Just curious - Set Origin

[Jkoseattle]

This isn't a big deal, but it's annoying and I don't really understand why it's this way.

I am constantly setting the origin for my layers. I can pretty much guarantee that when I create a new layer, then go to transform the layer, the selection box will have little relation to the content of the layer. Usually it's dumbly huge, and I quickly go O-click-M to set the origin to where it makes some sense. I mean, I'm setting origin a lot of times for rotation purposes and such, but it seems like the DEFAULT origin should be somewhere in the middle of the layer's content. Same goes for when I group a bunch of layer. The origin for the new group is also dumbly huge.

Is there some logic to this I'm not getting?

[Greenlaw]

When rigging, it depends.

Since I'm usually animating only inside the bone layer for a character, I leave the origin of artwork layers at the default position and only use the bone to move, rotate and stretch an attached piece of art. In other words, when animating with bones, the bone's pivot point becomes the 'origin' of the art. Keeping all or most of the layers' origin to zero helps keep things predictable when updating artwork and using symmetrical duplicates.

About the only time I move the origin of an artwork layer is when I know I'm going to be transforming the artwork layer directly (i.e., not with a bone,) and there are usually only a few objects in a rig that may need that. And even then, I typically place that art layer inside a group layer and move the origin of the group layer instead. IMO, it's better to leave the origin for art layers alone.

Sometimes I need multiple origins for an item. In such cases, I nest the item inside multiple groups and give each group a different origin. This happens in special situations like when a character is doing some crazy activity in project, like running, jumping, climbing, grabbing a rope, swinging on it, and falling. (Hmm...sounds like the old Pitfall video game.)

Or at a basic level, I might put a rig in a group, and place the group's origin at the feet of the rig so I can add a cheap secondary squash and stretch effect to the character's performance. (If you look at any of my 2D animation reels, that cheat is probably present in every character.) And if I need that rig to transform from yet another position then I place that group inside another group as described above.

(In 3D animation, I often do the same thing using what are called Null or Locater objects instead of Groups.)

If you need to animate an origin, there's a script somewhere that will let you do that. A search should turn it up.

[Jkoseattle]

Oh..... that's a good idea, nesting groups like that. In reality I need to be more expert at animation in general to find myself in a situation where I'm doing complicated things like that. But this does remind me of a technique I thought up over the weekend that I will ask about in another thread shortly.

I also am encouraged by your saying that you only ever animate characters using bones. I have been sniffing around that idea myself, but I think I need to get better with how to set a rig up before I can venture there.

[Greenlaw]

For me, it's just easier and quicker to animate only on the bones layer. If you nest bone layers or do a lot of animation other nested layers, it can become a big headache to animate. With a well thought out rig, it's mostly unnecessary to animate other layers.

I say 'mostly' because I also like use the magnet tool directly on certain vector or mesh layers in special cases. This is where a layer selection tool like Layer Shortcuts comes in handy, but you can also directly select a layer by Alt+Right Clicking on the drawing.

If it becomes necessary, I'll use Timeline Visibility so I can view my bone keyframes along with the vector layer's point keyframes. I usually don't bother though...it's great to have this feature when I need it but most of the time what I see in the workspace is pretty obvious.

Hope this helps.

[lucasfranca]

If you need to animate an origin, there's a script somewhere that will let you do that. A search should turn it up.

I got interested in it!

[Greenlaw]

I searched around for that script. Here you go:

https://www.lostmarble.com/forum/viewto ... 46#p190946

It's pretty old though so no guarantees that it works in Moho 13.5.5.

TBH, I don't think I've ever used this tool. There are two parts: First is a layer script so you need to add the code using the Embed option in Layer Settings. The second part is a Set Origin mod that comes with it. I tried it out just now but not sure I'm using it correctly. I don't have time to experiment further so if anybody wants to give it a shot, post what you learn here.

If it works, I can see some cool uses for this script, like moving the origin of a character for squash and stretch transforms at different coordinates. For example, place the origin at ground level for squashing the body when the character is running, and then move the origin to the hands when a character is hanging onto a tree branch. Without this capability, I currently use nested groups, each with a different origin to transform from. This method works fine but it can get gnarly when you have too many nested groups.

[Greenlaw]

Oh, duh...there's a video about using it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5HUUxoUnYY

I hadn't seen this video when I wrote the above comment. Checking it out now.

BTW, the author is David Sandberg (aka PonySmasher,) who directs the Shazam! movies (the second one is coming out this year.) He has a lot of other Moho scripts you can download from his website here: https://www.dauid.com/other.php

Years ago I used his Camera-To-Ae and Layer-to-Ae scripts on a job. Not sure these still work for 13.5.5 but they were super handy when I needed them.

Update: I just watched the video and, yeah, I was missing one important step. In the video, this mod does exactly what I described so maybe I do have time to test this right now.

[Greenlaw]

Yay! Animated Set Origin works perfectly fine in Moho 13.5.5!

Some additional notes for beginner Moho users...

Be sure to add the mod to your Tools folder in your Custom Content Folder and not to your Moho program folder. Using the Custom Content Folder is the non-destructive way to add a modified tool file. (Altering the original program files by overwriting them is always a bad idea.)

Also, you will need to copy the Set Origin icon files from the Moho program folder because they're not included with the download.



Without these files in your Custom Content folder's Tools folder, the modified tool will still work but you will see a 'broken' icon for Set Origin in the Tools window.