DK Simple head turns part 3

rplate · Post by **rplate** » Thu Jan 03, 2008 4:21 pm

INTERESTING!! So what you're doing here is binding the points to the vertical bone and Scaling the horizontal bones?
Does that mean the hair doesn't really shrink and expand with scaling
but instead you're sliding one vector image on top of the other?
One of the problems I had with scaling on my head was to squeeze the eye small enough as the head turned.
After a certain amount of scaling things began to distort. That was a hinderance to a full 90 degree turn on my model.
I'll have to see if this new technique will help work that out. Fascinating idea! Great work! D.K. I'll be sure to stay tuned.

Hmmm... Maybe if I went to see a shrink.

EDIT: BTW I forgot to mention, the head I did was an Adobe Illustration vector import with LOTS of points.
So your rig can even handle a vector import without having to scale down the points. Great stuff! Keep it up.

.
.Bob P

DK · Post by DK » Fri Jan 04, 2008 1:06 am

rplate wrote:

INTERESTING!! So what you're doing here is binding the points to the vertical bone and Scaling the horizontal bones?
Does that mean the hair doesn't really shrink and expand with scaling

Hi rplate.

For character movement:
I use bone scaling to control the horizontal speed at which a parented verticle bone moves to it's horizontal parent. I don't bind points to the horizontal bones only the verticle bones. Sometimes only one point in a shape is binded to the root bone so it moves nowhere, while the other points in the shape are binded to another bone that moves away at a different speed. This makes the shape distort.

Hair is different:
Because the shape of hair is very eratic when moving I use double shape masking.The two hair shapes simply slide across each other so that the outline looks as though it's changing profile.

D.K

DK · Post by DK » Fri Jan 04, 2008 8:06 am

Complex object rotation using Double Shape Masking and bone scale rotate.

SWF UPDATED.
http://www.wienertoonz.com/DKgossamer.swf
http://www.wienertoonz.com/DKgoss.zip

I'm now developing my Double Shape Masking technique and combing it with scale rotate to achieve a rotation of just about any shape you can think of.
This is very rough and the face is just scale rotated for now as I was concentrating more on the characters body shape rather than features.

First I drew a front and profile of the Gossamer character in AS and split them both in half. I then double shape masked each half and hooked them up to a scaling bone tree structure. This technique is even easier and more versatile than the first full simple puppet character I developed as it allows for more complexed character shapes and less fiddly bone point binding. I am going to keep developing things in this direction.

Cheers
D.K

rplate · Post by **rplate** » Fri Jan 04, 2008 2:31 pm

DK wrote:Complex object rotation using Double Shape Masking and bone scale rotate.

SWF UPDATED.
http://www.wienertoonz.com/DKgossamer.swf
http://www.wienertoonz.com/DKgoss.zip

Cheers
D.K

WOW! You are really on a roll here. I was wondering how to get the left eye smaller as it turned to 90 degrees.
Very clever my man. And simple enough for even me to understand.

.
.Bob P

DK · Post by DK » Fri Jan 04, 2008 3:08 pm

Hi rplate. (Just about to go to bed here) ...but i'm very excited with this new method as it allows you to animate a 180 degree character turn from drawing only a front and profile design of your character. The bones are only there for moving/sliding the shapes in groups so they reveal the layers at the correct moment. Thanks for your comments.
EDIT: I traced the Gossamer character from two key positions, front and side, on a Warner Bros model sheet I found on the net.

D.K

DarthFurby · Post by **DarthFurby** » Sat Jan 05, 2008 1:07 am

Really incredible work DK. This should be on the company website. Advanced puppet models like this would attract a lot of people I think.

DK · Post by DK » Sat Jan 05, 2008 1:32 am

Thanks Darth. It just comes from hours and hours of experimenting with AS then all of a sudden you'll stumble across something. I still can't figure out a good but simple mouth profile method though.

D.K

DK · Post by DK » Sat Jan 05, 2008 3:41 am

The Final File
I'll leave you with this final file till I get the time to work on a tutorial for this technique. There are a few things to be added yet like a switchable mouth and arms but I am extremely happy with the flexibility you have in creating and animating cartoon style characters using this technique. (see swf).

http://www.wienertoonz.com/DKgossamerrun.swf
http://www.wienertoonz.com/DKgossrun.zip

Now I have to go put bread on the table

Enjoy and happy holidays!

D.K

Genete · Post by **Genete** » Sat Jan 05, 2008 3:47 am

Extremely good!!!

jahnocli · Post by **jahnocli** » Sat Jan 05, 2008 10:01 am

Congratulations on the work you have done -- looks great! I am waiting with bated breath for the tutorial...

fiziwig · Post by **fiziwig** » Sat Jan 19, 2008 1:12 am

DK,

This is a brilliant piece of work! I went through your files very carefully trying to understand exactly what is happening. In the process, I jotted down my notes in the form of a tutorial for newbies. The first part is completed, with the preliminary bone control concepts. (I'm assuming newbies don't know much about how to use bone scaling yet.) There is one more part yet to be done, tying the pieces together with a simple character design.

I hope you don't mind. I gave you full credit for the method, and linked back to this forum post from my tutorial.

Here's the tutorial so far: http://fiziwig.com/anim/index08.php

--gary

DK · Post by DK » Sat Jan 19, 2008 1:28 am

Hi Fiz. (hope you don't mind me calling you fiz?).
I've been following your posts and developments and love what you are doing. I like the "keep it basic approach" in your work as I am very much of the same mind. You're welcome to use and share the ideas and concepts I put up on this forum as is everyone else.

Re: Head and body turns, personally I think the double masking idea is wonderful in it's simplicity and is a technique I intend to keep working on as soon as I get some spare time. It really has opened up a new world of animation ideas for me. Keep up the good work

Cheers
D.K

fiziwig · Post by **fiziwig** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 7:33 am

Hey DK, and others,

I have part two of my tutorial for the Secret DK Turning Technique. So far I have the body and arms turning. My character, Mr. Egg Man, has no shoulders in side view, but has nice broad shoulders in front view. That moving mask-object trick works perfectly to "grow" shoulders as they are needed during the turn.

Check it out. http://fiziwig.com/anim/index09.php

Next up, legs and then the head.

--gary

DK · Post by DK » Sun Jan 20, 2008 10:48 am

Hey Fiz.
Great work!!!! Very innovative use of the double shape masking for shoulders!

Cheers
D.K

Genete · Post by **Genete** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 11:22 am

Vern, please put fiziwig's web page link inside a sticky post at tips and techniques area.

viewtopic.php?t=10172

Its tutorials are turning to an invaluable treasure.

Gary, congratulations for your your learning evolution!!! and thanks in name of all the forum members for that detailed explained tutorials

Only one request. Put some sort of menu ant the HOME page to allow jump to any particular tutorial directly. GREAT work!!!

-G