I have been using Anime Studio Standard for a few weeks now. (I'm totally new to 2D animation until I got this software). I bought it off the shelf not even realizing there was a Pro version until I started reading the tutorials and realizing they were meant mostly for Pro users and mentioned functions I did not have. That being said the Standard version can render a script that was made in Pro so don't dispair Standard users, you have a tiger hiding under the wings!
Here are a few observations I've made and things I have done to make my Standard version into a Semi-Pro:
Take ALL the scripts you can find (Fazik's tools in particular) and move them into the Scripts folder in the Anime Studio folders. This will give you a whole additional set of Other tools to use within the program and they DO work. I took the subfolders from Fazik and use those to keep the scripts the same was as the Pro version. (One folder has the Lua scripts the for example) If the script function can be given an icon to choose from the menu then we can use it in Standard. I now have a magnet, star shaped draw tool, and many more!) (I still have to add some of Vern's newest scripts to see if they are accessible - BTW- Vern, if any of them can have an icon created for the menu to access them then we Standard users will be able to use them too!)
Create a Scenery folder in your anime studio directory's Library folder (Standard only comes with a scenery.anme file) Move that file into the new Scenery folder and then make copies of any other anime file you want to use objects from and put those in your scenery folder. When you choose File Import Scenery it will now go to your new Scenery folder and let you choose a file. From there it will let you pick which layers you want from that file. I have saved small cycled loops and short animations for switch layers. When I import a bone group or switch layer it will bring in your cycle loops and anims too! I used this for a bird flying and only had to import the cycle then move my pre-made cycled layer through my new animation.
I took an anime file with a particle layer and stripped it to just the particle layer and saved it as an anim file. I put that in my Scenery folder and can now bring it into any animation I am working on. (You have to still draw your particle and drap that into your Particle layer) When you double click on the particle layer it will now give you an additional Particles tab which lets you change particle settings. While you don't have a drop down to choose pre-made particles, it still lets you create them from scratch. I've made snow and bubbles and many more so far.
You can't create brushes in Standard but if you put an anime file with a brush in it in your Scenery folder and import it into you animation, you can change that brush shape and other aspects to at least come up with some additional "brush" effects
No group layer in Standard- just use a Bone layer as the same thing and you can move layers into that to move together
Standard doesn't come with a Grid - BUT Fizwig created an excellent PNG picture of one to use as a temp layer when you need to keep things a certain dimension.
While these steps do not give you all of the Pro's additional functionality it still gives the Standard program that much more potential for you to use.
Newbie tips for Standard users - make yours a Semi-Pro
Moderators: Víctor Paredes, Belgarath, slowtiger
Excellent tips. Thank you.
Another trick I stumbled on: Create a vector layer called "Markers" at the very bottom, or just above the grid layer if you are using the grid.png. Or you can move it to the very top if you want your reference marks to appear above the shape layers.
Add a couple of horizontal lines and a couple of vertical lines as objects on that layer. Now when you need to mark a reference spot, such as when aligning two body parts, or matching a walk cycle to a background, just slide one of your marker lines over to the spot you need to mark, and you have a reference to line things up with.
--gary
Another trick I stumbled on: Create a vector layer called "Markers" at the very bottom, or just above the grid layer if you are using the grid.png. Or you can move it to the very top if you want your reference marks to appear above the shape layers.
Add a couple of horizontal lines and a couple of vertical lines as objects on that layer. Now when you need to mark a reference spot, such as when aligning two body parts, or matching a walk cycle to a background, just slide one of your marker lines over to the spot you need to mark, and you have a reference to line things up with.
--gary
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toonertime
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I have sub folders that I created in the scripts folder - "tool" and "utility". I kept (fazik's tools for example) in their respective folders from the zip file. For any other scripts, (at least that make an icon to select on your menu) that don't have a breakdown of files to those folders, I put the lua script and everything else they have in the Utility folder. That may make a difference in the AS program "reading" them correctly
If you don't know or there aren't instructions for where a custom script file gets installed "guessing" where they go is a bad idea.
Tools go in the tools folder, menus go in the menu folder etc. In the case of Fazek's custom tool scripts there is ONE specific script file (fa_sharedutils.lua) that goes in the utility script folder. All of this is explained with his scripts, either in his scripts topic posted here or on the web page to download them.
If you try to put these scripts in the wrong place you could get errors. If you didn't install Fazek's utility script you WILL get errors because his tools "call" functions in his utility script.
A script can use or "call" ANY other tool, menu or utility script function that is loaded into memory when the program launches. A button script can be used to access a menu script just by "calling its name". Fazek's tools and the AS tools do this all the time.
When you use the translate point tool or any of the point editing tools (scale, rotate, etc) the code to SELECT a point isn't rewritten for each tool, it just "calls" the function to select points in the select point tool. In the case of Fazek's tools the calls go to HIS tools or specifically to the functions in his utility script.
I have no idea what is available to "Standard" users as apposed to "Pro" users as far as scripting is concerned since I don't have access to the standard version. That is why I didn't know that menu scripts weren't accessible to the standard version.
My thought was that since so much of the program relies on the scripting functions that only embedded layer scripts are "deactivated" in the standard version (I think you can get around this by adding embedded layer script references "by hand" with a text editor).
I've only created a few menu scripts. I will see about adding button tools to access them. Like I said the only way to use layer scripts is by editing the AS files by hand. I am working on a possible solution to this by adding layer script functions to tool and utility scripts. This will make all of my scripts available to both versions.
-vern
Tools go in the tools folder, menus go in the menu folder etc. In the case of Fazek's custom tool scripts there is ONE specific script file (fa_sharedutils.lua) that goes in the utility script folder. All of this is explained with his scripts, either in his scripts topic posted here or on the web page to download them.
If you try to put these scripts in the wrong place you could get errors. If you didn't install Fazek's utility script you WILL get errors because his tools "call" functions in his utility script.
A button tool is "special" type of tool. It isn't a matter of "adding an icon". A new tool script needs to be created and has to be added to the script/tool folder along with creating a custom icon with a "matching" name for the new button tool script.if any of them can have an icon created for the menu to access them then we Standard users will be able to use them too!
A script can use or "call" ANY other tool, menu or utility script function that is loaded into memory when the program launches. A button script can be used to access a menu script just by "calling its name". Fazek's tools and the AS tools do this all the time.
When you use the translate point tool or any of the point editing tools (scale, rotate, etc) the code to SELECT a point isn't rewritten for each tool, it just "calls" the function to select points in the select point tool. In the case of Fazek's tools the calls go to HIS tools or specifically to the functions in his utility script.
I have no idea what is available to "Standard" users as apposed to "Pro" users as far as scripting is concerned since I don't have access to the standard version. That is why I didn't know that menu scripts weren't accessible to the standard version.
My thought was that since so much of the program relies on the scripting functions that only embedded layer scripts are "deactivated" in the standard version (I think you can get around this by adding embedded layer script references "by hand" with a text editor).
I've only created a few menu scripts. I will see about adding button tools to access them. Like I said the only way to use layer scripts is by editing the AS files by hand. I am working on a possible solution to this by adding layer script functions to tool and utility scripts. This will make all of my scripts available to both versions.
-vern