Is swf export gone, or is it hidden somewhere?

[RhubarbZoo]

Hi,

Apologies if this is a common question, I wasn't able to find an answer via conventional search methods...

I took a break from using Moho for several years, and bought the latest version near the end of last year.

I did a job with it recently but when I went to export, I couldn't find SWF as an output format, despite the manual indicating that it's there... I understand if SWF has been removed given that Flash is no longer supported on the web, but it is a useful format for film and television.

Thanks!

[Greenlaw]

Hi RhubarbZoo,

I believe .swf support was dropped from Moho quite some time ago. This was probably because .swf is not used on the web these days, having pretty much been replaced by HTML5.

... but (.swf) is a useful format for film and television.

I know .swf is still used as the native project format for Adobe Animate but I don't think it's commonly used as an output format even among Animate users.

FWIW, I've been animating in cartoon animation production for television since 2015 and I've never been asked to render to .swf files for a show. As far as I know, most animation studios render to image sequences (I render .png from Moho and Animate, and .exr from programs that support it,) and then compile the frames to a lossless or near lossless video format for editorial.

If you need vector output to use in another vector program, or for web graphics (or maybe for game production?) Moho does support .svg output. (I've never had to do this so not completely sure about it.)

Hope this helps.

[jahnocli]

If you want to produce Flash content without getting caught up in Adobe's subscription matrix, you could take a look at Wick Editor

[RhubarbZoo]

Hi RhubarbZoo,

I believe .swf support was dropped from Moho quite some time ago. This was probably because .swf is not used on the web these days, having pretty much been replaced by HTML5.

... but (.swf) is a useful format for film and television.

I know .swf is still used as the native project format for Adobe Animate but I don't think it's commonly used as an output format even among Animate users.

FWIW, I've been animating in cartoon animation production for television since 2015 and I've never been asked to render to .swf files for a show. As far as I know, most animation studios render to image sequences (I render .png from Moho and Animate, and .exr from programs that support it,) and then compile the frames to a lossless or near lossless video format for editorial.

If you need vector output to use in another vector program, or for web graphics (or maybe for game production?) Moho does support .svg output. (I've never had to do this so not completely sure about it.)

Hope this helps.

Thanks for the response, that is basically what I assumed to be the case.

Actually, the studio I've been working at for the past 5 years uses SWF but they're unusual in many ways. The workflow is Animate for animation, exported to SWF, Photoshop for backgrounds, After Effects for compositing (that's me). Using a vector format is actually super helpful in a fast moving workflow and allows for tonnes of flexibility in terms of camera in After Effects.

Moho will just be for smaller projects I do outside of my day job tho so not a big problem... I'm just used to working a particular way. But I think the advantages of animating in Moho outweigh the advantages of using a vector format.

(I did look into SVG sequences but it doesn't support layer masks. Actually, I don't think swfs do either so I would've been out of luck either way).

[Greenlaw]

Ah, thanks for explaining! Yeah, I can see how it depends on the studio's pipeline and what the work is for. One big advantage with .swf/.svg export is resolution independence. It's one of the reasons I lean hard into using vector art while in Moho, even when the final look of the scenes looks 'bitmap'. (Like the 'Puss in Boots' stuff on my reel.)

But for output from Moho for other programs, I still prefer rendering shots as image sequences at the required resolution (plus any overscan I might want for compositing.) For me, .swf/.svg would limit the number of programs where I can import the files, but a bitmap image sequence can be used anywhere. I often need to switch between Moho, Animate, Harmony, Photoshop, Ae, Nuke. and other programs...sometimes all for a single scene. (A few of my old Croods comps pulled in characters I animated in Moho, Harmony, and Ae with DuIK, and they all had to interact with each other...yikes! This wasn't by design though; we switched animation programs across several seasons before settling on Moho.)

[RhubarbZoo]

Ah, thanks for explaining! Yeah, I can see how it depends on the studio's pipeline and what the work is for. One big advantage with .swf/.svg export is resolution independence. It's one of the reasons I lean hard into using vector art while in Moho, even when the final look of the scenes looks 'bitmap'. (Like the 'Puss in Boots' stuff on my reel.)

But for output from Moho for other programs, I still prefer rendering shots as image sequences at the required resolution (plus any overscan I might want for compositing.) For me, .swf/.svg would limit the number of programs where I can import the files, but a bitmap image sequence can be used anywhere. I often need to switch between Moho, Animate, Harmony, Photoshop, Ae, Nuke. and other programs...sometimes all for a single scene. (A few of my old Croods comps pulled in characters I animated Moho, Harmony, and Ae with DuIK, and they all had to interact with each other...yikes! This wasn't by design though; we switched animation programs across several seasons before settling on Moho.)

Fair enough, I don't really know how many big studios out there use Moho aside from Cartoon Saloon, and it's my understanding that they too switch between different animation suites quite a bit (although I'm not sure how and to what extent).

I don't think I'll ever have to use Moho for my day job, this is really just for my own interest and for freelance gigs It's great to get back into it though, the whole smart bones thing is new to me and I'm loving it!