Puffin Rock maker commits to Moho!

[JaMike]

I just heard Cartoon Saloon are setting up a new studio in Ireland that will be using Toon Boom Harmony.

I do hope they will still keep using Moho. I really thought Puffin Rock was the start of a new trend for TV series production, and it would start catching on elsewhere.

What is wrong with these big studios? I haven't seen anything produced recently with Toon Boom that Moho couldn't have done better.

Hey Smith Micro, you should make a special verison of Moho called Moho Enterprise, charge a hundred grand for it and it will fly off the shelves - because producers seem to value high cost of software over quality, flexibility and modernity.

Sorry for the rant. I'm just deeply disappointed.

Edit: It's not such bad news, see the later posts, and I've changed the title of the thread to reflect the newly discovered facts!

[Greenlaw]

My understanding is that they use both Moho and Harmony in production, at least that's how it's been for a few years. (Since 'Song of the Sea' anyway.)

The two programs are quite different and each is better suited for very different tasks, so I'd surprised to hear they dropped either one. (FWIW, I can't imagine dropping one or the other where I work.)

Just curious but where did you hear this?

[JaMike]

They used TV Paint on Song Of The Sea, not Harmony.

I heard it from a friend who was advising me to go for a job there. Don't know where he heard it from. Apparently they're looking for over a hundred people. It's a big deal.

[Greenlaw]

They used TV Paint on Song Of The Sea, not Harmony.

I stand corrected.

However, I do know they did used Anime Studio for some segments of Song of the Sea.

That said, I'd still be surprised if they completely abandon Moho and go for strictly Harmony. I'm not saying that hasn't happened--I don't know what their plans are. I'm just saying that, while Harmony does have excellent FBF tools, it's rigging tools for 'puppet-style' animation are not as capable as Moho. For example, Harmony's deformers do not support a full IK system with targets like Moho, nor does it have the equivalent for Smart Bone Actions. I just don't understand why they wouldn't use both programs in production, especially after they've already invested so much time and money developing a Moho pipeline for their television production.

FWIW, every studio where I've worked uses many different applications. For example, where I work now I may use Moho, Harmony, AE, and Lightwave (among many other graphics and animation programs,) all in the same production, and sometimes all together in the same scenes. I'm not sure how I'd get by if I was limited to using only one animation package. Probably spending a lot more time getting my work done, I'm sure, which would get very expensive.

Anyway, if that is the case, that would be unfortunate. Hopefully, somebody who works there will be permitted to fill us in.

[o0Ampy0o]

Two independent animation studios with reputations for high-quality work are joining forces to launch a new 2D-focused animation studio in Ireland, Lighthouse Studios.

"The studio’s 2D production pipeline, which will include some CGI integration, will mirror Mercury’s Canadian operation, which means that it will rely primarily on Toon Boom Harmony."

http://www.cartoonbrew.com/studios/cart ... 48361.html

[amanandink]

Hey guys

Dont worry, Cartoon Saloon is not dropping Moho, in fact we are actually working on a new moho show and recruiting moho animators http://www.cartoonsaloon.ie/jobs-2/ if anyone is interested there is still time to submit a showreel.

the new studio, Lighthouse, yes will most likely be toon boom, as it is a joint venture between Mercury film Works and Cartoon Saloon. but it will be a completely separate studio that will have its own productions.

Moho has been used on Song of the Sea, Puffin Rock, The Breadwinner and now the new tv series. It is very unlikely Cartoon Saloon will drop it as a tool for animation any time soon. In fact we are just looking at more and more ways of using it in every production we do. And TV Paint with Moho is a great combination of programmes for the type of animation we do.

[barrierstrobe]

Hey Guys,

this is Cartoon Saloon's Technical Director. I also ran an ASP/Moho Character Department on the upcoming feature the Breadwinner. As Jeremy says, Lighthouse is a completely separate venture, and at present there is no staff overlap, nor is there any pipeline overlap whatsoever between the two studios.

Here in Cartoon Saloon we have several more years of Moho use planned already, and if it's up to me we'll continue with it far beyond that. Moho and TVP are our workhorse animation softwares here, and we have never seriously discussed a switch to ToonBoom internally.

Mark

[Greenlaw]

That's great to hear! The work you guys have done in your films and Puffin Rock has been inspiring to me and my family. (We watched The Secret of Kells for the third time last week. Wonderful movie!)

Please keep up the excellent work. We'll be looking forward to seeing The Breadwinner and the new series!

[JaMike]

Woo hoo! That is really good news. I've never been so happy to be wrong!

Although, technically I was misinformed by someone, either by Chinese Whispers or on purpose (since my friend is tight with the Toon Boom rep). I apologise for any trouble caused. But it did give us news of more Moho jobs and a new Moho series, so maybe I'm not THAT sorry.

Maybe Mercury will see how good Moho works and will change their Canadian operation to use it too.

Also I'm very happy you continue to use TV Paint too, that's my favourite software for FBF.

[wizaerd]

I love Moho, and have ever since it was first known as Moho. It's features and capabilities are absolutely awesome, and produce some stunning results. But Moho looks like an amatuer's tool. It has got to be one of the worst UI's, in it's design and evolution. It looks like a product from 80's... If it really wants to be taken seriously, or more serious than it currently is, it really needs a completel UI overhaul. It's really needs to be brought into the 21st century...

[nikboy21]

I fine Moho UI pretty straightforward and simple to use.. Love the way it is.

[o0Ampy0o]

...I was misinformed by someone, either by Chinese Whispers or on purpose (since my friend is tight with the Toon Boom rep)....

Just because a thought passes through your mind does not mean it is worth voicing, let alone posting on a forum. This conjecturing is neither worthy nor wise to mention. To suggest that this is even a possibility without any evidence has a way of empowering it well beyond what this warrants.

A simple misunderstanding due to only having partial information could easily be misconstrued as a conspiracy by those who are zealots over which software they use.

There are many useful tools. What matters is what you produce with them.

[JaMike]

A simple misunderstanding due to only having partial information could easily be misconstrued as a conspiracy by those who are zealots over which software they use.

Oh stop over-reacting. My friend is a big Toon Boom fan and could quite easily have "twisted" the story all by himself. That's all I was saying.

I think what's put your nose out of joint is the fact that what started out as a possible pro-Toon Boom story ended up as a ringing endorsement of Moho at Toon Boom's expense. You were certainly quick enough to post the real story when it looked like Toon Boom were winning (6 hours turnaround). Now you resurrect the thread two weeks later to accuse me of being a zealot spouting a conspiracy theory.

Chill out, I'm not attacking anyone's integrity. Don't create a scandal where there isn't one.

[synthsin75]

Oh stop over-reacting.

My sentiment exactly.

[mdmodeler]

@JaMike - I appreciated you going back and correcting the thread. I'm glad you started this thread. The discussion was informative- no matter which direction it had headed.

@o0Ampy0o - Definitely chill.