Storyboard and Animatic using Moho

[Rasheed]

Some time ago, some posters on the Moho forum suggested one could use Moho to create a storyboard and story reel (animatic). I even think it is possible to do both at the same time.

First I created a storyboard with 16 panels, each the size of the animation (320 x 240), in a 4 by 4 grid:

I put this vector layer in a group layer, together with an empty vector layer (for drawing on the storyboard). In frame zero, I shrank the group layer and translated it, so the complete storyboard would fit into the visible field. In frame 1, the storyboard got the normal size and position.

The next step was to move the storyboard in the timeline, so that an animatic would be possible. I used camera tracking to do this. During 96 frames, the camera shot panels 1 through 16.

Now I could draw with the frame counter at the correct position in the visible field and in the correct panel. The only thing I had to do was: go back to frame zero, copy the relevant keys from the frame I just worked in, paste them in frame zero, and then delete them. Working through the panels, by working in the appropriate frames in the timeline, and copying the keys back to frame zero, I finished all 16 panels.

This was just a simple example (numbering 1 .. 16). The resulting movie looks like this:


Here is the file animatic.moho.

I can think of some refinements:
- use an arbitrary size for the panels, so it's possible to track or zoom the camera when the panel is visible in the timeline
- use a couple of frames for simple animation (e.g. translation of the character in the panel)
- use the timeline to determine the length of each scene

So basically, you create a panel on the panel layer, which give you the bounderies to draw in the drawing layer. Next you track the camera to the panel at the appropriate frames within the timeline.

I think this way you can quickly create a storyboard and animatic, to see if things work visually as you had envisioned it from the script. You can leave things out, by not tracking to a panel and insert things by adding a panel and tracking to it with the camera at the appropriate frames in the timeline.

[webe3d]

Thanks Rasheed.

Another way is to create one switch layer, then just add vector layers as children to the Switch. (the vectors will be like frames)

Then on the time line you can "trigger" a frame whenever you want. or you could make a simple text file to serve as a source data file.

Dont remember the exact syntax, but the text file would look something like this:

MohoSwitch1
1 1
10 2
20 3
30 4

The 1, 10, 20, 30 is where a keyframe is being placed in the timeline.
The 1,2,3 and 4 are the names of the layers that I want it to display.

This little data file is switching to the next layer or frame every 10 frames. Giving the elusion of good ole fashioned cel animation. But you could vary it as fast or as slow as you wish.

[Rasheed]

I thought of that solution, but in your case, you can't create a storyboard, only an animatic. The good thing about storyboards is that you can write down (or do a rough drawing) what the frame should contain and later replace it with a frame drawing.

[bupaje]

I mentioned this once before but it might me a nice addition to allow Moho to do something like this http://www.cgfocus.com/articles/Carrara ... nlarge.jpg Basically using the quick render to output individual images instead of a .mov maybe and shoving it in a simple html page with tables? I did see one of those Lua sites had an html library for generating webpages.

Sort of like XP's filmstrip preview in explorer.

Anyway Moho is great as is, you just triggered the flashback with your example.

[Rasheed]

Perhaps that isn't such a bad idea! An external app using the Moho engine for separate scenes in an overall storyboard. Only I don't know if the Moho engine allows for multiple instances of itself.

It would be a nice new feature for Moho if it were possible to have multiple Moho documents in a single master document. Then you could chop up your movie into scenes, like on a storyboard and make editing your animation so much easier. You simply zoom in on a particular .moho file to do the editing and switch back to storyboard mode for an overview.

Of course, it may also be a seperate application, or a feature of a professional version of Moho (there have been several requests for the forking of the current shareware version into a shareware "Moho light" and a payware "Moho studio").

[Rasheed]

I don't know if the Moho engine allows for multiple instances of itself.

I just checked on my Mac and entered this commands in two instances of a Terminal shell window (begin again shell, the resident CLI):

Code: Select all

cd /applications/moho/moho.app/contents/macos/
./Moho

and two versions of Moho appeared. So, obviously, to have an external app call several instances of Moho, to have several Moho documents open at the same time, is certainly a possible solution.

[Rai López]

Hmmm, very interested in that Carrara 3D app, over all after I have discover it can modeler using Splines system... Is there somebody here that have worked with it? How it works with character animation? I'm investigating but any user information it'll be welcomed ...CIAO!

[mooncaine]

I don't know if the Moho engine allows for multiple instances of itself.

I just checked on my Mac and entered this commands in two instances of a Terminal shell window (begin again shell, the resident CLI):

Code: Select all

cd /applications/moho/moho.app/contents/macos/
./Moho

and two versions of Moho appeared. So, obviously, to have an external app call several instances of Moho, to have several Moho documents open at the same time, is certainly a possible solution.

Wow, it worked today when I tried it with Anime Studio Pro 5.5! Nice. I might use this to make an animatic... but probably I'll just take all my files to a machine with Final Cut Pro. I think that'd be faster.