Question about Anime Studio Standard

Yodaman · Post by **Yodaman** » Mon Mar 30, 2009 2:03 am

OK, I have just a couple of more questions before I buy AS Standard (actually, I may go Pro, but I'm not certain yet).

I'm sorry if this seems like a really n00bish question, but here goes..

On an average basis, how long does it take to learn to animate in AS? I've used some animating software before, but after looking at some screen shots of AS, it looks sort of overwhelming. Luckily there are plenty of YouTube tutorials though, so I'm not too concerned...

My other question is...

AS says in its system requirements that it needs Windows XP/Vista Table PC Edition. Do I HAVE to have Tablet PC (whatever that is) in order to use AS?

Thanks so far for the help guys!

Post by **Víctor Paredes** » Mon Mar 30, 2009 2:08 am

Yodaman wrote:AS says in its system requirements that it needs Windows XP/Vista Table PC Edition. Do I HAVE to have Tablet PC (whatever that is) in order to use AS?

No, it's not necessary. Actually, AS runs well in almost all PCs. But if you would have a Tablet Pc your life would be much happier.

toonertime · Post by **toonertime** » Mon Mar 30, 2009 2:27 am

I bought AS standard 2 years ago and have been
continually impressed by its capabilities.

The program is VERY cheap and fairly easy to use.
The manual isn't organized very well and it should
be in PDF form, but this forum makes up for any
deficiencies in that area.

It really fails in making me more talented, tho.
They should work on that.

synthsin75 · Post by **synthsin75** » Mon Mar 30, 2009 3:47 am

Compared to other animation software AS is deceptively simple. Even though the screen grabs may look overwhelming, most of its core functionality is right there in front of you, rather than hidden away in various menus. I found it very easy to learn, as opposed to many other 2D and 3D apps. The learning curve can be steep though if you have to unlearn a lot of methodology and implementation from other apps.

With AS you can be animating immediately. It is learning all of its true power that may take quite a bit longer. The up side to all this is that AS is truly fun to use, which is very rare in any animation software.

But I agree, this forum is what made me first take AS seriously.

AS runs very well for me on a XP notebook.

mkelley · Post by **mkelley** » Mon Mar 30, 2009 1:22 pm

Others have given you good answers -- let me clarify the Tablet PC question.

All that is saying is that it RUNS on a Tablet PC, not that a Tablet is a requirement. I'd venture to guess that much less than 1% of us here even *have* a tablet PC, let alone use AS on it.

I've been using a wide variety of graphics programs for many decades now, surely before you were born, and I can honestly say that AS is not only the best program I've ever used, but the easiest. Without AS I wouldn't have been able to realize my dream of having a weekly animated series. It's truly a no-brainer as to buying it -- your only real decision here is whether you want the Pro version or not.

El Samo · Post by **El Samo** » Mon Mar 30, 2009 5:20 pm

Yodaman: I know it sounds crazy, but in AS it's much easier to draw with a mouse. You can create any form by molding a rectangle or a circle. Try that before shopping for an expensive tablet.

Yodaman · Post by **Yodaman** » Mon Mar 30, 2009 7:55 pm

The feedback here is astounding! Thank you all for bearing with me and answering all of my questions!

I think I will stick with the Standard edition for now. If I decide I want to have more powerful features later on, then I'll go with the Pro version. I mainly just want to see if I can be a good animator. I have done some 3D animation, so I think that I can grasp animating in 2D pretty easily.

To be honest, I'm not that great a graphics artist, which is my main concern. I'm decent at sketching (but only if I spend a few hours on it), which is why I asked on another forum about a graphics tablet. I am reassured that I do not need one now, however.

Thanks again for your wonderful feedback everyone!

mkelley · Post by **mkelley** » Mon Mar 30, 2009 8:21 pm

I'm a terrible artist as well, but AS (and the superb drawing tools) along with the "sculpting" technique mentioned in this thread will go a long way towards overcoming your lack of talent.

I come from a 3D background and to make an acceptable 3D animation requires an extraordinary amount of time and talent. Yes, the program can calculate angles and camera positions, but you need to spend so much time building your sets and characters you will almost never be able to accomplish anything on your own.

2D, on the other hand, can be as rudimentary as "South Park" (yes, done in a 3D program but that's besides the point) or even more so and people will accept it in a way that you can never achieve with 3D. So even if your characters look like a child drew them, even if your backgrounds are bare lines or non-existent, as long as you have a compelling story the animation can be very entertaining. I think you'll be very surprised by how much you can do in a very quick time.

Yodaman · Post by **Yodaman** » Mon Mar 30, 2009 10:21 pm

mkelley wrote:I'm a terrible artist as well, but AS (and the superb drawing tools) along with the "sculpting" technique mentioned in this thread will go a long way towards overcoming your lack of talent.

Awesome! Just what I needed!

I'm really excited to start messing with AS. I'm going to talk to my dad about purchasing this later on tonight. I haven't had time to ask him yet. I do have my own money, just not my own credit card.

Heh. At any rate, thanks again guys! You've ensured that I'll buy Anime Studio for sure!

Question about Anime Studio Standard

nooby or not nooby