Help Shape the Future of Anime Studio

[neon22]

The program once had this in a pop up menu on the timeline, but was taken away ...

I like the simplified UI with the removal of the unused channels:
- Makes it faster to navigate vertically and only shows me the channels I am using.
- BUT I agree - the simplification went too far.
Its now very time consuming to add channels like Visibility and layer opacity.

Its also confusing with the two locations to enable layer effects and animating switch layers. I'd rather see this in the simple/advanced modes that are being worked on. (Simple mode (I forget the UI name) combines all keys into a single channel - but for anything beyond extremely basic motion this mode is not so useful).
Perhaps Introductory vs Advanced modes woud be a good label for these.


Of course the extra helper tools like the "swiss army knife tools" compensate for this - but that's (again) why I'm trying to use it as delivered to give feedback relevant to new users.

IMHO We want more new users of varying skill levels - to get more money allocated to this product - so we can see some focused improvements.

[GCharb]

To show the channels I need, I use the copy current frame tool from the animation menu, it takes a second and my channels are set.

But to be able to do it from the time line makes more sense!

[JaMike]

5. A more proffesional design/look.

This one has me puzzled - what is a professional look for software nowadays? ASP looks much better now than it did in the old screenshots I've seen, so what's wrong with it?

[cucumihai]

5. A more proffesional design/look.

This one has me puzzled - what is a professional look for software nowadays? ASP looks much better now than it did in the old screenshots I've seen, so what's wrong with it?

There's nothing wrong with it, that's just something that i want to see in the next version. As a web designer i think they can make it look better. I'd like to see a new design for buttons, icons, fonts, colors and maybe change the layout a little. AS now has almost the same design as version 5, if not, the same, i think it's time for an improvement.

PS: that's what i'd like to see in the next version and it doesn't need to be the same as you

[JaMike]

As a web designer i think they can make it look better. I'd like to see a new design for buttons, icons, fonts, colors and maybe change the layout a little.

Well, I'd rather we had new features to make us more productive instead of redesign for the sake of it, but that's just me.

As a web designer, why don't you make an image of how it could be, it might encourage them to change it.

Out of interest, what is the best looking animation software you've seen? I normally find the nicer something looks, the worse it is to use.

[GCharb]

Softimage is known for its ease of use, but it still has the same look it had 10 years ago.

As long as it is workflow friendly, i don't care about the looks of it.

[SvenFoster]

Out of interest, what is the best looking animation software you've seen? I normally find the nicer something looks, the worse it is to use.

lol thats sometimes true..

I would say, change the gui so that it supports more scripting etc.. Look to Blender 2.5. Ok some people will love it others hate it..the look isnt disimilar to asp however you can;
* access everythign you need without popups
* script everything
* customise it
* config key mappings
* modular/plugin style architechure.

For my mind thats the only way to satisfy a power user. Let them make the software do what they want and to be honest, as a developer its the only way to make life easy when it comes to development esp in a team.

ASP is somewhere near it, but until the little things like customising keystrokes make it into asp.. you will always bend to the tool.

ps: I actually love ASP

[neon22]

In addition to my previous Animation timeline post
- here is an idea for a bit more of a substantial change to the UI to support multi-layer selection. (cut and pasted from another thread)

The Problem:
- Its hard to move related keys from another layer.
- Its hard to ensure you have moved all related keys except by direct examination of all layers at that frame time. You have to keep this information in your head.
- Its desireable to allow the multi-selection of keys. E.g. to move them.
- Its desireable to link keys that should be related to each other.

In AS8 we now have a more vertically condensed timeline as unused channels are not shown. A potential next step would be to allow multiple selection in the Layers to show each associated timeline.

In other software the solution can take several forms.
I favour these:

• allow the timeline to be split horizontally to show different layers - with their keys. Each one on top of the next, aligned on the timeline.
• allow multi-selection of layers and show each layer's keys in a horizontal slice.
• for hierarchical layers that are 'under' each other - show each one in a nested box (similar to the sequencer). These can then be opened to see the relevant keys.
  • (not shown in mockup below)
• allow a key to be linked to another on the timeline - implying that moving one of the linked keys - moves all linked keys
  • allow these links to also hold relative time offsets.
  • E.g. a key on one channel is linked to a key on another which takes place a few frames later.

Notes:

1. Handling links when deleting a key is simple. All links remain valid until the last linked key is deleted. I.e. there is no master key that holds the links.
2. I've drawn these with different colours to indicate they should be reorderable, not to suggest you use pretty colours for each channel.
3. Selecting keys should work as now with rectangle selection.
4. A right click menu would have the choice to Link selected keys
5. Its tough to maximise useable space if you include the layer name on the timeline.
   - Putting it on the LHS shortens the timeline - which we want as long as possible (but making the scrollbar behave better (previous post) could help with this).
   - Likewise putting it between layers will remove valuable vertical space to see as many channels as possible.
   Possibly a way to do this might be to have a halfline, or overlay between the layers and write the layer name there.
6. If a key links to a layer which is not currently selected then we either have a drawing problem or a potential confusion problem.
   Its quite likely that a single key will be linked to many channels so the solution is probably to:
   - draw links to undisplayed keys with a dashed line to nowhere to indicate that if the user moves this key then other, unseen, keys will be moved.
   - add a right click option to show all linked keys by adding them to the selection and thereby displaying them.
   This way confusion can be resolved.

Here is a mockup of how the UI might work.

[chucky]

Its desireable to link keys that should be related to each other.

Oh yeah , I concur.

Another thing stretch selected keys .
Press shift while dragging keys and they stretch out , to slow or speed up.

[GCharb]

Hello again!

I have been working with capricorn33 IKFK script for sometimes now, and I believe that a more advanced version of this could be useful in ASP.

In 3D its called an aim at constraint, here's how it works.

You have a character and a ball setup with bones, an aim at constraint is set between the character and the ball with a strength of 0%.

As the character touch the ball, You set the strength to 100%, the ball is then fully constrained to the character hand and moves with it.

Then the character throws the ball, the constraint is still at 100% at the end of the motion and then set to 0% a few frames later, releasing the ball.

This is an example as this could be used for advanced rigs, like feet and knee constraints, getting rid of the slipping feet problem and so much more.

Here is a way this could be implemented in the interface.



Just a thought!

[chucky]

Yes , totally Gilles,
some of us are familiar (as you would be) with this feature in 3D applications it is an indispensable time an effort saver and makes a lot of sense.
Just yesterday I had to put a helmet on a character in ASPRO , it was a bit of a chore- especially as it was rigged with dynamic elements that had to register properly when switching from the constrained to non constrained helmets.
Incidentally I requested the aim feature to be built into the interface back in March ( somewhere) and I made an almost identical image to go with it , check it out... weird huh?


I also think that bone angles should be able to control bone scale so that we could have driven muscle bulge and the like this


In fact I would go as far to suggest that a drag n drop system to automate almost anything by the change of any other animated feature
(yeah this might not be clear- I'm not so great at expressing these technical ideas).
That's it EXPRESSIONS! like in After Effects when the spiral symbol can link variables to create expressions without code.
This would help non scripting creatives get more adventurous without having to appeal to the script wizards.
Does this make sense.... do you think it's doable?

[GCharb]

One of my all time favorite software was Nendo, a 3D modeler that really rocked my work back then.

I was pleasingly surprised to find out that it still exist and can be purchased.

One of the features that really made Nendo special was the ability to record a modeling sessions.

The recording was an actual text file of everything done in Nendo.

It was a phenomenal asset, as one could record a full session and pass the small file to others so they could play it back in Nendo.

Just imagine, someone like selgin recording an animation session and passing the small file to everyone so they can see Anime Studio playing back everything he did.

In Nendo we could even open the text file and manipulate it manually and tweak things.

You could see text explaining the steps in the interface.

You can download a demo of Nendo here.

http://www.izware.com/nendo/downloads.htm

It comes with several scripts showing how to model different 3D objects.

This could be a fun addition to Anime Studio and a good way to teach new and older users how to work with the software.

[GCharb]

Nice chucky, have not seen your post in march, great pic!

[NeedyN00b]

I know there are scripts that accomplish these tasks, but I think they are so fundamental they should be included the software:

Across all layers:
-- insert frames (global nudge keys right)
-- global keyframe (a "freeze pose" but across all layers and for all possibilities in the timeline... bones, points, layers, camera)... it would save a lot of manual "this is where I want my animation to start" keyframing

[banjar]

1. Flawless importation of Adobe Illustrator files

2. Keeping great Anime Studio teachers such as Mark Bremmer on the payroll or at least keeping them updated about new versions of AS Pro so that quality tutorials can be produced at the same time as new releases. Thus, new students can learn the software immediately instead of having to struggle with it from lack of tutorials.