Traditional vs. vector animation

[Furpuss]

The is a test where I took a scene from a hand-drawn cartoon and replicated it in anime Studio Pro. Traditional animation is on the left, vector animation on the right.



Furpuss

[funksmaname]

That's brilliant!

[Barry Baker]

There is no doubt it is beautifully animated, although if the vector version was achieved simply by moving the vectors around on top of the drawn animation (which is what it looks like), then I would still call this traditional hand-drawn animation. The vectors are simply used as another kind of trace line.

The real test would be if you could make a puppet of that character that would not only replicate what you have done with a pencil, but would also be capable of being animated in many other situations, and with the same qualities of acting and movement.

[funksmaname]

You make a fair point Barry.

[Furpuss]

There is no doubt it is beautifully animated, although if the vector version was achieved simply by moving the vectors around on top of the drawn animation (which is what it looks like), then I would still call this traditional hand-drawn animation. The vectors are simply used as another kind of trace line.

The real test would be if you could make a puppet of that character that would not only replicate what you have done with a pencil, but would also be capable of being animated in many other situations, and with the same qualities of acting and movement.

You are quite correct, Barry. My purpose was to see if ASP would be a viable alternative if used as an ink & paint system and to generate in-betweens. The original animation (by Dale Baer) was done mostly on twos but by using ASP I easily put it on ones. It remains to be seen if there's a financial advantage as it took me 40 hours to complete. Yes, it would be better if some sort of rig or puppet could be created to get the same effect. That was my goal in my previous video. However, it still did not quite achieve a hand-drawn look.

Much as I love classical animation,t just strikes me that the Disney system of rough animation, clean-up, in-between, scanning and colorizing may not be economically sustainable, especially for TV shows and commercials, which is why I'm exploring vector-based alternatives.

[Víctor Paredes]

It's a very interesting test.
Now, I understand what Barry is saying, but I think it's great to see this kind of application into AS. It's true that rigging animation is the main feature of this software, but point animation and fbf are both great too. And anything which could make the animation process faster, is welcomed, even if it's not one rig for the whole movie.

For getting that result quick, I imagine this workflow:
- FBF animation for base animation
- Basic rig creation for overall animation
- Point animation and FBF (plus point animation) for details

This year I were playing with Cacani, another vector animation software with an interesting philosophy about inbetweening. After working with it for awhile, I came to the conclusion AS -with its own set of features and limitations- was better qualified for the job.
I think it's great to see animators like Tom squeezing the software for their own needs. I know what AS can do for "classical animation" in the theory, but haven't the knowledge or the talent people like Tom have, so it's exciting to see this kind of post. Thanks for sharing it.

[Barry Baker]

I take your point Victor. It's also interesting to use AS as an ink and paint tool, if it offers advantages over manual methods. Clearly, as Tom pointed out, it can semi-automate the task of inbetweening, but it wasn't a particularly fast way of working. The hybrid process that you describe sounds like a good fusion between the two approaches, and should achieve greater efficiency.

I applaud your experiments Tom; it is really interesting to see you reaching for a rich, traditional look. I think the animation you have achieved with AS is excellent in its own right, regardless of whether it fully imitates hand-drawn animation.

[3deeguy]

You are quite correct, Barry. My purpose was to see if ASP would be a viable alternative if used as an ink & paint system and to generate in-betweens. The original animation (by Dale Baer) was done mostly on twos but by using ASP I easily put it on ones. It remains to be seen if there's a financial advantage as it took me 40 hours to complete. Yes, it would be better if some sort of rig or puppet could be created to get the same effect. That was my goal in my previous video. However, it still did not quite achieve a hand-drawn look.

Much as I love classical animation,t just strikes me that the Disney system of rough animation, clean-up, in-between, scanning and colorizing may not be economically sustainable, especially for TV shows and commercials, which is why I'm exploring vector-based alternatives.

I'm personally encouraged that it took 40 hours for a professional animator to complete. Quality work still requires 'talent' which will never go out of style. Software might help someone to approach the 'speed' of UB Iwerks but not his talent. Talent is evident even in "South Park" which is 'simple' but not amateurish.
My personal challenge is learning to build quality rigs quickly. I don't think technology will eliminate the need for talent

[Maestral]

After all that is said in regard of AS and traditional approach, one should consider viewing what GChrab, Amira Mostafa and 244233256 would have to say on that matter.