Regular points vs. Bezier points

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dosrobots
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Regular points vs. Bezier points

Post by dosrobots »

In Moho, are there two types of points, regular and bezier? How to create them? Or more specifically, how to avoid creating the bezier points if I want to use regular points (which should not be problematic in animations)?

I've learned the concept of points from these excellent tutorials by Greenlaw: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZaXOiIHm3g&t=1440s but never understood the difference - if there even is such a thing. To me, they both seem the same: Only difference is how the handles are set by Curvature tool or otherwise 🤔
Last edited by dosrobots on Thu Nov 13, 2025 3:16 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Greenlaw
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Re: Regular points vs. Bezier points

Post by Greenlaw »

dosrobots wrote: Wed Nov 12, 2025 9:43 am To me, they both seem to same: Only difference is how the handles are set by Curvature tool or otherwise 🤔
Hi, dosrobots!

I meant to respond to your question when you asked previously, but things are a bit crazy here right now, and I forgot about it. Sorry! :oops:

All Moho Points start out as Regular Point. (Note: I'm not sure 'Regular' is an official designation for this state, but it's what I've called it for years.) In a Regular Point, the curve on either side is balanced equally. To preserve this state, use the Curvature Tool ONLY over the point itself, by click-dragging it left/right.

The difference occurs when the point handles are adjusted in any way. Once this adjustment occurs, the point can be considered a Bezier Point. Adjusting the Bezier handles gives you greater control over the shape, but, as you probably discovered, it can also produce unwanted results during animation.

To prevent Regular Points from unintentionally becoming Bezier Points, my suggestion is the simply hide the Bezier handles so that they can't be adjusted. To do this, disable the Show Bezier Handles button in the Transform Points and Add Points Options bar. With the handles hidden, you can still adjust the curvature by clicking and dragging as described above.

Note: There is also a Show Bezier Handles button in the Curvature tool's Options bar. I wish the state of these buttons stayed in sync. Years ago, Synthsin75 created a modified version that stayed in sync, but it's old, so I'd stick with the latest version for now.

When you need to work with Bezier handles for points, just uncheck the option. I suggest hiding it again after finishing your edit.

If a Regular Point is accidentally converted into a Bezier Point, just reset it. To do this, select the point and apply Smooth (Ctrl-M) or Peak (Ctrl-P). This applies the default values (0.30 for Smooth, 0 for Peak), so you may need to dial in your preferred curvature.

So, which is better?

TBH, I use both types in my work, but tend to prefer Regular Points for rigged art that will be deformed. It's a little tricky to get identical results to Bezier using only Regular Points, but it can be done (well, pretty closely anyway). This typically involves adding extra points to maintain the curvature and sharp corners. (Before we got Bezier Vector Handles in Moho 12, Regular was all we had, and I successfully created hundreds of scenes this way for TV shows without Bezier points.)

But when I can use Bezier Points effectively, I will definitely use it! I tend to use it mainly for art that will not be deformed because I can work quicker and use fewer points.

If, for whatever reason, I REALLY want to use Bezier in a rig, I'll do a test first, and if it works out, great! And if it doesn't, I'll switch to Regular Points. Most of the time, in rigged art, I'll avoid the hassle and just stick with Regular because I know it will work.

Note: Victor Paredes showed a neat trick for using Bezier points in rigged art. I believe it required making sure you keyframe the points AND the handles (distance and angle). There's a thread somewhere in the forum about it. If I find the link, I'll post it here.
Last edited by Greenlaw on Thu Nov 13, 2025 10:48 am, edited 14 times in total.
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Re: Regular points vs. Bezier points

Post by Greenlaw »

Ha, ha! Looks like I just wrote the script for another Moho tutorial. Thanks for the idea! :D

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Last edited by Greenlaw on Wed Nov 12, 2025 4:56 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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synthsin75
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Re: Regular points vs. Bezier points

Post by synthsin75 »

Greenlaw wrote: Wed Nov 12, 2025 12:30 pm If a Regular Point is accidentally converted into a Bezier Point, just select it and apply Smooth (Ctrl-S) or Peak (Ctrl-P). The applies the default values (0.30 for Smooth, 0 for Peak), so you may need to dial in your preferred curvature.
Ctrl+M to smooth.
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Greenlaw
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Re: Regular points vs. Bezier points

Post by Greenlaw »

Whoops! Good catch, and corrected. Thanks, Wes! :D
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Víctor Paredes
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Re: Regular points vs. Bezier points

Post by Víctor Paredes »

Hi. I always use bezier handles. Here is the tip Greenlaw was talking about.
It is basically use Sharp Corners for corners :roll: .
https://discord.com/channels/1123979330 ... 3730499796
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Greenlaw
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Re: Regular points vs. Bezier points

Post by Greenlaw »

Víctor Paredes wrote: Wed Nov 12, 2025 1:44 pm Hi. I always use bezier handles...
https://discord.com/channels/1123979330 ... 3730499796
Thank you, Victor! I wasn't aware of this Discord thread.

For anyone looking for the old forum post on this topic, it's here...

Bezier points not working as expected

I think Victor's newer Discord thread is more helpful, though. I may need to reevaluate how I use Bezier handles in my own work. :D
Last edited by Greenlaw on Wed Nov 12, 2025 6:28 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Regular points vs. Bezier points

Post by Greenlaw »

...oh, yeah...and revise my future tutorial, too!

(That is, when I can get to it.) :lol:
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dosrobots
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Re: Regular points vs. Bezier points

Post by dosrobots »

Thanks! It makes sense now 🙇‍♂️ Also, it seems that using both regular and bezier point may be fine. Until one runs into issues with it and then using the regular point (balanced handles) should fix the issue.
Greenlaw wrote: Wed Nov 12, 2025 12:30 pm All Moho Points start out as Regular Point. (Note: I'm not sure 'Regular' is an official designation for this state, but it's what I've called it for years.) In a Regular Point, the curve on either side is balanced equally. To preserve this state, use the Curvature Tool ONLY over the point itself, by click-dragging it left/right.
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Re: Regular points vs. Bezier points

Post by Greenlaw »

Greenlaw wrote: Wed Nov 12, 2025 12:30 pm ...I meant to respond to your question when you asked previously, but things are a bit crazy here right now, and I forgot about it. Sorry!
Oh, wait...I just checked the comment on my YouTube Channel, and I think it's another Moho user who asked a similar question. Ha ha! I'll point him to this forum topic, then. :D
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