gradient paiting, paint inside

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norritt
Posts: 1
Joined: Sat Apr 22, 2006 9:18 am

gradient paiting, paint inside

Post by norritt »

Hello,

i am new to moho, coming from flash/photoshop I am searching for a few basic drawing features like tuning my gradients. I can just set the gradient but not use my mouse for startpoint and endpoint of the gradient?

additional I am searching for a few painting options you might now from flash. here is what I mean: Image

is there also a flash-like brush mode? while using the brush in moho it always creates a path, but some times I like the flash like brush mode more, that creates a whole face and you can easy modify it. that is more natural especially if you are just sketching or making shadows and highlights on characters.

thank you!
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heyvern
Posts: 7042
Joined: Fri Sep 02, 2005 4:49 am

Post by heyvern »

The gradient effect in Moho is limited. It is a "one trick pony" so to speak.

You can change the angle of the gradient but not the starting or end points. The start and end is based on the "size" of the shape in relation to the angle. If you have a skinny rectangle... the angle of the gradient will always start and end at the widest edges of the shape depending on the angle.

I use a trick of adding an "extra bit" to the gradient filled shape and "move it around" to change the location of the gradient. The tricky part is hidding this extra bit. So far I have been able to hide it off screen somewhere or behind another shape or with a mask.

This only works when you want to make the gradient "larger" than the shape or move its center point. You can't "shrink" a gradient unless you use "overlapping" shapes. For instance... a smaller shape with a gradient on top of two flat filled shapes that match each end of the gradient... this is another trick I have used.

Masking

Those Flash examples of painting "behind" or "inside" a shape can only be achieved with multiple layers/shapes and/or masking.

For instance... the second one... "Paint Fills"... the circle stroke, the circle fill and the "brush stroke" shape could be separate shapes at different "levels" in one layer... or 3 separate layers... or 2 layers (circle and shape on one, stroke on a layer on top).

The sample with the brush stroke shape "masked" by the circle (Paint Selection and Paint Inside) would be done with a mask layer (the circle) as the last layer in a group that has the masking set to "hide all" and the circle set to "add to mask". The blue outline (mask propery set to "Do not mask"), brushed shape (Mask property set to "mask this layer") and orange circle all on different layers (in that order) with the circle being the bottom most layer with its layer mask set to "Add to Mask".

The "Paint Behind" sample is easy. Circle on top of brushed shape... either two layers or all on one layer. Shapes can be reordered on one layer but shapes can't mask each other on one layer... to do creative masking the shapes need to be on seperate layers. You can combine and "reuse" shapes on layers by fiddling with the mask settings.

IMPORTANT NOTE!
Preview of masking is not always correct!!! Do a preview RENDER to see the accurate final results of masking!!!

Many times my masks looked incorrect during editing and preview but they worked perfectly when rendered. You must do a render to see if the mask works.

None of these examples can be "painted" interactively. They must be created independently and the shapes "layered" in the document.

There is no "paint brush" in the traditional sense. You can't paint a "fill". The brush tool in Moho only creates paths. After creating a closed vector you can then create a filled/stroked shape with the shape tool. After creating the shapes you can change their order to create the effect you need.

You can't "brush" a fill... only a vector path.

I may have a missed a few things... but... I have been doing a ton of masking recently... so it is pretty fresh in my mind.

-Vern
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jahnocli
Posts: 3471
Joined: Fri Oct 29, 2004 2:13 pm
Location: UK

Post by jahnocli »

Don't get brain-ache looking for correlations between Flash and Moho -- there aren't any.
You can't have everything. Where would you put it?
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