handling in moho

[undo]

hi there,

i´ve been working with alot of graphic programs (vector/pixel/3D/Postpro etc)
and overall there are differences but also often things that work quite the same, which makes learning a new program easier and intuitive.

But now i´m learning Moho and i was wondering if the developer ever worked with other vector programs,
because in moho the way to select points and move them, do fills etc. is completely different to the programs i´ve worked with before.
I find those basic things are often awkward to do.
Sometimes that really sucks and really costs time.

I really hope that one day there will be a standard for at least the most common actions in similar programs like for zoom, vector point drawing and editing, selecting things and all that stuff.

after whining i also want to say that there are also very cool new features in moho, which should be adapted by programs like freehand or flash.
Thats the very cool line width tool and the hide edge tool, i really was happy to find these tools that i often missed in other programs.

sry for my english

[Rasheed]

We have had this discussion before.

Unlike other programs, connected points in Moho can have several outlines and fills. The idea behind this is that you can do more with a limited number of points. I think that is a good idea for an animation program.

Vector drawing programs OTOH are typically for illustration (still pictures). You want to have control over every bit of the drawing, so points can have complex attributes attached to them. If you are going to animate this, you will need a lot of computing power, especially if you'll use things like bones and particles.

So it seems complex illustrations made in other programs don't animate very well in Moho. This doesn't mean you can only create simple shapes with Moho, but rather that you construct complex shapes somewhat differently in Moho than in vector drawing programs.

I think (but that's my personal opinion) that it is best to start with a basic model of your character in the drawing program of your choice, check if these outlines can be animated in Moho (redraw if you can't), and then add further layers of details and complexity in a design-animation cycle. In this methodical way, you slowly build your model step-by-step.

If you first create a complete model in e.g. Freehand, export to A.I. and import that into Moho, you will have a tough time getting your model animated, especially if you are using bones.

My 2 cents.

[undo]

If you first create a complete model in e.g. Freehand, export to A.I. and import that into Moho, you will have a tough time getting your model animated, especially if you are using bones.

why that?
What do i have to pay attention to if my model should be animated with bones?

[Rasheed]

Bones can seriously distort your model. Ask Toontoonz for examples.


To show what I mean by slowly developing your character, I made an animation of a walking cat. The animation was done with vector layers and a switch layer (for the turning head), rigged by a single bone layer.

As you can see, the torso is too short (or the legs too long), because at certain points the front and hind paws use the same space. So if I elongate the body a little bit, this wouldn't occur. Furthermore, I have to place the left hind leg more to the back of the torso.

Observe the cat looking towards the viewer while it walks. This seems to work, so I leave it in.

[Rasheed]

Well, that bit about bones distorting your model was perhaps not completely true. There are ways to prevent distortion, but that results in less flexibility.

With bones there are three ways to bind your drawing to bones:
1) flexible binding (the drawing is modified by a bone depending on the distance between the bone and each point of the drawing)
2) layer binding (every layer has its own bone)
3) point binding (every point has its own bone)

Method 1 offers little control over what happens. Method 2 is more precise and method 3 is super precise.

The more precision, the more bones you will need to effectively use this precision. So, if you made a complex drawing with many points and you bind bones to points, you will need a lot of bones. And a lot of bones concentrated in one area are difficult to control (you might select the wrong bone more easily).

So there has to be a balance between the distribution of points and the type of bone binding you are going to use.

If any of you experienced Moho users is reading this and thinks it makes no sense at all, please feel free to correct me.

[Rasheed]

Here is the improved version of the cat animation: