#AP 1.3 tween feature
10 messages in this thread
I am curious about the 2D tweening feature in AP 1.3. How does it compare to
3DS? How do we define the keyframes, and how much can we control the tweening
process? Or, I can just use Elastic Reality to tween( not easily as I can tell
).
Will Animator Studio have the same feature?
Thanks.
Mei-Tien
/* I am curious about the 2D tweening feature in AP 1.3. How does it compare to
3DS? How do we define the keyframes, and how much can we control the tweening
process? Or, I can just use Elastic Reality to tween( not easily as I can tell
). */
Hi. Animator Pro and 3D Studio are very different products. Comparing the
"tweening" ability of these two would be like comparing the TEXT tools of a
word processor with a spreadsheet.
Tweening in AniPro is polymorphic, meaning it changes from one shape to
another. It is also planar. There are no "keyframes"… simply two vertice
lists which define the boundaries of the begining and ending shapes. Controls
allow you to reference which beginning vertice goes with which ending vertice.
The word "tween" in 3DS means something completely different with regard to
geometry and surface construction of 3D objects in the Lofter. The closest
thing to AniPro's "tweening" (instructions on vertice transitions) is
Keyframer's Morphing features.
-dave
Dave,
Thanks a lot for your explanation. I used 3DS a bit, but I found it is useful
to have 2D in some cases. However, I am interested in minimizing the work
required for inbetweens in 2D. I noticed there are people using 3DS for 2D
animations, and wonder why?
Sounds like if I do tweening in AP, I need to individually tween , say the leg
, the arm, and the body between the initial to final frames. Correct? It just
captures the outlines of the figures for tweening. Essentially the same as
Elastic Reality.
Mei-Tien
"Sounds like if I do tweening in AP, I need to individually tween , say the leg
, the arm, and the body between the initial to final frames. Correct? It just
captures the outlines of the figures for tweening"
Yes, the Animator Pro tweening is a collection of points that make up an
outline of a shape. These points are then told to move in a straight line to a
new location, some frames later. Using tweening to animation figures will be
very limited, as the length of someone's arm will probably change inadvertantly
during the tween process.
Since the points are essentially an outline, the filled image is not tweened at
the same time.
Nik,
Interesting. it sounds like it is similar to elastic reality, the only benefit
I can think of is that I do not need to retrace the figures.
Thanks.
Mei-Tien
>>>DAVE>>>
Sounds like if I do tweening in AP, I need to individually tween , say the leg
, the arm, and the body between the initial to final frames. Correct? It just
captures the outlines of the figures for tweening. Essentially the same as
Elastic Reality.
There are no "legs" or "arms" in AniPro. There are no outline-capturing
tools in the program. EVERYTHING is a pixel to AniPro. The whole process by
which images and animations are generated is different than in 3DS… in 3DS
you work with geometry, in AniPro you work with cels. Motion in 3DS is
keyframed while motion in Animator Pro is Moved, scaled, spun or told to
follow a path (splined if you like) over a series of frames. The tweening
tools in AniPro aren't typically used for character animation since
polymorphs are only allowed (certain specific shapes)… and the
vertex-to-vertex descriptions take a lot of time to generate for impressive
tweens. It is different than EReality.
<<<DAVE<<<
Dave,
I thought I understood, now I don't quite know if I really know.
Anyway, it does not sound encouraging to use AP 1.3 tweening for character
animation.
Thanks again.
Mei-Tien
/* I thought I understood, now I don't quite know if I really know. Anyway, it
does not sound encouraging to use AP 1.3 tweening for character animation. */
Let me make myself clear, Mei-Tien. Animator Pro is great for character
animation (as will be Animator Studio. The "tweening" feature is not what does
this though. <g> Onionskinning, tracing, and optics are the tools usually used
for animation frame-by-frame and in-between frame construction. -dave
Dave,
Allright, I think I know what you mean now. Tweening is not good for character
animation, period. Every frame is best traced and/or modified with the help of
onion skin.
3DS does have some benefits except these cartoon look animations.
Mei-Tien
/* Allright, I think I know what you mean now. Tweening is not good for
character animation, period. Every frame is best traced and/or modified with
the help of onion skin. 3DS does have some benefits except these cartoon look
animations. */
For Disney-style or Monthy-Python-style (clipart), AniPro works great. For
Donkey-Kong Country, 3DS. "Character animation" is a broad subject. 🙂 -dave