Import Illustrator Vectors? Raster? Re-Draw in Moho?

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Monkey Possum
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Import Illustrator Vectors? Raster? Re-Draw in Moho?

Post by Monkey Possum »

Silly me, I assumed Moho could somehow import vector files from Adobe world. SVGs of outlines seem to work, but anything more complex is a complete nightmare. We all know what happens when you assume.

I've heard that Moho will import Illustrator 8 format, but my Illustrator CC doesn't seem to have that export option. Thoughts?

Any way to import AI vectors properly into Moho?

So, characters and anything animated are being re-drawn in Moho. That's decided (unless we miraculously learn how to import)

But the non moving backgrounds - I'm debating whether to have them re-traced in Moho, or export them to large png raster files. To do the pan and zoom stuff I want, I'm thinking I would need my png files to be about 10,000 pixels wide. On some sets, I might have 4 or 5 layers that large.

It's going to be a few weeks before my characters are all rigged, so I can't really test what's going to break yet.

I'm running a Mac Pro 6 core, and also a Mac Book Pro 4 core. If the png files will work without overloading the system, I'm happy to go that route. But if I need to convert these BG's to vectors, I'd like to get started now. Thoughts?
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synthsin75
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Re: Import Illustrator Vectors? Raster? Re-Draw in Moho?

Post by synthsin75 »

If I remember correctly, I believe AI to Inkscape to SVG is the route. SVG is the most accurate imported into Moho, but many programs export raster effects with their SVGs and those won't translate to Moho.
Monkey Possum
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Re: Import Illustrator Vectors? Raster? Re-Draw in Moho?

Post by Monkey Possum »

Thanks. Downloaded Inkscape, apparently no longer supported for Mac. On launch it is looking for "Xquartz", ??
Monkey Possum
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Re: Import Illustrator Vectors? Raster? Re-Draw in Moho?

Post by Monkey Possum »

OK, I got Inkscape and XQuartz. Now what? In XQuartz there is no "Open" or "Import"
obtusity
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Re: Import Illustrator Vectors? Raster? Re-Draw in Moho?

Post by obtusity »

XQuartz is only an X11 window manager for Inkscape, you don't open or import your SVG using XQuartz, you still use Inkscape for that.

Once XQuartz is installed and appropriately configured, you should be able to ignore it and use Inkscape normally.
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Greenlaw
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Re: Import Illustrator Vectors? Raster? Re-Draw in Moho?

Post by Greenlaw »

IMO, it all depends on how you intend to use the artwork in Moho.

Imported vectors are fine for props, backgrounds, and characters if you're not planning to deform them with bones. What you get from this is resolution independence.

Rasterized is good for detailed and painterly looks, and if the resolution of the image is high enough, it will deform well-enough with bones. You may need to create custom meshes to get really good deformations and if you want to use Smart Warp. Obviously, you lose resolution independence, so you'll want to make the image res high. The downside is that if you have too many high res images being deformed by bones, Moho's performance may bog down.

Creating the vector artwork directly inside Moho is you're best bet for really good deformations and using of Smart Bones Actions. The reason is because creating the vectors in Moho gives you the most control over optimal point placement and curvature settings. That's a lot harder to do when you're drawing the character in a different vector package.

I would do a series of tests to determine the best workflow for the project. For example, back when I created the HLF titles, I originally planned to use all bitmap images but then I discovered that my gear couldn't handle that much data. What worked best for me on that project was a hybrid vector/bitmap setup, where most of the elements were brush-stroked vector shapes with tileable texture fills. That animated and rendered efficiently even on the small laptop I was using back then.
Last edited by Greenlaw on Sat Aug 04, 2018 3:52 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Monkey Possum
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Re: Import Illustrator Vectors? Raster? Re-Draw in Moho?

Post by Monkey Possum »

Thanks for the comments. we've done a number of proof-of-concept tests now. We're going with large png files for non-moving backgrounds, and vector drawings done in Moho for all characters. They say necessity is the mother of invention. We've hit on a workflow that others might find useful. We have one character rigged with all sorts of fancy smart bones and pin bones. Import a reference image of the new character, and set the layer to 50% opacity, scale to match the size of the existing character. Then we edit all points, lines, shapes and colors in the existing character, including all the frames of the actions, to match the new target character in the reference image. Voila, a new character, fully rigged!
johnwhat01
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Re: Import Illustrator Vectors? Raster? Re-Draw in Moho?

Post by johnwhat01 »

You can’t convert png to vector illustrator. You would need to rebuild the logo as a vector (or find a vector version of it). A PNG is a raster (bitmap) graphic. It is made up of pixels, not lines. It contains no vector information. What you want to do is "autotrace" the image. This is the process of tracing the outline of the raster (bitmap) graphic to create vector shapes.
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