working on:
https://vimeo.com/325606319
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Greenlaw
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Re: Separate layers for keyframes in timeline?

Post by Greenlaw »

That's fun!

If you want to take it a little farther, you can simulate depth in the character's face by animating a broad Pin Bone over the face. Since Pin Bones have a radial fall-off, it will move the center farther than the edges, making the image appear to turn. There's a limit to how far you can push this effect but only a little bit creates a convincing illusion.

I think you can find examples of this in the forum if you search for Smart Mesh and Pin Bones.
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Greenlaw
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Re: Separate layers for keyframes in timeline?

Post by Greenlaw »

That's fun!

If you want to take it a little farther, you can simulate depth in the character's face by animating a broad Pin Bone over the face. Since Pin Bones have a radial fall-off, it will move the center farther than the edges, making the image appear to turn. There's a limit to how far you can push this effect but only a little bit creates a convincing illusion.

I think you can find examples of this in the forum if you search for Smart Mesh and Pin Bones.

Victor Paredes has some good examples on his YouTube channel. Here's one of them:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpjjAV_7mNU
litote
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Re: Separate layers for keyframes in timeline?

Post by litote »

Hello Greenlaw,

Thanks for the tip about using a pin bone.

I did not find a specific post on how to rig it in the forum, so I have been experimenting to try to get it to work.

The best I have achieved so far is to create a parent bone in the centre of the face drawn from the base of the neck to the top of the head. Then I parent a pin bone to it in the centre of the face. Then I adjust the Bone Strength of both bones to get the best warping of the face when I use the Transform Bone tool to move the pin bone left and right to “rotate” the head. However the warping looks a bit odd and I am wondering if there is a better, more optimal way of setting it up.

Have you tried it?

EDIT: On further refinement, I placed the pin pones at the top of the parent bone (at the top of the head) and another pin bone at the bottom of the parent bone (base of head). Then selecting both pin bones I use the Transform Bone to move them left/right for head "rotation", giving a more even distortion.
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Greenlaw
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Re: Separate layers for keyframes in timeline?

Post by Greenlaw »

There are many ways to handle this sort of thing.

For example, alternatively you could use a 'joystick' control to move points in the mesh. You would break the Actions strictly to x and y motions and use separate bones with targets to track and control bone. That's a more advanced technique but the result is a very intuitive head controller. You can find videos on the setup in YouTube. Here's a pretty good one:

Robin Hood head turning

I don't think this example isn't using a mesh but the same setup can be used for animating a mesh. Personally, I find these setups are more useful for 3Q turn rigs and less so for full 360 degree rigs (for me anyway,) but when 3Q turns is all that's expected, this setup works great.

The approach you take should depend on character design and the style of animation your going for. Good luck!
litote
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Re: Separate layers for keyframes in timeline?

Post by litote »

If the Robin Hood rig is not using a mesh for the head turn, what do you think is used?
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Greenlaw
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Re: Separate layers for keyframes in timeline?

Post by Greenlaw »

If the Robin Hood artwork is made of vector layers, it can be animated as normal using bones, point animation, and Smart Actions.

In other words, you don't need a mesh to move points. A vector layer and a mesh layer are essentially the same thing. The mesh layer is just a vector layer with tripled polygons. How to test this? Draw a single triangle in a vector layer using the Add Point tool and press Enter. Now notice the icon in the Layer window.

On the other hand, if the Robin Hood artwork is a bitmap (which I don't think it is because of the way it's animated,) then it makes sense to use a mesh to deform it. As a matter of fact, Moho is using a mesh to deform the image whether you create one or not. As soon as you bind an image to bones, an invisible mesh is generated for the image. When you select a Smart Mesh for the image, it's actually applying an alternative mesh for the image that you defined yourself.

I hope this explains a few things. The best way to learn is to experiment with various techniques and decide what works best for your situation. In my experience, no single approach works for every character design and animation style, so I have to have to be prepared with a lot of tricks up my sleeve.
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Greenlaw
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Re: Separate layers for keyframes in timeline?

Post by Greenlaw »

Yeah, it's all drawn with vectors. Here's Majid's 'speed-rig' video showing the construction:

2d digital Robin hood made in Moho12

It's very nice work. Even without sound, the video is very informative and I recommend studying it.
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