Request for top 10 Anime Studio Pro Version 6 Features

Rudiger · Post by **Rudiger** » Thu Feb 05, 2009 8:39 am

Which version of .ai are you using? I would use the earliest version possible like 3 or something.

banjar · Post by **banjar** » Thu Feb 05, 2009 11:21 am

Rudiger wrote:Which version of .ai are you using? I would use the earliest version possible like 3 or something.

Does this mean that listening to a 62 year-old man cry his eyes out has melted your heart?

See, crying works.

Version CS3. Is it Adobe's faulth that ASPro cannot import .ai files without trashing them? Waah!! Waah!

mkelley · Post by **mkelley** » Thu Feb 05, 2009 2:02 pm

But you must SAVE to an earlier version. AI 8 is the recommended one. That should properly import about 90% of the time (maybe 100% depending on what features of AI you are using).

If you do this and things are *really* screwy then make sure you've collapsed all your stuff to vector (text is a big issue).

Rudiger · Post by **Rudiger** » Fri Feb 06, 2009 5:25 am

mkelley wrote:But you must SAVE to an earlier version. AI 8 is the recommended one. That should properly import about 90% of the time (maybe 100% depending on what features of AI you are using).

If you do this and things are *really* screwy then make sure you've collapsed all your stuff to vector (text is a big issue).

Exactly! I mean Adobe Illustrator CS3 only came out in 2007 and who knows what changes they made to their format in this version and all the other versions since Mike wrote his importer. Mike is an excellent programmer, but he can't predict the future, at least not as far as I know anyway. Luckily, Adobe Illustrator lets you save in older versions of the format. Try version 8 like mkelley said.

chucky · Post by **chucky** » Fri Feb 06, 2009 7:37 am

I think Banjar's requests are all ligit and he/she has every reason and right to ask for them on this thread.
I think other regulars here should let that be and not foul the thread with critique, ohoh suddenly I'm just as guilty....

I agree with all the requests BTW.

synthsin75 · Post by **synthsin75** » Fri Feb 06, 2009 1:27 pm

Sorry about that Chucky. Just trying to keep the developers focused on features that may seriously be needed, IMO. I mean, if newbies over do the requests, we'll only end up with a prettier UI and no real new animation features.

The Modax Jago · Post by **The Modax Jago** » Fri Feb 06, 2009 7:02 pm

Rudiger wrote:The Modax Jago, you say you love AS because "its simple, fast, and easy to learn/train". I agree, so why throw all that away because more people are used to the AfterEffects UI? If AS became more and more like AfterEffects it would just be becoming more and more obsolete. All Adobe would have to do is transfer the bones system from Flash CS4 and it's adios!

When suggesting new features for a product, I think it's more productive to keep the design philosophy of the original product in mind instead of just copying someone else's product.

This is where I work,...

http://www.animaticmedia.com/showcase.a ... =animatics

Afx is complex? You've not seen a flame, or inferno system then. Or god forbid an old Domino. Hey, don't be afraid of buttons man, they are your friend.

Copying working models and methods mixed with new and innovative techniques is the bedrock of design and production software design,. Straight up. Every program I've ever used had borrowed from others and innovated in it's own way. I have no problem with this.

Actually Afx does have a new bones tool, obviously not as good as AS, but I can assure you that in newer versions it will compete. Which puts alot of pressure on me when I recommend AS for alot of our projects. The higher ups just flat out say why not just use Afx puppet tools? So whenever AS quirks up and slows my process down,... bad news for Smith Mirco.

AS can quite easily keep its simplicity if that is a big concern. But for us who count on AS to meet deadlines, allow us finer control and a more advanced, dependable, consistent , uninterupted and god knows rational UI implementation. *hint: It would be nice to not have to constantly keep track if your on frame zero or not, focus on scrolling one by one the layer you want to work in, clicking five thousand times to preform basic house keeping on said layers, and, a luxury I know, not having to worry about which "camera mode" you are in. Seriously. Just simple things. Take for example Zbrush, or Mudbox, Blender, Modo, even LightWave. A very thin simple outer UI, but underneath countless opportunities for high level sophistication. I want to spend my time sovling the creative problems I face day to day. Not minding or sheparding software. The current situation whereby the overwhelming mayority of my time in AS is spent herding layers, groups, and brute force testing from frame zero to effect some latter frame, or trouble shooting bone region artifact problems, and ever frequent interupts due to tussleing with the UI,... not cool.

I need systems, methods, and procedures that allow me to create consistently good animations, that are easy to update throughout the entire production pipeline, and that allows for team oriented assets management, cross platform assess to different file formats. We require smart, solid, rugged software tools that enable our creative capacity.

I love AS clever vector implementation and elegant robust bones system, but in this modern competitive market you cant be a one trick pony. Sorry. AS is some very good ideas deployed in a rather rough around the edges and somewhat limited software delivery. That is the simple honest truth. What some of the guys in this forum do to expand AS capabilities is nothing short of saintly. They should be canonized.

Just saying, AS has a lot of potential. Working on the request in this thread would go a long way towards getting AS into prime time.

I hope that is the case, even if it require a hefty $$$

I dont care about style, just results, and at the end of the day if AS can't deliver... sorry.

I agree about the simple user interface in AS. I love it's simplicity. Why does a professional program have to be "complicated"? Is it to justify the cost? Whether a hobby or a profession, "simple" is always good.

... meanwhile I scheme to make the script interface even more "complex".

-vern

Exactly. You can be simple, yet complex. Just not for complexities sake, but for greater dynamic and specific user control.

* on a side note,... although I know AS is designed for vector work, and has really nice drawing tools optimized for animation (+5 cool points) oddly enough, 99% of my work with it is with raster images ( .png) You guys realize that AS actually is quite good at this, even as it is currently? Alot of users knocks AS raster animation, but I can attest to having produced high quailty pure bitmap work with it. Of course, as many things, it can use mayor updates, but I just wanted to get my experience regarding raster animations in AS out there.

The Modax Jago · Post by **The Modax Jago** » Fri Feb 06, 2009 7:46 pm

synthsin75 wrote:Uh,...the freehand tool does have pressure sensitive variable line width.

I just don't quite see AS becoming the do-all post production software for all of its competitors. It just seem like you'd be better off asking Flash to export to AS, as it is the failings of Flash that makes you want to migrate to AS anyway.

Sorry to sound so harsh, but to those of us who love the AS drawing tools, it's just really hard to swallow some one who hasn't learned them griping. Just take all this as testimonials to the AS drawing tools. They are a large part of that 'elegant' AS animation.

Essentially yes. AS is what Flash should be sans action script. And the drawing tools are very powerful. It's the best process to do all work from 0 on AS. But it would be nice if the process where more open to differnt pipleines. After all, each studio has it's own way of doing things and software should help, not hinder that.

Just to clarify. I dont expect AS to be the be-all end-all of compositing software. That is what I use Afx and combustion for. What I do expect is for AS to be the best at whatever it's own little catagory is called (? 2.5D animation) As long as AS is providing capacity to create work in a timely and cost effective method, it is fine by me. I dont need it to do gobal GI renders. It just needs to get me from point a to point b. Fast. And with no hassles. (well, ok,... at least not as many as flash)

This is why I say, the less like flash, and the more like "x" compositor, the better for AS. I dont mean to dilute AS's unique approach, just to actualize it with the buisness needs of it's commercial users.

synthsin75 · Post by **synthsin75** » Fri Feb 06, 2009 8:41 pm

I'm not sure, so maybe someone from the software development industry could answer this.

Which is the most likely scenario? That software is developed to answer all of the professional needs and only then becomes more used in studios, or that it gains enough studio attention and use to find what serious development funding may be necessary to get it up to professional needs.

I would assume that a developer would need the capital to do serious professional level development, but I could very well be wrong. If I'm right though, perhaps SM should try to sell production licenses or something. You know, with the promise it'll help defray the cost of studio focused development.

Would studios pony up the money for the development they want?

GCharb · Post by **GCharb** » Sat Feb 07, 2009 1:10 am

Hello all

synthsin75 wrote:Would studios pony up the money for the development they want?

I have seen this, like with Messiah Project, they sold many development licences to help get it started, they ended up with a good user base that way and are still going as of today.

What makes a software a professional one in the animation industry, well, it needs good multi users project and file handling, so artists can work from a center server or even the Web.

It needs scripting, so it can be incorporated in a pipeline and so special needs can be attended, AS has scripting but it could be more open.

And few other things that AS Pro lacks, which is why it does not attract studio attention that much and why ToonBoom does. Animation is a bitch, needs to go fast fast fast, so big studios will pay big bucks for software that has all they need to make workflow as fast as possible.

Gilles

Rudiger · Post by **Rudiger** » Sun Feb 08, 2009 5:57 am

The Modax Jago:
It sounds like we agree on what the deficiencies of Anime Studio are, just not the remedy. In my mind, the UI works great for small projects, ie a handful of shapes and layers, but gets really cumbersome for more complex stuff. Still, I think there are incremental fixes that can be done to improve things, a lot of which have been proposed in this thread, without having to do a complete rebuild of the UI from the ground up. In any case, I just can't see Mike redoing the UI at this stage. Perhaps if he opened up the scripting interface, like Vern and many others want, it would be possible for production house like yours to design and share their own UI.

Mikdog · Post by **Mikdog** » Sun Feb 08, 2009 11:22 am

I gotta say how awesome the animated layer ordering function is. MAN that's saved me a lot of time. With hands behind backs and whatnot. So great, man. So great. Props Mike Clifton.

cartoonmonkey · Post by **cartoonmonkey** » Thu Feb 12, 2009 2:18 pm

Hello from a long time lurker, self taught AS user! (Well thanks to a few great tutorials here and there..)

I really think that the number one feature that Anime Studio needs, is a version of "symbols", and compatibility with the flash file format on export.

That is, Anime Studio creates .swf files that use symbols dynamically in the same way as Flash to save file size.

Basic action script support would be excellent as well.

I know that the above flies in the face of all that is Anime Studio, but I thought I'd share my opinion.

Flash and AS compliment each other so well, however.. Adobe is clearly taking Flash down the bloatware road.

A friend of mine often remark that we wish that Flash MX (6) had the plugin / extension support of version 8, then it'd be an almost perfect program. (Ok, well.. add in the bones of Anime Studio) My point is, that AS is beautifully coded, small, fast & efficient! I would completely switch to AS if:

1) The drawing tools matched those of Flash MX (pressure sensitive free-form vector brush tool) - Don't know if this is possible, with the way that AS computes points etc.

2) Dynamic Symbol support as in flash, in addtion to the switch layer.

3) True .swf optimized export

4) True multi-monitor support, and the ability to save your workspace layout. Each time I start up AS, the windows are all over the place. I currently solve this on Windows by using a program called "Actual Window Manager" which I purchased. If you haven't seen it, try it out. It wrangles any window on your system, into any position and can even define an area that a certain window can't leave. (The timeline in AS)

5) When importing vector artwork, make the scale of imported items match that of the original document.

Thanks for listening to my little rant.. Would love to get onto the beta team when development starts up again!

Best,
C

mkelley · Post by **mkelley** » Thu Feb 12, 2009 8:32 pm

And my two cents is that if Mike uses even 1% of his time coding anything in AS to improve Flash output he's wasting his time.

I just wanted to give you another perspective -- to me, Flash is Flash and trying to get AS to be a "better" Flash is as silly as trying to make the drawing tools in AS match Illustrator.

I also think it's clear that most software follows that concept -- while most programs attempt to provide a certain amount of export/import compatibility, for the most part every program stands on its own.

After Mike is through adding all the wonderful features in AS he's going to on this go around IF he has any time left at all I think it would be nice for you people if he works on Illustrator import and Flash export. But only then, because otherwise none of it makes any sense. IOW, it doesn't matter how perfect the Illustrator import or Flash export is if AS itself isn't wonderful, and so making AS the best it can be HAS to be the number one priority. All else is just icing on the cake.

chucky · Post by **chucky** » Thu Feb 12, 2009 9:59 pm

MKelley, shhhh.
I appreciate your opinion,on this issue. Sometimes though I wonder why we need it.
This is a feature requests thread not a shout down other peoples requests thread. Grrr.