Actions visibility and usability

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Genete
Posts: 3483
Joined: Tue Oct 17, 2006 3:27 pm
Location: España / Spain

Actions visibility and usability

Post by Genete »

I've been working in the layer setup of a face, a simple face.
Finally I decide to perform this layer set up.
G, S, V are Layer types as follows:
G = Group Layer
S = Switch Layer
V= Vector Layer
and a number after Layer type indicates depth of sorting

G0: Head
-S1: Eyes
--G2: Eyes normal (mask hide all)
---V3:Eyelids
---V3:Pupils
---V3: Eyes (add to mask)
-S1:Mouth
--G2: Closed Mouth
---V3: Lips (hide the tonge)
---V4: Tonge
V0: Head


Now here is the trick or tip. Actions have different visibility depending on if they have been created with a particular layer selected or not.
For instance, you want to create a simple action that is called "shut eyelids".
You can create it selecting V3:Eyelids layer and pressing create action button in action window. Other possibility is create the action with G2: Eyes normal layer selected. Third and fourth ones are create the action with ancestors layers selected. So, where is the diferrence? The differnece is in the visibility of the action in action window and also in main time line depending on where the action was created.
In my opinion this is a very interesting feature because you can hide elementary actions to timeline and also to action window in order to make your timeline more clear and consistent. For instance I can create an action in head level (G0: Head) called "Sad" and it is composed "internally" by a lot of elementary actions (half shut eyelids + sad mouth + pupils look down, for example) that will not be visible in the timeline like an amount of elemetary ones. So you can create ALL simple actions and after that combine in complex actions for upper levels. Actions will only appears in timeline where the layer action have been posted. In fact you can only paste copies of every elementary action when composited in upper action. so further modification of elementary action will not modify the composed action. Also if, in the example "Sad" does not modify any of head layers, use of the "Sad" action in timeline will not be shown when Head is selected.

Image

On the other hand AS/Moho make also a wonderful thing.
Imagine that you dont have defined any action and decide create an action that move eyes and mouth at same time. Do it!!. AS/Moho will create elementary actions (with same name is the problem) within each affected layer. So if you create an action called "Sad" only moving shapes or bones or what ever (not re-using previous elementary actions) the program will create for you as many action for each affected layer as layers are involved in the action. In the example Sad=mode the eyelids + move mouth. So you have two new actions that can be used individually at any moment. Only problem is that all they are called "Sad"


A great feature!!! Really AS/Moho is a GREAT program!!
It could be a request feature that in composited actions you could insert a reference of each elementary action instead of a copy of them.
Feed back will be welcome.


Here is the file:
http://es.geocities.com/genetita/moho/lengua3.moho.zip
turminator
Posts: 23
Joined: Sat Oct 28, 2006 10:07 pm
Location: Spain

Post by turminator »

Hola genete!

Gracias por la informació! En breve me pondré a analizarlo y a ver que consigo hacer.

PD: Como as conseguido tener el AS en español? Yo tengo la versión 5. Pero está en Ingles. Si hubiera alguna forma de traducirlo(para la 5), podria hacerlo.

Saludos!
Sorry for my bad English.
Genete
Posts: 3483
Joined: Tue Oct 17, 2006 3:27 pm
Location: España / Spain

Post by Genete »

Mira aquí:
http://www.lostmarble.com/moho/extras/t ... ions.shtml
Suerte.
Para AS no se si hay traducción pero imagino que funciona igual que Moho.
Saludos


PD: ¿Oye, de donde eres?
Yo soy de Cádiz :wink:
turminator
Posts: 23
Joined: Sat Oct 28, 2006 10:07 pm
Location: Spain

Post by turminator »

Ok! Muchas gracias! estoy traduciendo la versió a ver si la termino y la mando a la web, a ver que les parece.

Yo soy de Barcelona, pero no hay motivo de ninguna disputa :D . Por cierto, en Cadiz no he estado pero lo que es la parte de Almeria i Cabo de Gata....muy interesante.

Saludos!
Sorry for my bad English.
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